As human beings, it is easy to get caught in the endless loop of distractions that the modern world offers. Phones, screens, and external entertainment constantly demand our attention, and while they may seem harmless, they quietly steal our energy, time, and awareness. To live consciously means to reclaim that energy and bring it back into the present moment. It means living with awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and actions, and choosing what nourishes the soul instead of what depletes it.
Let me guide you through this in a way that not only answers the question but also gives you practical tools to live consciously, starting from the very next moment of your life.
Escapism Through the Phone
Take the example of someone who finds themselves endlessly scrolling through their phone during free time. They may have a full life — a young child, a pet, meaningful responsibilities — and yet, instead of giving their presence to those who depend on them, they fall into the trance of random scrolling.
Why does this happen? The phone becomes a form of escapism. Even though there is life in front of you — a 20-month-old son, a playful dog, a living reality — the mind is more interested in the glittery flow of information on the phone. A living child and a living animal are ignored, while a dead device is given energy.
The reason is simple: the mind does not want responsibility. A child and a pet mean responsibility, presence, and effort. But the phone offers an easy escape into entertainment, gossip, and stories of other people’s lives. The mind wants entertainment, not accountability.
Why It Depletes the Soul
You may notice that after endless scrolling, you feel empty rather than fulfilled. This is because the mind, in its hunger, consumes the energy of your consciousness. Instead of nourishing your soul, it drains it.
Think of it like this: watching a chosen movie or a series intentionally is fine — you do it with awareness, for rest or enjoyment. Checking the phone for your work purpose is also fine — it serves a need. But scrolling aimlessly, with no purpose, is a trap. In those moments, your mind is literally eating your consciousness.
The process is subtle but powerful:
- The mind gathers information from the phone.
- It compares your life with someone else’s.
- It makes you feel superior or inferior, depending on the comparison.
- It labels the information and the people involved.
- It drains your energy, leaving you empty and restless.
This cycle repeats endlessly, feeding the mind but starving the soul.
Awareness: The Key to Breaking the Cycle
How, then, do you stop this destructive loop? The solution is not force, not suppression, but awareness.
Next time you pick up the phone, do not try to stop yourself suddenly. Instead, simply be conscious of the act. Observe with detachment, as if you are watching yourself.
- Notice your hand moving toward the phone.
- Observe the moment you lift it up.
- Watch your finger scrolling up and down the screen.
- Ask silently: Why is my hand moving? Why is my mind demanding this?
When you bring awareness to the act, you cut the unconscious energy supply to the mind’s pattern. The scrolling slows down. Sometimes it even stops by itself because you are no longer fueling it with unconsciousness.
This is not about stopping the act forcibly. It is about becoming the witness. Even one moment of pure awareness is enough to show you that you are not the mind. You are consciousness.
The Wealth of Consciousness
Think of your consciousness as a great treasure — worth millions. Every moment of attention is like giving away a coin from your treasure chest. But instead of investing it in something that nourishes your soul — your child, your dog, your health, your creativity, or your inner silence — you hand it over to meaningless streams of information.
Would you give your life’s wealth to strangers on the street? No. Then why give away the wealth of your attention so easily?
When you reclaim even one moment of awareness, you stop outsourcing your power. You stop giving your mind the power of attorney to run your life.
Learning from the Dog and the Child
Look at your dog. A dog lives in total presence. Whatever it does — eating, playing, sleeping — it does with full attention. There is no half-heartedness, no multitasking, no escape. Every moment is soul nourishment.
Look at your child. For a 20-month-old, every little thing is a discovery. There is curiosity, play, innocence, and presence. You can learn consciousness from your child and your dog, but only if you are there to witness them.
A Step-by-Step Practice
Here is a practical way to bring awareness into daily life, especially around phone use:
- Before picking up the phone: Pause. Take a breath. Ask: Do I need this now?
- While lifting the phone: Observe the movement of your hand. Watch it as if it belongs to someone else.
- While scrolling: Notice how your finger moves. Notice the speed. Observe your mind’s hunger for new content.
- After scrolling: Pause again. How do you feel — nourished or depleted? If depleted, acknowledge it and put the phone aside.
Repeat this every time. In the beginning, the old mental pattern will return. The mind will push you again and again. But each time you bring awareness, the pattern loses power. Without your energy, it cannot survive.
In just a few days, you will see a difference. In a week, you may already feel lighter. In a month, the habit can dissolve completely.
Living as Consciousness, Not the Mind
The deepest realization is this: You are not the mind. You are consciousness itself.
The mind is only a mechanism, a tool for survival. But you — your essence — are the witness behind it all. When you remember this, even for a moment, the whole illusion of scrolling, comparing, and escaping breaks.
Awareness creates a blank space — a stillness where you taste your true self. In that moment, the phone loses its grip. The mind loses its control. You are free.
Expanding Conscious Living Beyond the Phone
Living consciously is not limited to breaking phone addiction. It is a way of being in all aspects of life.
- In relationships: Be fully present with your loved ones. Listen, watch, and feel, without distraction.
- In responsibilities: Instead of resisting them, bring awareness into them. Responsibility then transforms into growth.
- In work: Focus on one task at a time with complete attention.
- In nature: Spend moments simply observing trees, the sky, or your pet. Let their presence remind you of your own.
- In yourself: Notice your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations. Do not judge them. Simply witness.
Conscious living is about giving energy only to what nourishes you, while withdrawing it from what drains you.
The Freedom of Awareness
One conscious moment can break years of unconscious habit. Once you taste that moment, you will realize the immense freedom of living awake.
Instead of being dragged by compulsions, you begin to choose. Instead of living as a prisoner of the mind, you live as the master of your life. Instead of running away from responsibilities, you find meaning in them.
Awareness is the door. Walk through it again and again until it becomes your natural state.
Final Words
To live a conscious life is not about renouncing the world. It is not about throwing away your phone or giving up work. It is about reclaiming your power of attention and directing it with awareness.
Remember this simple truth: mental patterns cannot run without your energy. If you feed them unconsciously, they will control you. If you starve them with awareness, they dissolve.
So, the next time your hand moves toward your phone, pause. Witness it. Breathe into the moment. In that pause, in that witnessing, you touch your real nature — consciousness itself.
Live from that place, and your life will no longer be an unconscious repetition but a conscious flowering of presence.
