National Day of Unplugging
For 24 hours starting March 4th through the 5th, people around the country celebrate the National Day of Unplugging. According to Unplug Collaborative, the non-profit organization responsible for this awareness day, they share how the project has been around for over a decade and has grown impressively. The purpose of this day is to spread awareness about how to maintain a healthy life and tech balance.
According to their site, “research shows that health and human connection have been adversely impacted by overuse of technology.” This includes impacts on our relationships, our quality of sleep, and our bodies and health. In addition, children and young adults are particularly vulnerable to the effects of increased screen time. For instance, blue light from all of our screens causes problems with sleeping and causes eye strain. And the impacts on physiology, like our musculoskeletal system, are also a concern.
All this points to an increased need for unplugging from technology more frequently. To better explore this myself in advance of the holiday, I chose to spend a day “unplugging” from technology and take a break from screen time.
How Technology Changes Our Lives
With the rise of technology, people have access to countless content options across an infinite number of platforms. Content that’s readily available, constantly updating, and ceaselessly refreshing. The opportunities to indulge are endless. Think of how YouTube, Twitch, and other streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu have become a significant part of our lives.
Technology allows content to be accessible to us anytime, anywhere, between all the social media platforms, video games, music, movies, documentaries, newscasts, television, talk shows, reality shows, and other content available.
During the pandemic, people spent even more time at home looking at their phones, tablets, TVs, and other screens because of social distancing and travel restrictions. While people used to have a variety of activities to do in their spare time outside or offline, they now prefer to stay at home and immerse themselves in the online world and other digital spaces.
Technology is an indispensable part of my life. Ever since I got my first phone, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time browsing different social media sites. Even though I know it’s not healthy for my body and mind to keep fixing my eyes to the 5.5-inch screen of my phone, I just can’t help it. I am addicted to technology; I have indulged myself in the digital world.
Realizing this dependence on my phone and tablet inspired me to spend a day unplugging. It sounds unrealistic, I know. How can a person living in a modern world go without any use of a phone or other device? Although it seemed impossible to imagine how I could survive without any glimpse of the online world, I still wanted to take a break from all technology.
A Usual Yet Unusual Morning
The first thing I used to do when I woke up was scroll on my phone. I would make sure that I checked out all of my friends’ recent stories, commented on my best friend’s post, and counted the likes I got on my latest photo. However, today is a special day. I wake up in the morning and decide not to turn on my phone but to put it aside in my drawer. I promise myself that I will not use my phone for 24 hours.
When it came to eating breakfast, I used to hold my phone in my hands and eat. I wouldn’t take a single look at the bowl of cereal in front of me, only stared at YouTube videos featuring my favorite celebrities and singers. Today, the only companion during breakfast time is my journal and a pencil. I write down a to-do list for today and jot down my feelings about this usual yet unusual morning.
It is a usual morning in which I execute my regular routine: brushing my teeth, washing my face, stretching on the bed, and eating breakfast. Nevertheless, I concentrate on myself instead of the online world, which is not physically visible. Instead, I focus on my breathing and my thoughts and feelings about everything that’s happening that morning.
It was a good start to the day.
How Unplugging Gave Me Time To Do Something I Love
In order to spend the day unplugging without affecting my schoolwork, I finished all the assignments due this week beforehand. Therefore, I have a day of leisure to do something I genuinely enjoy. I used to work on my laptop a lot, doing things like typing an essay, searching information on websites, or engaging in discussion boards. I spent almost eight hours a day only sitting in front of my desk and fixing my eyes on the screen.
Today, I restrict myself from going into the working area. I cannot check my email, Canvas inbox, or other online platforms. Taking my eyes offscreen is easier than I thought.
I pick up my guitar and sing some songs I used to sing a lot back when I didn’t own any digital appliances. Then, I read a book which I bought years ago.
It’s a book called “The Courage To Be Disliked.” I don’t skim-read it but really focus on the content and messages the writer tries to deliver. After finishing the book, I feel a surge of satisfaction. I feel like I have finally done something beneficial for my state of mindfulness.
Is Technology Making Us Smarter or Lazier?
I told my mum the day before that I would be the chief of today’s dinner. However, as I cannot check on any online recipe, I must use my creativity when preparing dishes.
This made me realize that I rely on the internet a lot. It’s like a museum of everything where you can find all the information you need right there online.
Cooking tips and travel itineraries, music scores and movie scenes, the scenery in Africa to scenic spots in Europe – it’s all there at my fingertips. So, I couldn’t imagine how my life would be if I could no longer access the internet.
But, I also realized that being over-dependent on technology only makes us lazier.
Humans are the basis of the technological advancement we have today. We’re the ones who invented the internet, yet we’re also being controlled and consumed by it. We should reconstruct this technology as a tool that we control, not the opposite. We have to learn to step away from it and take a break.
If technology becomes so inalienable in our lives that we cannot pull ourselves out of the internet, I doubt whether this technology is beneficial to modern civilization. Instead, it appears like something harmful and obstructive to our creativity and development.
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The Most Vulnerable Yet Valuable Thing
It’s been a while since the last time my family sat together and chatted for a whole night. Ever since my sister and I got our cellphones, all we do after dinner is look at our phones and not speak with our parents.
Today, as I put aside my cell phone and tablet, I finally found time to chat with my family. My sister shares her school life with us; we laugh at how she turned down her crush. My dad and mum talk about when I almost burned the house down as I forgot to shut off the stove when I went to school for the whole day. I tell them that the day of unplugging reminds me how life should be without relying on the online world.
Relationships are the most vulnerable yet valuable thing in the modern world. We have Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but we seldom talk with actual people in real life. Although we have a long list of friends online, in reality, we often lack even one genuine companion to be there when we’re going through life’s ups and downs. We spend a lot of time commenting and interacting on others’ posts, but we’re reluctant to care about our families.
Quality relationships are not virtual; they’re physical. So we have to maintain our bonds with others by performing real-life actions and showing we care, which is more meaningful than pressing the ‘Like’ button.
After unplugging all day, I found that spending time simply chatting with my family is so valuable that a hundred likes on an Instagram post cannot compare.
How Unplugging Impacted Me
My day of unplugging was such a provocative and meaningful experience. I learned that the most valuable things in life are in the real world, not the virtual world. Playing guitar, reading a book, learning a new dish, and spending quality time with my family are healthy activities that can’t be substituted by scrolling on the phone.
I understand that it’s largely unavoidable to interact with the internet in today’s world. It’s difficult to disconnect. However, we should control ourselves when we use this technology instead of being manipulated by it.
We ultimately determine when and how long we use our phones, computers, and other devices. And we should practice using them less. Unplugging from the online world more frequently in daily lives is beneficial, as doing so relieves stress, recharges your mind, and helps you rethink your priorities and focus in life.
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