Broke my phone like two months ago and sent it in to get it repaired, which took about a month. I only had my work phone as emergency backup, so I basically didn’t have a phone during most of that time.

Well, staring into space while waiting for the bus seems to be the convention where I live, so I didn’t feel weird in that regard.
I did have some invasive thoughts, like what if you need to call emergency services and can’t? Haven’t needed that so far in my life and the chance of no one else with a phone being around is pretty slim, but the thought entered my mind anyways.

Well, and then I do use my phone for navigating public transport, for finding out where I need to go in case I ever get lost and then also just as a shopping list.
Shopping list is easy to replace with a sheet of paper. Navigating public transport had me suddenly looking at the hangouts in the various stations. It’s certainly not the same as having an algorithm tell you the quickest route, but you can find a lot of information there and you will find a route, which is good enough.
Not having a map is something that had me kind of just not take larger trips. I guess, if I had been without a phone for longer, I would’ve gotten used to that, too. Like, you can ask people, some of which might have a phone with a map on it themselves even.

Generally speaking, after the first few days, I did not miss my phone as much as I thought. I found it somewhat liberating even.

I don’t feel weird if I’m just walking around in front of my home. I occasionally forget to bring a phone with me when I go outside, but if I remember I’ll go back and get one.

If I managed to get to a grocery store or bus stop without a phone, I would probably feel stupid and still do whatever I wanted to do outside, but then go directly home rather than doing another errand.

I have no problem with staring into space or looking around rather than looking at a phone. I have mobile data, but I rarely use it nowadays, and I only have one somewhat boring game application installed on my phone.

I don’t go to many places, and it’s even rarer for me to travel through multiple municipalities, so I just remember how to get to the places I often want to go, and if I was going to a distant location I’d be even more likely to notice if I forgot my phone since I’d probably want to set up navigation before leaving. I use OsmAnd for navigation so it’s not a problem if I don’t have access to the internet, and I’m used to navigating without using the internet so navigating entirely without a phone is probably easier for me than for some people.

I had to do a paper on this. Basically, the newer generations are more and more addicted to their phones, going so far as having physical withdrawal symptoms when they’re apart from it. They discovered that we’re now thinking of our phone as an extra appendage of sort, and that though becomes more solidified though each generation.

My pockets feel unusual. Same when going out without a wallet. Constantly feel like I left them somewhere.

it feels liberating

I leave my phone behind now and again so I don’t feel the obligation to always be reachable, a privilege I’m sure. I don’t often get lost but I speak the local language so I can just ask a stranger if I do. I absolutely don’t find it weird if someone’s alone and not looking at a phone and don’t think anyone around me does, though I’ve never been one to care about that sort of thing anyway. I’ve intentionally removed all the timewasting apps from my phone as well, namely social media and news and all that.

I was on the metro recently and didnt feel like using my phone. tried to zone out into space but kept feeling like people were looking at me funny, noticing I wasn’t looking down at a phone. made me feel so u comfortable I took my phone out and forced myself to use it for the next 20 mins

I don’t even know how I survived the 90s. When you were waiting for the bus the most entertaining thing you could do was stare at your shoes or throw a rock at the stop sign

No. It’s not hard to entertain myself by simply observing the world around me and daydreaming.

I’d end up staring at people while I drink my coffee without my phone.

I feel weird and anxious when I go outside even if I do have my phone with me.

I do not. I don’t feel awkward necessarily just sitting there doing nothing but I also tend to avoid situations where I am like that because I do get bored and impatient fairly easily. I also just don’t like phones. I don’t do much with mine other than the things I find very useful like calls, text messaging and maps. I much prefer my PC whenever possible.

I’m American, and I’m 40. I didn’t have a mobile phone until I was like 19 and didn’t have a smartphone until I was probably about 28 or something.

I understand why people would feel awkward without their phones for sure. Especially if that’s what they are used to. I used to smoke cigarettes and I remember kinda feeling silly just standing there not smoking after I quit.

I wouldn’t know. That hasn’t happened since I got my first phone in the 90s. It’s always with me.

Not really, but I’m old. I grew up in the '80s and '90s. I still prefer not to forget my cell, mostly because there’s no payphones anymore.

I’m 50, old enough to remember when we didn’t have answering machines or call waiting or anything, and yet I can’t go to the kitchen to stir my tea without my phone. I’m not saying it’s good. To be fair I do read a lot of books on it though.