We are constantly connected to our digital devices; it’s a given. As people, we are constantly connected to the Internet and therefore the rest of the world. Writing this, I’m sat in a café which is playing music through an online app as I’m connected the Wi-Fi connection with my smartphone next to me for answering emails. As a blogger, I’m probably more connected to the Internet on a daily basis than most people but being connected is a very interesting concept. On Friday 28th July 2017, I decided to try disconnecting for an entire day.
I put all my work on hold the day before, answered all of my essential emails and turned everything off. I have practised constant meditation and yoga for a month now and, through this blog, I constantly preach about the concepts and ideologies of being present and aware of what we are doing. So, in light of this, I decided to switch off for a day to become truly present. Browsing our social media feeds and constantly analysing our calendars keeps us from being present so I decided to test this theory.
Waking Up
When I awoke on Friday morning, I instantly got up, meditated and completed a 15-minute yoga session and instantly went for my smartphone, as I normally would, to check my emails. As I went to unlock my device and realised it was off, I remembered what I had set out to do! Just from habit, I had already forgotten what I had planned to do. So instead, I went down to breakfast and sat contemplating what to do for the day.
Usually, I would be getting ready to work or would take my morning tea to my office and make a start. Instead, I simply sat and enjoyed my breakfast looking out my kitchen window. I was already starting to feel the benefits of simply taking in what was around me. From here, I decided to go for a walk. I live in a very rural area so it’s easy for me to get lost in the great outdoors and I quickly found myself very far from civilisation.
Connect With Nature
The sky looked beautiful, the air felt pure but I still felt urges to access my phone. As a hobby, I love photography, and my smartphone has one of the leading cameras which helps me to practice. I walked past several photo opportunities but simply appreciated them for what they were without having to take a picture. Admittedly, it was a strange experience, but it was liberating, knowing I would be the only person to ever witness this exact event without having to share it on my feeds.
When I returned home, I phoned my other half on my landline phone for a quick catch up of her day before wondering how to spend my afternoon. I cooked a nutritious lunch, a pastime I usually rushed in light of getting back to work. I then sat in the garden and read all afternoon. Once it got to the evening, I invited my family over, and we sat and chatted for hours. It was very strange to see the rest of my family picking up and putting down their devices to answer messages or to check their feeds whereas I hadn’t touched mine once. I then read a bit more and went to bed. I would usually browse my feeds for half an hour before going to bed, but here I went straight to sleep. Let me tell you; it was probably the most refreshing sleep I’ve had in a long time.
Conclusion
All in all, this was a very perspective changing experience. I have never felt more alive, more present and more connected to the world around me. Even in the 15 hours, I was awake; everything felt so refreshing, so new. I haven’t felt like that in a long time. My takeaway from this is to find balance in my future. From now on, I want to try disconnecting when I can without giving into the temptations of digital life. I felt so productive, so focused and would be able to achieve anything I put my mind to.
I highly recommend disconnecting for one day, simply to feel how you get on. Trust me; it will open up your eyes to a whole new lifestyle. Let me hear your thoughts. Have you attempted to try disconnecting? What were your experiences? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!