28 Feb

Hello there lovely!

Do you think you might be ready for a little digital detox time? Then this blog is for you!

I'm going to admit it upfront; it feels slightly embarrassing to write about a digital detox. My younger 10 year old self would not have a clue of what I'm talking about here. She was too busy climbing up trees and playing with friends. My 33 year old, entrepreneurial self  on the other hand,  knows EXACTLY what I mean by a digital detox. Yup, so much has changed in 23 years and I know for a fact that I'm not the only one from my generation and the generation after me that needs a regular break from the online world. It can be absolutely maddening, stress inducing and exhausting to feel connected (online) all the time.

No matter how important your online business may seem, what's more important is your health and balance and real life happening around you (guess what, it doesn't happen on your screen). 

So how do you know when you need a digital detox? Well, let's say any modern day, android or iphone holder, app fanatic would benefit from a little break. But you can really tell you're ready for some cold turkey, unplugged time when you recognise yourself in the following:

- checking Facebook newsfeed again even though you literally just did that a minute ago

- obsessively check the time on your phone for no particular reason

- measuring your succes by comparing yourself to others online

- if you forgot the color of your partners eyes because you haven't actually looked at each other in a while

- if you grab your phone first thing when you wake up

- if you're feeling nervous, fidgety, restless, anxious or shaky for no apparent reason

- if you've checked the weather or the news 10 times today

I'm not proud to admit that the past month I've been doing some of the above a little too often. So I set myself up for a little challenge and let my online community know that I was going to do a 4 day digital detox, not reachable. Nothing, nada. The phone was switched off in a cupboard the entire four days. I did it, it was AMAZING and here's the 5 benefits I experienced and which you could hopefully benefit from too!

1. You don't feel special and that's a good thing! 

It's true. By being online so much and seeing all these incredible great things the world seems to be doing, or the opposite, the terrible things the world seems to be doing when we see the news we fool ourselves into thinking grandness or disaster are the recipe of life. Spoiler alert, they're not. Simple days and simple moments are often the best. Nothing grand happened and that is a good thing because it reminds you to be humble and to realise you're not better (or worse) than your fellow human beings. It's a great feeling to unburden yourself of thinking you always need to be doing something and just let the normal, natural rhythm of the day guide you. For us that was simply going to the market together, walk the dog and meet some friends. 

2. Your cortisol (stress) levels drop which works wonders on your sexual desire 

After a few days my partner and I noticed that we were so much in tune with our body again. Physical sensations became more sensitive and as the body relaxed increasingly, the intimacy and connection between my partner and myself grew along with it and, well, lets say the rest was fun, sexy and tender:-)

3. Increased focus and calm

Again, with the stress levels dropping, your mind becomes clearer. It's as though your brain gets a break from working overtime and feeling like a robot. Thoughts become clearer, making it easier to identify priorities in your life and a sense of total calm and acceptance kicks in. Honestly, this reason alone, convinced me I'm going to schedule a regular digital d!

4. Real conversations with real people

Ok, for this one I did plan ahead. I let some of our friends know about the detox and just said, lets meet on that day at that time. If you show up, fantastic. If you can't make it. No biggie. We'll find out for ourselves, no need to text me about it, because I won't have a phone! Turns out, we met more of our friends in those few days than we usually do. I guess because normally we would probably have reached for the phone and caught up by calling each other. Whereas now, we physically met. And with no distractions from our phone notifications, we actually talked and connected that much easier. 

5. You feel your tiredness and then, well, go to sleep

This one is so simple it amazes me how complicated we can make our lives sometimes. Those four days I felt my tiredness more than I usually do. I read books and slept a lot in between the meeting our friends, the groceries, the dog walking and the intimate time with the love of my life. Same goes for my partner. It's funny, because it comes to show how often we just keep on going. Keep watching that video, finish this or that message. Check our email one last time. When in fact, the body has long spoken. It's tired and needs a rest. Only we're too distracted to tune in on that. There's a somewhat Taoist aspect to this. When tired, sleep. When hungry, eat. When happy, smile.  When sad, cry. Babies and animals are masters at this. 

So there you have it. It was simple and great and made me feel like a reborn person by Monday morning. All it takes is your decision, your planning ahead and your persistence and the rest takes care of itself. 

So what do you say? You want to join me next time? I'll be motivating you on my Facebook page and keep you updated on when I'll plan my next digital detox so you feel more supported and excited to take on this challenge. Let me know your thoughts!

Disconnect  to reconnect. Let's make that a habit together...

Love & tranquility,