I have an obsession with my phone. And just by taking a wild guess, I bet you do too. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if 99 percent of teenagers are as we can’t seem to do anything without an electronic device in our hand.

Yes, I am guilty of my own accusation, but when I realized that there are more important things in life than what is written on my Twitter timeline, I knew I had to make a change.

You might not think you are obsessed, but unless you don’t have a Twitter, Instagram, Vine, or Tumblr, I am almost positive you are. I know I can’t walk ten feet without having anxiety when noticing that my back pocket is 112 grams lighter because my phone isn’t in its usual spot. This is a dilemma because this tiny little device, made by a company named after a fruit, controls my whole life.

I took a few mission trips this summer, and it was requested that we don’t bring our phones. I know this idea seems crazy, but surprisingly, when 50 people are on a bus together, you somehow find a way to talk to each other, rather than being glued to a phone. I met so many new people and discovered so many new experiences that I would have usually overlooked if I had my phone on me.

Not only can electronics lead to procrastination, but they can actually affect someone’s grades. After I get home from an exhausting day at school, the last thing I want to do is homework. So, I usually hop on my bed and watch Netflix or YouTube until I detach my eyes from my computer screen, only to notice it is night and three hours have passed by. Then, I scramble around, trying to cram four hours worth of homework into a 30 minute time crunch so I can get a decent amount of sleep. And when that plan fails, I either give up and crash for the night, or I fight through the drowsiness and finish my homework, then finally “hit the hay” just in time to get a solid 2 and a half hours of sleep. Either way, phones in general are the “anti-help” of teenagers.

Often times people use their phone as a shield from awkward situations. Walking in a barren hallway with only one other passing person and odds are one of you will pull out your phone or iPod to avoid eye-contact. But that could have been an opportunity to make a new friend. It’s your decision whether to engage in situations or not. And in the end, the question are is you are able to step out of your comfort zone, or are you going to separate yourself from the world again? It’s your choice.