I’m just old enough to remember what life was like before cell phones became ubiquitous and the internet was THE place to be nearly 24/7. However, I’m also young enough to have fallen into the trap of spending way too much time on both my phone and the internet. I can take longer breaks away from them when I choose, but it feels strange and I often find myself reaching for my phone out of habit even when it’s not there.
While there can be a lot of benefit to being plugged in, there is also a lot of benefit in taking a break from it. I don’t want to miss out on enjoyable activities in my life by being stuck on the internet more often than not. Some people miss nearly their whole lives because they’re always focused on their phones; even when they’re paying attention to something in their immediate vicinity, they’re usually seeing it through their phone’s camera instead of looking directly at what’s right in front of them.
Years ago, I lost my phone for a few days before getting it back. Instead of feeling deprived during this period of absence, I actually enjoyed it and felt a sense of freedom. I didn’t miss any important calls or texts during that time, and there was no harm done by my being unavailable for a bit. Then a few years after that, I went on a cruise and didn’t buy an internet package, so my phone was essentially useless even though I had it with me most of the time. That was another nice break and allowed me to better enjoy my time with those around me. And, just like when I lost my phone, I didn’t miss out on anything important.
I already try to unplug at least a bit during the day and I’ll usually take more time away from my electronic devices on Wednesdays. This helps me avoid drowning in information or getting caught up in drama and gives me time to focus on the important things. I’d like to increase my time in front of screens even further, though. I plan to start small and gradually work up to increasingly longer breaks. I find that this approach works well for me with most other things and I think it will also work well here. The more time I can spend unplugged from electronics, the more time I’ll have to tune into the things that make life worth living.