Technology Detoxification

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last several years, I'm sure that your life has somehow been ruled by the iron fist that is technology. Thanks to the modern advancements of technology, we can now connect to anyone and anything at any time.

If you are anything like me, you carry your phone with you EVERYWHERE you go. I walk the dog, I've got my phone in my pocket. Do a load of laundry, I've got my phone in the laundry basket. Run upstairs to grab something but realize I left my phone downstairs, run downstairs JUST to grab my phone so I can go upstairs all the while forgetting what I was going upstairs to get. My right hand, my phone hand, feels naked without a phone in it. I'm ashamed to say it, but it's true. It has become an embarrassing extension our bodies. How has this happened??? How on earth did we function before the use of cell phones? As much as I love being able to talk to friends around the globe at any time of the day, check my email in the bathroom and receive texts from my kids, I too, find that I reach a saturation point of being "connected."

The real question is this: are we really as "connected" as we think we are? How many times have you been  in a situation when you are talking to someone and they are on their phone and not even looking at you? How many times have YOU been that person? Think about the number of times you've seen parents literally ignore their children because they are on their phones? We go out for a special event and we're so caught up in Facebook-ing or Instagramming the event that we can barely even recall half of what we were supposed to experience. This is our life now folks. We are becoming slaves to the machines, whether we like it our not. I've asked a few people if they think they could go a few days without any internet connection or cell service ~ just go straight off the grid. The look in their eye is that of complete anxiety. "Oh, I don't think I could. No. Not ever. I'd need to check in." The fact of the matter is, we think we're checking IN but the truth is, we're checking OUT.

Like I said earlier, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a cell phone-a-holic. If I think I've left my house without my phone, I panic. God forbid I drive to the convenience store 5 minutes away and NOT have my phone! Anyhoo, this constant perceived  connectivity is NOT a healthy way of living and being present in our lives. What we need is a technology detoxification routine that reboots our natural selves and reunites us with the present moment with ourselves, our loved ones as well as the natural world.  Believe it or not, life without a technological device extension is our natural state and we need to nurture that before we lose ourselves completely.

How can we possibly have a technology detoxification when we eat, breath, sleep in a technological world? It must be an intentional act to remove the devices from our lives as well as oneself from the environment that is consuming us. We must take a technology detox vacation.

This is what that a technology detoxification vacation looks like:

You take a long weekend or a full week and you mark it off on your calendar as "Detox week". You ask for time off from work, you farm out any work that needs to be done to the appropriate people so you don't have to worry about it while you are away, you hire babysitters, cat/dog sitters and any other kinds of sitters that you'll need and then let your loved ones know you'll be going off the grid for a while. You will equip them with the hotel phone number, just in case they need to get a hold of you. Start your packing and no where on that packing list should it say, "Cell phone, Lap top, or tablet." You won't need these things where you are going.

In order to really get off the grid, you have to be in a place that offers you a very natural and serene environment, free from televisions, radios, etc. A simple surrounding that allows you to be YOU without distractions.

You've arrived.  You're feeling jittery and not sure where to look because you're usually looking at your phone.  The key to detoxifying from technology is to keep yourself in a balance of being active as well as taking the time to be contemplative of how you feel, allowing yourself to BE in the moment. BE all you. BE present. Take bike rides, go hiking, scuba dive, snorkel, get a massage, eat delicious food, try something totally new to you. Experience it without interruption. Live it.

 After the first day or two, you start to adjust to the lack of technology in your life. You start noticing things you haven't paid attention to in a long time; the way the sun light dances off of the leaves or how it feels to really engage in a conversation and look people in the eyes, or how free you feel without being tied to a device.

Clearly, we can't live technology free world forever because living in todays society requires being connected to the web at some point in time during our days. This detox vacation is just what you need to go back to a state of mind  before constant distraction and realize that you are good enough to experience the moment without capturing it for the world to see, it's good enough for YOU to capture it for YOU. This experience will teach you that your dependence on technology isn't always necessary and that there are moments when we can set that phone down and go on without it. It is a reminder that you matter and that life exists beyond a screen. When you are ready to take your technology detox vacation, let me know because I might just join you.

True story.