2nd Mar - Digital Detox



After my diary post yesterday, I decided to take things one step further last night, and indulge in complete and utter, peace. I live in a profession where 5pm/6pm doesn't mean the end of a working day, the day is (potentially) 24 hours dependant on the severity of the client's needs, and a WhatsApp pingggg at 8pm or 9pm can mean venturing back to the laptop, and lifting up the lid, or delving into the iPhone to maximise U.S territories on the GMT divide. 

But I refused to hear that anxiety-inducing notification yesterday, just for one evening, and put my phone on airplane mode for the night. The result, meant no distractions whilst watching TV, no constant need to check the screen, or seek a dopamine hit via socials, no requirement to endlessly scroll through TikTok, or aimlessly reply to 'create your perfect 90s 5-a-side team' posts on Twitter (darn you and your addictive nature, open-ended, audience-engaging social media posts!). 




Instead, I was focused on the present. Being in the moment, chatting to my partner on the sofa, or allowing my brain to switch off through comforting old re-runs of favourite programmes. I'd previously indulged in a 10-minute meditation exercise in the bath during the early evening, in which I was asked to allow my mind to wander, and be mindful of the emotions or thoughts that came up during this process. I soon realised that a vast majority of mine were centred around guilt. An inner self-loathing based on productivity. I should have done X, why didn't I do X, I could have done X in a more efficient way etc. 

The meditation then encouraged an awareness of those feelings, but most importantly, a reluctance to cling onto them. Instead, like waves, allow them to wash away, and compare their importance to the grand scheme of life. Kinda irrelevant, right? But so often, we get caught up in our own internal daily happenings that we have a tendency to sensationalise them. Being hooked up to the internet 24/7 is not healthy for us, and I'm the worst offender for it. I've turned off the 'screen time' feature but I'd easily guesstimate that I'm clocking up more than 12+ hours per day across laptop & iPhone. Like all things in life, success is about balance. From time to time...




... Don't be afraid to Detox.




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