You have probably heard about how to do a digital detox before. I know I have but it was not until our honeymoon that we decided to turn our phones off and completely step away from the digital world for a few days.
If you are a little like me you might also start to panic a little bit when you forget your phone at home. Or you are at a café with a friend and your conversation is interrupted because you just want to show your friend something on the phone but doing that you read a quick text message from another friend.
We are in such a habit of having the world, knowledge and our friends at our fingertips that we do not know how to live without it anymore.
We have heard about the fact that likes on social media produce dopamine in our body, which makes us addicted to those likes just as we can get addicted to alcohol or drugs.
That is why we need to get off social media and our phones and detox from it.
I have tried to put my phone away or get an alarm clock to ban my phone from the bedroom but I have never fully gone offline. I just did not know how to do a digital detox.
Before we went on our honeymoon though we decided to turn our phones into flight mode and only use it for pictures and music. We left our phones in the room whenever we just hung out by the pool or by the beach. To make sure that we did not get any notifications I turned off social media and other app notifications.
The interesting thing that happened was the withdrawal. Timo and I would talk about something and then we just wanted more information about a certain subject and just quickly google it. We really had to keep ourselves from doing that, accepting the fact that in this moment, we did not know everything, and that was ok.
The beautiful thing that happened though was that I did not mindlessly scroll on my phone when I was bored. I once read in this book how good boredom is for our creativity.
By going offline and detoxing from the digital world, I was able to be more present and enjoy my surroundings even more. We were able to talk without interruptions and enjoy each other’s company without checking the time, the weather, Instagram or the news. That part was pure bliss and did our relationship so well.
Here are 3 steps to start your own digital detox.
How to do a digital detox
1. Know your why. Why do you want to do a digital detox? What is your goal? Do you want to be more present? Do you want to have more time to read, sit, and listen? Whatever it is you need to know why you do it.
2. Set clear rules and a time limit so you can stick to it. For us it was listing to music and taking pictures, which was allowed. Everything else was off limits.
3. Learn to sit still. Read a book or write a journal. Be more mindful in those times of withdrawal and do not get anxious and worried when you miss out on what is going on “in the world”
It was such a good experience for me and I can only recommend it. For those of you who think a total digital detox is a little too extreme here is a guide of implementing a digital diet into your daily life.
Have you ever done a digital detox and what are your recommendations?
Much love
Ramona
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