Turning off

As I ventured out to see the world a couple of years ago, I thought about that as a great opportunity for a behavior-changer. I took what I called a “digital siesta”.

It was a most appreciated change. My body felt so much relaxed and satisfied with my circumstances, my head didn’t rush because I felt I was missing out on one thing or another. I got rid off my iPhone, and I was ok. I gave away my iPad, and I was ok. I did keep my Macbook Air to be able to write and check in with the world at my own pace, and that was also ok. It was a most enlighted phase of my life and I started feeling more satisfied and content with my decisions.

Later on, as I went back into modern everyday life, this digital madness that I’d momentarily left came creeping back. The iPhone jumped back in my pocket, one screen here and another there, everything always on. Keeping up was once again a never-ending game. It went so far that at one point last autumn I was nearly burnt out. I was mentally exhausted of the information overload that my brain had to process everyday and it took its toll on my body. Chest pains and high blood pressure were the price I had to pay.

I love technology and I love the positive impact it can have on my life. But what I hate is the fact that it’s taken for granted to always be on, always be updating me. This is kind of a pressure I’ve been putting on myself but something I need to step away from. Enough is enough. I’m starting by turning off the computer at weekends.