Why Unplugging is Essential

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” —Anne Lamott

We live in a time where social media is more prevalent than ever. It’s rare to go someplace where everyone isn’t on their phones. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily, there are lots of benefits to having all of this incredible technology at our fingertips.

Still, though, it’s so important to put it down and live in the present.

What is unplugging?

Unplugging means that you are steering clear of technology – no Facebook, no phone calls, nothing. This can go on for 1 day, 1 week or 1 month.

Typically, I try to unplug for a full day each week.

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits to unplugging. Some of them may be obvious, and some of them may be a new reason to you. The best way to find out the benefits is to just try it for yourself, and see how it feels!

For me, I’ve noticed:

I’m more creative. Have you ever noticed that you have the best ideas when you’re taking a shower? Or maybe your best ideas come to you when you’re doing dishes or laundry. When you get out of “consumption mode” and stop consuming everything people put on social media, you get to live in your brain again.
The comparison game ends. I do my best to use social media for work purposes only, but it would be a lie if I told you that I never compare myself to others on social media. We forget that people usually only post the highlight reel (aside from those friends who air out their dirty laundry.) Still, it’s hard to see other people achieving what you’re fighting to achieve. When I unplug from social media, all I can focus on is me, my ideas, and what I want to do with them.
I’m able to live in the moment. If you’re on your phone all day, it’s kind of hard to see all the amazing shit going on around you. Have you noticed that? There are so many little things to enjoy and to be grateful for. We miss out on a huge chunk of our lives when our eyes are glued to a screen.
(Side note: If you’re out doing things, put your damn phone down anyway. Soak it all in, and enjoy each moment!)

As I stated before, the best way to find out more about unplugging is to just dive in and do it yourself! Take notice of how you feel, and determine a good schedule to unplug.