Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LOLcats, a never-ending stream of great things to do on the internet. The worst and best part? It’s so accessible. At. All. Times. As tech gets smaller, it’s easier to carry around more and more gadgets and have all of the internet right at your fingertips. So much so, that you could get overwhelmed without even realizing it.
This past summer I participated in Camp Grounded, aka “Summer camp for adults.” I, along with 300 other people, went into the Redwoods to a digital detox camp. No digital devices, no work talk, and just have fun. You ended up befriending people in a way many of us haven’t done since our youth. An interesting experiment that I thoroughly enjoyed.
It’s hard to realize how much our tech owns us in our day-to-day. Some of you will say this is BS, some of you will agree, but even after three days without worrying about Facebook posts, work emails, and texting friends, it recharged me mentally. I still felt the ‘phantom vibrate’ every once in a while, but it was truly relaxing knowing that all my real world responsibilities were on hold for a while. All I needed to know is that I was exactly where I needed to be, no matter where I was at—living truly in the moment.
Nowadays, our lives are increasingly more and more demanding. Especially since we’re all easily accessible now with portable tech. I suggest that everyone unplug and take some time away from your digital self once in a while.
If you think 3 days would be rough, I recommend this great read about how Paul Miller took an entire year off from the internet.