Find Peace of Mind: Take a Digital Detox

I recently took a week off from work to unplug (no computer use, email, TV/movies and only minimal essential phone use). I spent the time pulling weeds in the early morning, journaling, doing creative visioning for my business, taking evening strolls with the frogs and fireflies, visiting springs with friends and tending to my soul.

Recently I noticed how busy my mind had become and how often I was “hopping on my laptop for just five minutes.” I was feeling grumpy and irritable towards my family and team, and I had lost all my passion and creative zeal. One day, I almost threw my laptop against the wall; clearly, I was ready for a break.

I’ve taken (and written about) digital detoxes over the years. Sometimes they were for a day, sometimes for a whole summer in order to finish a book. But this time was different. The sense of urgency that preceded this “off the grid” period was palpable. My mind didn’t just need to re-boot—my body and soul did too. I think this is reflective of the times we’re living in—things are simply moving too fast, and we weren’t designed to operate at this pace or be constantly tethered to digital devices.

After the first 48 hours of being off my laptop and email (my nemesis), I:

• became more playful, spontaneous, relaxed and fun to be around (according to my family)
• was reminded how quickly I renew when I spend time in the natural world (I have fire ant bites on my feet and my skin is glowing from the time I spent outdoors)
• was more attuned, present and plugged into life: everything looked more vibrant and colorful, all my senses were awake (I also cooked some amazing meals using local veggies/fruits)

Additionally, I slept better, I was more creative and solutions-oriented and I was reminded of all the things that bring me pleasure: dancing, swimming in rivers, eating ripe berries, listening to music, reading great novels and long, lingering dates with soulful friends and loved ones. This short digital detox showed me I need to course-correct and can’t continue at the pace I had habituated as normal.

I am at a life stage where I need expanses of unscheduled time to dream, process, enjoy “free-range thinking,” integrate and explore what’s next for me. And this is very difficult to do when you’ve got hundreds of emails calling for your attention.

As a mindfulness evangelist, “light tech” user and late adopter of all things electronic by choice, I’ve got some new ideas for how I want to shift my relationship to technology. But more than anything I want to lock in the memory of how radically different I felt during the past five days. It wasn’t just about a mental respite—this unplugged time helped me remember who I really am and what matters most.

Warmly,

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Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance coach/author/speaker and catalyst Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women find balance through the art/science of self-care, Renee has been facilitating high-impact, interactive workshops and women’s retreats for Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits/conferences and organizations/teams worldwide for 25 years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Fast Company, Good Housekeeping, Yoga Journal, AARP Magazine, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 450 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups/retreats based on her pioneering self-care curriculum. She’s the author of two books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. She and her husband live in Western North Carolina and their son lives in New York City; her latest venture is Wild Souls Nature Adventures. More on Renee here.