DO NOT DISTURB | A 30-Day Digital Detox
Welcome friends to the Wonderful World of Wellness! I’m so glad you are here! Today I feel inspired to tackle a common MODERN-DAY VICE that is stealing away our time- I’m talking about the smartphone!
Do I have an addiction to my I-Phone?
So, the invent of the I-Phone in 2011 (I think don’t quote me) totally revolutionized the way we live! We could now google anything, at anytime, from anywhere; we could listen to our favorite music from our phones; we could take high-quality beautiful pictures without lugging around a camera; we could go places without knowing how to get there- just plug the address in and GPS would get you wherever you wanted to go; etc. So naturally, me and everyone I knew were obsessed!
And now, 14 years later, I am still hooked! I love my I-Phone still! I would NEVER EVER want to live without it (my greatest obsessions: 1. AC, 2. I-phone, 3. coffee). So, why on earth would I go on a 30-DAY DIGITAL DETOX where I only allow myself access to my smartphone for 1 hour a day from 4-5 PM?? REAL TALK- my obsession with my smartphone has been very costly! Let me explain:
I have no real friends
I am so broke
I am constantly distracted
My smartphone has robbed my life!
I am an introverted girl that likes being in her own world, and the smartphone has allowed me to become fully absorbed in my own world. I can be on my phone wherever and whenever I want, and so I do not have to interact with the world around me… I can have my headphones in and be constantly listening to music, podcasts and audiobooks; I can scroll social media endlessly; I can surf the web and online shop; I do not need to be present, make small talk, or even smile at passersby. Even when I leave my house every now and again, I am still fully in my smartphone bubble!
I popped my smartphone bubble!
So, in an effort to live with intention and take ownership of my time, I have decided to give up my phone for the next 30 days! Today is just day 2 of my 30-Day Challenge. In case you are curious about how it’s going so far, I will bring you in on my experience:
YESTERDAY
Sunday was a pretty good day! I got to go to my favorite coffee shop, Foxtail, and try their new seasonal drink: the Summer Fields Tonic (2oz of espresso with 3 dashes of lavender bitters, wild blueberry & vanilla syrup topped with tonic water). It was super refreshing and surprisingly good (sorta like a cocktail accept with espresso instead of booze).
I watched Church online (‘cause I’m an introvert & the idea of going to a big church by myself sounds just terrible). Later, I played cards with my family.
Next, we rode to the beach in my brother’s sporty car (mom got to relive her high-school glory days of driving a stick shift). When we got there it started raining! But, we stuck it out another 15 minutes and the rest of the time it was super sunny and perfect!
For dinner we got Chinese. I ordered all my favorites: spare ribs, fried rice and shrimp lo-mein. I managed to convince my brother to quit binging his latest show (Animal Kingdom) and pop over!
Also, I got to watch this Hallmark special that I’ve been waiting to see, Villa Amore. It was adorable and I LOVED every cheesy moment (Guy breaks off wedding- girl goes on solo honeymoon trip to Rome- She meets a dreamy guy that also happens to be from America- yada yada yada- they live HAPPILY EVER AFTER in Capena, Italy)!
TODAY
Monday is shaping up to be a good day too! I grabbed my usual order from Foxtail (a large iced latte, sub almond-milk, add an extra double-shot of espresso and sugar-free hazelnut syrup) and with coffee in hand I took a stroll along the beautiful trail at my local zoo, a boardwalk and asphalt linear trail that runs through wetlands and oak hammocks.
Thanks in part to the extra boost of caffeine I was feeling energized! And so, country music station blaring I headed over to a cute local park for a run. I got some conditioning in: .1 mi run/.1 mi walk until I nearly passed out!
On my way back to the house, I decided to stop by and pay a visit to my brother (he’s been in a bit of a funk lately). His back has been bothering him, so I showed him some nice stretches he can try. We hung out on the couch while I played with his dog!
I decided to use my dedicated smartphone-time to respond to a few texts quickly. Then, I went for a walk and continued listening to a recent episode of Huberman Lab podcast, How to Grow From Doing Hard Things, which is the catalyst of me doing this whole digital detox!
In the episode, Andrew interviews the author of The Comfort Crisis, Michael Easter. It’s a 3-hour long episode and I’m now 2 hours in…here’s a link in case anyone is interested to learn more:
Anyways, back to my day… So it’s now 7 PM and after uploading this blog, I plan on enjoying dinner with my family. I am so very grateful for all of our modern-day luxuries that we tend to take for granted! I look forward to soaking in the hot tub later, and also cozying up in my pjs with my bible (I’m currently reading Hebrews).
I dare you to go without your smartphone for a day! Perhaps even try a digital detox for yourself… I’d be so interested to hear how it goes for you. Bye for now!
