Log Off and Get-Away
A pressing concern is devices. With its explosion in the late 1990s, social media has garnered such a hold and such a need in the lives of the newer-age generations of millennials and Gen-Z.
Social media, only a component of the experience of owning a mobile phone, is the most widely used segment in the world. People look to it to feel connected, to feel like they belong, and perhaps to curb the fear of missing out. It is also a fabulous way to kill time and feed dynamism into your life when nothing else is working out that way.
However, this leads to it becoming a difficult habit. Not only social media but, with the boom of the internet, most things have been converted into mediums that are accessible online.
Emailing, Google Meet, MS Teams, MS Office, Outlook, and many others are just a part of the number of apps people have the choice to pick from now if they want to make their work efficient and smoother.
Additionally, devices offer the benefit of connection. of being able to talk to anyone you desire whenever you desire.
They also help you create memories by clicking pictures and keep you consistently entertained through gaming apps or OTT platforms.
Thus, it is easy to assume that it brings you more harm than good if you do not own a device. Since it affects you both professionally and personally, it is easy to get swayed by them and forget that at the end of the day, you are meant to live life outside of the device, you are meant to live life at the moment.
This is why momentary digital detoxes are essential for normal functioning. Digital detoxing should not be considered an add-on; it is a practice that should be done on a statutory basis.
Digital detoxing is the act of choosing not to indulge in using your devices and performing a digital cleanse with purpose. It involves switching off your devices and eliminating any use of social media.
It is named “detox” because it is meant to cleanse. Social media’s heavy effects can do a lot of damage to our mental well-being. Thus, when we eliminate it temporarily, it helps us slow down and reset before stepping into its overstimulating world again.
A digital detox essentially helps you refocus and recenter your life and the role of devices and social media in it. How do you want to use it in the future, and how important is it to you right now?
It is proven to reduce stress, boost creativity, and decrease the numerous ill effects of social media.
A digital detox should rightfully be treated as constant check-ins with yourself.
How can you be digitally detoxed?
A perfect way to digitally detox and expand your experiences is to travel while digitally detoxing.
Not only will it expose you to new learnings, people, cultures, etc, but it will also help slow you down and cherish life bit by bit.
Being physically displaced adds a lot to the process of detoxing. It is easier to execute, and the sense of “getting away” is strongest.
A few steps you can take to detox and travel at the same time –
- Maintain Work Boundaries – You may not have the sure-shot happiness of avoiding all work communication, but keeping limitations and notifications off can do wonders as well. Make time slots for yourself for when you want to check your phone and when you should keep it down.
- Drop a text to your family and loved one – Eliminate the pressure of keeping in touch and tell them that you are going on vacation and do not wish to be contacted unless absolutely necessary.
- Choose a destination with limited internet connectivity – Deliberately choosing a place to go to with limited connectivity does half the work for you. You will not have the accessibility to use your devices thoroughly, thus forcing you to stay in the moment.
- Activities to keep you engaged – Pick out activities in the region that interest you and use them to get rid of your boredom or to keep you occupied. Learn about the culture and about the ways of life.
- Investing in cultural experiences – When you choose to partake in cultural experiences, you choose to expose yourself to newer, more stimulating things. This helps create focus and boosts your confidence and creativity. It involves you in things you don’t know about and shapes you up to grow.
Why is digital detox important?
Digital detox has also been the subject of much research conducted on it as well. On “off-the-grid” holidays and unplugging.
Research done by Dr McKenna found some valuable findings on “Understanding the loss or gain of technological opportunities while travellers engage in digital-free tourism”
Dr McKenna found that “some participants embraced and enjoyed the disconnected experience straightaway or after struggling initially, while for others it took a little bit longer to accept the disconnected experience.
Many also pointed out that they were much more attentive and focused on their surroundings while disconnected, rather than getting distracted by incoming messages, notifications, or alerts from their mobile apps.”
They also gained insights from the locals instead of Google, which helped them find locations that they wouldn’t have found online and made their trip much more satisfying.
These participants have since decided to make digital detoxing a part of their lives and not something that they do out of the blue.
Thus, we know that it helps and that it contributes manifolds to your experience and to your mental well-being. Digital detoxing can aid in having a true-to-the-word “get-away” experience that you wouldn’t have had otherwise under the pressure of the screens.
This is why digital detox is the new and the only way to travel right.
Itís hard to find well-informed people on this topic, however, you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks