“The less devices you have to charge, the more charge you have for your mind.”
―
A few months ago, I made the decision to unplug from all my electronics for an hour every day.
Although an hour seems like the bare minimum, it was a nice start to something I now plan to do more frequently. Each day provided the most refreshing 60 minutes I had in a while.
It may sound superficial and unimportant to some, but growing up in the first true digital native generation, I actually have no idea what life without technology is. In addition to playing with Barbies and toting stuffed animals, some of the first memories I have involve technology: listening to music on my MP3 player, carrying a Nintendo DS, using a tablet (oh, the LeapFrog days), playing Poptropica on my family computer, and even battling my sister in a tennis match on our Wii console. I even got my first phone when I was 11, with supervision, of course.
And for more perspective, by the time I was two years old, YouTube was just getting started, while at three years old, Twitter, now X, was on the rise. Let’s say I was born into cyberspace, quite literally.
So, yes, an hour or two without a phone or TV can definitely make a huge difference. And for me, it did.
For nearly a month, I put down my TV, cell phone and computer, and picked up other essential aspects of life. I continued to grow my love for reading. I had honest conversations, simply putting down the phone when in the presence of others. I had time to sit in my thoughts.
I caught up on sleeping. Although it doesn’t sound productive, allowing myself time to rest and relax is key to remaining sane. Life is hectic. And I even went for walks with my mom.
What did this do for me?
It gave me a sense of peace and allowed me to find satisfaction in other areas of my life — my faith, my confidence, my mental health.
I have mentioned before that the Internet is often the culprit in creating a curated version of reality, which usually results in unrealistic life expectations. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a victim of the harsh consequences of too much time on social media.
I won’t say the instinctual urge to reach for my phone or pick up the remote wasn’t there. In fact, there were days when I had to fight it or remind myself of the goal. That's valid.
As good as it felt to breathe, life always keeps moving. After the hour was up, my mind was clear, but my inbox was not. But that’s the beauty of unplugging, even if it’s just for a little while.
In reality, it's impossible to say goodbye to my electronics forever. I will never know a life without them. I mean, you need some device to do quite literally anything.
But it's about setting boundaries and finding a balance. And I feel like that's the biggest lesson I learned.
My next goal is to increase to two hours. Remember, baby steps.
