Friday 30th of September, it's time. Time to say goodbye. After 2 years in this office, here am I, at the doorsteps holding all my stuff and totally on my own in Brussels. No car, no phone, I felt literally naked!
And all of a sudden, without having even really thought about it, I told myself that it was the perfect occasion for a digital detox. Home alone for the weekend, with no car and no cell phone, that was such perfect timing.
Guess what? I survived, I lived!
In this article, let me share my experience in 5 bullet (boulette ;) ) points.
• Trigger
I'm a phone addict, not gonna lie.
I scroll my Insta as soon as I have a 5 minutes break, I chit-chat with my friends all day long via WhatsApp/Messenger, I cannot stop sending a ridiculous amount of Snapchats to my besties after each party where I drink too much, I look for my weekly outfits on Pinterest when running out of inspi, every morning in the car, I listen to podcasts when not calling my sister or listening to the radio news, in other words, I'm addicted to my phone.
All of this is not me. I don't want to be this hyper-connected pal who is not even listening to the conversation, who is not enjoying the moment but rather endless scrolling, who is so obsessed with her phone that she is not good company anymore. No, not me. I have to do something.
• How to do a digital detox?
Ok, cool, I want to do a digital detox, but what now? How do I do that?
First thing first, I'd totally recommend you to anticipate a bit, don't be too harsh. I, for one, told my friends and my family that I would not be reachable for the weekend but only via Messenger. It definitely helped my parents not to call the police and report me missing, but also it helped me to be more relaxed knowing that people could still contact me in case of urgency.
Secondly, anticipate and plan some things to do in order to not feel the "need" for your phone.
• Digital detox's benefits
This digital detox helped me spend quality time with myself.
I enjoyed reading my book on the train (fun fact, I was the only one with a book. Everyone else endless scrolling), rewatching The bold type series, reading a few blog articles, housecleaning, preparing some healthy recipes, writing this new article, and all of this with no pressure.
I could enjoy those moments without feeling any digital load. Forced to admit, this is the way I felt.
• Digital detox's difficulties
Obviously, it can be really hard to rely on yourself only. Simply cause we're not used to it anymore.
I get lost everywhere I go, that's a fact. When I had to catch my train, without my phone, believe me, I didn't feel so comfortable.
I had to walk to the station. Stress on knowing that if I missed the train, my whole plan would fall apart. I had no means to contact my dad and tell him I'd be late, no means to check up for the next train or the correspondence.
However, with a bit of organization and make-do, you can definitely make it. Still, I found it funny to notice how dependent on our phones we are. Wth? How did they do before??
• My thoughts
In fine, this digital detox allowed me to save up time for myself and what I truly love doing. I appreciate every little of my time and every conversation I had. I felt so much more relaxed and serene. It's crazy to realize that my anxiety was related to my phone's dependency.
Will I experiment with this again? Certainly. But first, I would like to incorporate mini digital detox into my day-to-day life (morning/evening digital detox).
Raise your hand if you relate. If so, I truly invite you to try this experience and share it with me. :)