We are all addicted to our phones. I don't know a single person who isn't. Smartphones have taken over the world and one can undoubtedly argue that they're both amazing and horrible all at the same time.
One phrase I've been hearing lately is "digital detox." One of my goals on this trip was to partake in this phenomenon. Throughout my daily life, and I mean all day every day, regardless of what I'm doing, I rarely go longer than an hour without picking up my phone, swiping right and texting, Tweeting, Facebooking, Instagraming, calling, surfing the web, or taking pictures. The more technology comes our way the more tasks we're able to do from the palms of our hands, all with a few swipes of a finger. That power is fantastic, yes. But it's also destroying our attention spans, our relationships with other human beings and most importantly, mindfulness of all the little details that make up the lives we're living.
Before I left for my trip I was trying to rely on my iPhone less and less in order to ease myself into the transition I knew I was going to demand of myself while I was abroad. No one should try to quit anything cold turkey, because as with most addictions, the failure rate would just be too high. Yes, I said addiction, because like so many of you, I'm knowingly addicted to my smartphone.
One of the many goals of this trip, was to get a break from that addiction and disconnect. You're probably thinking, well, she's obviously connected if she's blogging and posting regular updates. Yes, I'm connected online as I'm writing right now, but the difference is, that's the only time I'm connected; when it's evening time and I've come home after being out all day, doing whatever I've done.
Since I've been in Italy, I only carry my iPhone around (off or on airplane mode) in case of an emergency. I can't call, text, browse or do anything else. I mean, with the international data and roaming plan I actually can do all of those things, but I'm consciously choosing not to. I just have it in case I need it and for no other reason. Remember that feeling? Think way back. At one point in our lives, we only had landlines at home. When cellphones became more common, they were only used to make and receive phone calls. That was the extent of it. I remember the first cellphone I ever got (after the ever so cool and completely useless/ridiculous pager era), it was my junior year in college, around 1999-2000. 14 years later, going even a few hours without my phone had become unfathomable. That's just not healthy. While I realize this makes me sound completely old, I'll openly admit that I often long for a simpler time when this device wasn't so much a part of my existence. Yes, I miss the good 'ole days.
During this trip, I'm more than happy to give back the power that having a smartphone has given me all these years. I'm happy to disconnect and detox because I know that there's so much more I could be doing with myself here. And I know I need to make the absolute most of the time I have here.
I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought the detox would be a shock to my system, but what I realize is that it has been a wonderful relief. I feel more present in my life. I've been relying only on myself and my own senses to see, hear, taste, smell and understand. I've been spending however many hours of the day EXPERIENCING everything and not until hours later when I'm back home resting, do I mentally rewind and start rehashing the experiences of the day in my writing. Do I think I could disconnect completely? I think I could. But that's not what I want to do. I want to be able to stay in touch with my family and friends and still know what's going on in the world. I've just been prioritizing my time with myself above anything else.
How important has this been? Well, if I hadn't paid attention, if I had been looking down at my phone, I may not have noticed the beauty of this street vendor's flowers...
One phrase I've been hearing lately is "digital detox." One of my goals on this trip was to partake in this phenomenon. Throughout my daily life, and I mean all day every day, regardless of what I'm doing, I rarely go longer than an hour without picking up my phone, swiping right and texting, Tweeting, Facebooking, Instagraming, calling, surfing the web, or taking pictures. The more technology comes our way the more tasks we're able to do from the palms of our hands, all with a few swipes of a finger. That power is fantastic, yes. But it's also destroying our attention spans, our relationships with other human beings and most importantly, mindfulness of all the little details that make up the lives we're living.
Before I left for my trip I was trying to rely on my iPhone less and less in order to ease myself into the transition I knew I was going to demand of myself while I was abroad. No one should try to quit anything cold turkey, because as with most addictions, the failure rate would just be too high. Yes, I said addiction, because like so many of you, I'm knowingly addicted to my smartphone.
One of the many goals of this trip, was to get a break from that addiction and disconnect. You're probably thinking, well, she's obviously connected if she's blogging and posting regular updates. Yes, I'm connected online as I'm writing right now, but the difference is, that's the only time I'm connected; when it's evening time and I've come home after being out all day, doing whatever I've done.
Since I've been in Italy, I only carry my iPhone around (off or on airplane mode) in case of an emergency. I can't call, text, browse or do anything else. I mean, with the international data and roaming plan I actually can do all of those things, but I'm consciously choosing not to. I just have it in case I need it and for no other reason. Remember that feeling? Think way back. At one point in our lives, we only had landlines at home. When cellphones became more common, they were only used to make and receive phone calls. That was the extent of it. I remember the first cellphone I ever got (after the ever so cool and completely useless/ridiculous pager era), it was my junior year in college, around 1999-2000. 14 years later, going even a few hours without my phone had become unfathomable. That's just not healthy. While I realize this makes me sound completely old, I'll openly admit that I often long for a simpler time when this device wasn't so much a part of my existence. Yes, I miss the good 'ole days.
