In modern society it is difficult to disconnect from technology. Smartphones, laptops and computers lurk everywhere, so we don’t even realize we spend much of the day connected to the virtual world, losing much of the real world right under our noses.
Dependence from technological devices is huge, but usually we don’t realize it. In fact, the first thing many people do waking up in the morning, is to look up the mobile phone to check what happened during the night. According to a survey by researchers of the Complutense University in Madrid, 55% of Spaniards never leaves their mobile when they eat and a third take it even to the bathroom.
Needless to say that such an “intimate” relationship with the mobile phone is definitely unhealthy. Therefore, you should accept the challenge to disconnect from the mobile only for 24 hours. The results you’d get will be, at least, amazing.
1. The mental fog get cleared
The mobile is a source of additional stress that we add to our lives as we ask ourselves to be always available to respond to incoming calls and messages, to know what happens in social networks and check the mail. The mobile demands we divide our attention, and this is what generates mental fog, that sense of not being able to concentrate. A day without a mobile phone can help you regain alertness and mental agility.
2. You discover new things
Often, when using the smartphone, we run on autopilot. We eat looking at the screen and walk while checking messages, thus we lose everything that happens around us. So when you decide to disconnect from technology, these sites and activities you know acquire a different perspective, it is as if they were completely new, because you discover things you didn’t notice before.
3. Your senses are sharpened
When we are not connected to a screen that captures much of our attention, we can open to the world. Then comes a great/little miracle, our senses get sharpened, we’re back perceiving stimuli that went unnoticed. This way, you’ll enjoy much more the coffee aroma, playing with your pet, talking with your partner or even the daily commute back and forth from work.
4. Time slows down
Time is relative. When we’re happy runs very fast, when we feel bad seems eternal. Interestingly, when connected we get the feeling that time is running faster. So, if you can spend 24 hours off, you will notice that time begins to slow. Suddenly, you gain time in your life and can do more things, or just relax.
5. You can stop and think
I believe one of the worst problems caused by technology is resistance to stay alone with ourselves. When we’re bored, we don’t let our mind wander but connect immediately to entertain our mind. So, disconnecting for 24 hours will allow you to have some time alone with yourself, to be able think and see what you’re doing wrong, what your values are, and if you are on the right track.
6. You’ll rediscover simplicity
I believe that the most intense and memorable experiences in life are the simplest ones. We rediscover our essence in simplicity, and enjoy it. When you don’t have technology to entertain you, your eyes will move to what’s around you or inside, and you’ll discover amazing things, simple things we forget because we live in a digitalized world.
7. You’ll feel better, much better
Cooking unhurried, surrounding yourself with people you love, go exploring without your mobile, just you and the wilderness, are relaxing experiences that make you feel better. Being always connected can be a source of stress, so if you disconnect for a day you can try a sip of what life would be without the obsession for electronic devices. Just you and the world, to enjoy it without anything in the middle.
Nothing’s better than this picture of the photographer Miguel Morenatti, which is worth a thousand words, where can be seen new generations taking pictures, living the moment through the screens of their smartphones, while an elderly woman simply enjoys the moment.
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| Courtesy Miguel Morenatti |
