When was the last time you left the house without your cellphone? I’m sure many people cannot recall the last time they went without a cellphone for more than a few minutes. These days it seems as if the cellphone has become an extension of the body.

People are using phones more and more. Every time I go eat at a restaurant, I notice most of the people there are using their phones.

Couples clearly on dates swipe through their newsfeeds with blank stares. Families out to enjoy a meal together sit in silence with their eyes glued to a screen.  People don’t even go to the bathroom without their cellphone anymore! They check in at work, at the mall, at home and even on I-20.

I know I’m guilty of it as well: sitting at home watching TV and scrolling through the feeds of various social media sites. In fact, it seems as though most of the conversations I have are about something I or someone else saw on Facebook.

When did we become so dependent on our phones? Updating statuses, posting pictures and checking in have become as routine as breathing. We act like going to the gym isn’t even a work out until everyone on Facebook knows about it.

People don’t talk much anymore; they post. What used to be private business is now public knowledge. Every smile, laugh, tear, meal, bruise, errand, conversation and outfit is shared somewhere on the Internet.

Well, I say enough is enough. A big, beautiful, exciting world is out there, but we can’t put down our phones long enough to be a part of it. A happy moment isn’t just an experience anymore- it’s a post.

Imagine how much time you’d save if you didn’t have to post everything you did. You could just go grocery shopping or take a nap without pausing to let everyone know.

How much more free time would you have if you let go of the need to know what your neighbor had for lunch Tuesday or what funny face your cousin’s cat made last night? How much more work could you get done if you didn’t have to check Facebook constantly?

People need to stop living vicariously through their phones and start living. Think about how much you are missing out on because of your phone. You saw your favorite band in concert, but you didn’t even get to hear them play because everyone on the internet just has to know where you are every 10 minutes.

People deny themselves the chance to have real conversations because everything is posted online. In the old days, people talked about their day but now there is no need because anyone you would want to tell has already seen it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and Pinterest.

Look around at all the people blindly walking down the sidewalk or silently eating in the SUB with eyes glued to a phone. The zombie apocalypse is here, and we are the zombies.