September 14, 2020

Today I heard a new term, “Digital Diet”.  I don’t like diets, they are restrictive. I am not allowed to do something on a diet and the rebel in me kicks in saying, “You can’t tell me what to do!”

But I sure liked the concept of reducing my amount of digital connection.

Then it dawned on me, what if I took a vacation from the digital world? 

Oh, that conjures up images of walking on the beach or sitting by the pool. Or hiking on a trail in the mountains. Or being at home reading a really good book.

So, I decided to take a digital vacation for 24-hours. I wanted to experiment what it would feel like to turn off my phone, yes, turn it off. Not just stop reading text messages, the news, and social media.

It would be like going on vacation, where I tell my close people, I will be out of cell service and who to call if there is an emergency.

With my phone off – I discovered a whole new world. I slowed down. I saw more, I heard more. I went outside and read my book and was not distracted by a “beep” from my phone.

Don’t get me wrong, I had so many urges to pick up the phone, to tell someone something, to take a picture of my cat being adorable. But I resisted.

What I learned was that the person I connected with most was me. I enjoyed my cat being adorable and I noticed how I gave the gift of awareness to me. At the end of the day, I felt the warmth of the sun rays lowering on the horizon. I didn’t capture them on a device, I captured them in my heart.

Take a digital vacation, try it. And see what you notice. 

I would love to hear your experiences after taking a digital diet.  What did you discover?