During this trip, I'm more than happy to give back the power that having a smartphone has given me all these years. I'm happy to disconnect and detox because I know that there's so much more I could be doing with myself here. And I know I need to make the absolute most of the time I have here.
I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought the detox would be a shock to my system, but what I realize is that it has been a wonderful relief. I feel more present in my life. I've been relying only on myself and my own senses to see, hear, taste, smell and understand. I've been spending however many hours of the day EXPERIENCING everything and not until hours later when I'm back home resting, do I mentally rewind and start rehashing the experiences of the day in my writing. Do I think I could disconnect completely? I think I could. But that's not what I want to do. I want to be able to stay in touch with my family and friends and still know what's going on in the world. I've just been prioritizing my time with myself above anything else.
How important has this been? Well, if I hadn't paid attention, if I had been looking down at my phone, I may not have noticed the beauty of this street vendor's flowers...
I wouldn't have seen how blue the sky was or how the afternoon light was hitting the grand Vittorio Emanuele II Monument...
Or how there's more than just Greek influence in Rome. I saw the Egyptian hieroglyphics on the obelisk in the Piazza del Popolo...
I noticed the beauty and the every day simplicity of Roman life...
I saw my neighbors as the sun was going down from my sixth floor balcony...
This has been a tremendous task and it's helping me feel more present in every moment I've had out here. The last thing I would want, after all the time, money and effort I've put into this trip, is to miss it because I was on the phone the entire time. I want to be an active participant in every minute of my life and especially those minutes I'm spending out in these beautiful places these two months. It's been one whole week already, and I'm amazed at how time flies by. I look back on so many memories and this personal narrative that I've developed during this time and I realize how valuable it is and how much of it I've been able to absorb because and only because I've made the effort and I've eliminated a major source of distraction.
I'm learning a lot about myself in the meantime. For example. I always thought I had a terrible sense of direction, and my reliance on GPS and Google Maps were mandatory every time I needed to get somewhere. But here, the only thing I've allowed myself to rely on are a guidebook and a street map of Rome. And guess what? Somehow I've managed to get everywhere I've wanted to go, and find some beautiful gems along the way, based solely on my own sense of direction and ability to find myself on the paper map I'm holding in my hands. I can't tell you the sense of accomplishment I feel, having now proven to myself that my sense of direction is actually fairly sharp.
Now as much as all this has been an awakening, I do realize that when I'm back home and I'm working and things go back to a normal routine, it won't be as easy or even as practical to disconnect this frequently and for so many hours at a time. But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying to do so. I realize how important it is to live through every bit of the stuff that happens to us on a daily basis. Good, bad, divine, atrocious, whatever. We need to experience it all and when we're constantly living through our devices, we're missing out on a lot of it. We're more concerned about seeing what other people are doing or showing others what we're doing, and it's taking away from our own ability to do and see for ourselves.
I'm thankful for every minute of digital detox I've experienced this past week and the many more minutes I'll experience in the weeks to come. I feel like I exist. I feel more susceptible to my own life. Instead of reaching for my iPhone every day, I'm reaching for a complete connection with my own existence, my feelings and my thoughts. Regardless of whether you're able to take a vacation from every day life or not, I encourage all of you to try to detox a little bit each day. Any little bit of time you spend away from your phone and your computer, whether it's to think quietly alone or give undivided attention to the people you love, is time that will make you feel more connected than any device ever could.
I'm learning a lot about myself in the meantime. For example. I always thought I had a terrible sense of direction, and my reliance on GPS and Google Maps were mandatory every time I needed to get somewhere. But here, the only thing I've allowed myself to rely on are a guidebook and a street map of Rome. And guess what? Somehow I've managed to get everywhere I've wanted to go, and find some beautiful gems along the way, based solely on my own sense of direction and ability to find myself on the paper map I'm holding in my hands. I can't tell you the sense of accomplishment I feel, having now proven to myself that my sense of direction is actually fairly sharp.
Now as much as all this has been an awakening, I do realize that when I'm back home and I'm working and things go back to a normal routine, it won't be as easy or even as practical to disconnect this frequently and for so many hours at a time. But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying to do so. I realize how important it is to live through every bit of the stuff that happens to us on a daily basis. Good, bad, divine, atrocious, whatever. We need to experience it all and when we're constantly living through our devices, we're missing out on a lot of it. We're more concerned about seeing what other people are doing or showing others what we're doing, and it's taking away from our own ability to do and see for ourselves.
I'm thankful for every minute of digital detox I've experienced this past week and the many more minutes I'll experience in the weeks to come. I feel like I exist. I feel more susceptible to my own life. Instead of reaching for my iPhone every day, I'm reaching for a complete connection with my own existence, my feelings and my thoughts. Regardless of whether you're able to take a vacation from every day life or not, I encourage all of you to try to detox a little bit each day. Any little bit of time you spend away from your phone and your computer, whether it's to think quietly alone or give undivided attention to the people you love, is time that will make you feel more connected than any device ever could.