Phones Off, Anxiety On

I read the superintendent’s email about the cell phone ban three times, like maybe the words would change if I stared hard enough. No phones from first bell to last. Supposedly for our mental health, to make us more present. I should be relieved, right? But all I can think about is how I used to scroll through my phone in the bathroom between classes, just to breathe. I’d check texts, pretend I was busy, anything to not feel like I was floating alone in a hallway full of people who didn’t see me. Now, I guess I’ll just stand there, exposed, counting the tiles on the floor. They say it’s for our own good. But I wonder if anyone actually asked us what we needed. Or if they just got tired of seeing us hunched over, trying to disappear. #SchoolPressure #MentalHealthMatters #Disconnected #Education