A digital detox is quite a scary thought, especially if you’ve decided to do one for a whole day or (eek!) a weekend.
But it’s a really good idea to get away from the screen for a while. Which I know sounds a bit hypocritical of me since I’m the one typing this at my computer but, in my defence, I do regularly get away from the screen including a continuous hour most days and a complete week at least once a year.
Which neatly brings us to the question of what an earth do you do while you’re getting away from all things digital and detoxing your mind?
Get back to nature
This is probably my favourite option. Whether it’s a walk in the local park or along the banks of a stream (or canal or similar if you’re in somewhere with those) or anywhere else you can take the time to tune back into the real world.
Take the time to enjoy it – once you’ve got over the panic of leaving your phone off. It’s OK to take it with you, switched off, just in case something happens – if you’re going somewhere really remote, make sure you’ve installed What3Words so you can find your location incredibly precisely, even if you’re in the middle of nowhere with no regular signal.
But apart from that safety net, be present. Notice the sounds and the sights and the smells. Maybe even interact with them (safely of course).
Read a real book
Real books are different from Kindle ones.
You knew that anyway – there’s no screen; if the book is new you can probably still smell the ink (that will depend a bit on the printing process as lots of modern books don’t use real printing ink), the paper will have a certain feel to it. Plus there’s the rustle of the paper as you turn the page and remembering to use a bookmark to remember where you’ve got to.
Use a real journal
Much the same as the book except you’re interacting with the journal and writing your notes with a pen. A real “ink” pen if you want to go completely retro but a regular one works just fine.
If one of the reasons – like me – is that your typing is much more readable than your handwriting, now is the time to rediscover how to write things that you stand a chance of reading when you come back to them.
If you’re in this detox for the long term – maybe setting aside some time every day to reconnect with the outside world – then a 5 year journal is worth thinking about as you can easily relate to your thoughts from previous years when you come back to each page in due course.
Go to a show or a concert
Live music is so different from pre-recorded music. Likewise shows are very different from television.
OK, the equipment may be digital – especially amps, sound desks and lighting banks – but you’re not the one playing with the controls so this is probably allowable.
And you may have to book ahead to get the tickets you want so there’s planning and anticipation involved.
At the time of writing, I’m hoping the UK’s lockdown will be over enough by December for me to see a Canadian indie band called Tokyo Police Club – fingers crossed.
Go low tech
A real alarm clock rather than the one on your phone will help you to digitally detox your bedroom – something you should be doing anyway on a “just because” basis.
I’m not expecting you to go back to reel-to-reel tapes but vinyl records are experiencing a come back and depending on how well you can keep away from related temptation, you might allow yourself to play them back via your computer. But unless you’ve spent a small fortune on your PC, a real hi-fi system with real speakers will sound so much better.
Switch Alexa off
This eavesdropping device probably deserves to be switched off anyway but a digital detox is a good excuse.
Look outside to check the weather
Or even go outdoors.
You’ll soon know whether you need a coat or a t-shirt and will get away from our modern dependency on weather apps.
Stay hydrated
You should be doing this whether you’re on a digital detox or not.
The official aim is 8 glasses of water per day – keep it as close to water as possible and stay away from sodas (regular and diet) as much as possible. And remember that, whilst they’re probably healthy, they’re concentrated a lot more than eating the same amount of fruit.
Play a low tech hypnosis MP3
Hypnosis works well with your subconscious mind to help you accept the things your conscious mind wants to adjust. The two parts of your brain work well together once they’re given the right instructions.
Ideally, play the MP3 on an old fashioned CD player or MP3 player (remember those?) but so long as you resist the other temptations, you would probably be OK playing it via your phone or computer.
This hypnosis download will help you enjoy your digital detox and make it more successful.
This is probably my favourite option. Whether it’s a walk in the local park or along the banks of a stream (or canal or similar if you’re in somewhere with those) or anywhere else you can take the time to tune back into the real world.
