UNPLUG!

First – adjust this to suit family and job requirements. I realize many cannot fully unplug for an extended period of time. Use your best judgement for your situation.

Once a month I unplug for 24 hours.

• No email.
• No social media
• No news sites.

When possible, I try to spend at least part of the unplugged day completely out of cell phone range, but this is getting harder and harder as reception spreads to more and more remote areas. If responsibilities allow, turn off your phone completely and put it in a drawer in a room you rarely enter.

Studies have shown that while turning off your phone lowers stress and anxiety, even having it off while in the same room as you still adds stress!

What to notice:

• Are you tense or jittery? Social Media can be an addiction as real as caffeine or alcohol. If you need to ramp up to fully offline try these steps:
  • Turn off notifications from social media.
  • Turn on grayscale. Usually this is under Accessibility settings on your mobile devices. Instructions for – iPhone or Android devices (details may vary by model)
  • If realistic, uninstall social media completely.
• Do you have FOMO? This is understandable too – we’re so used to being fed information nonstop it can take adjusting to not having that constant intake. If you’re struggling, this is normal, but here’s some context. Facebook has only been around 20 years. Before that we had breaking alerts on TV, newspaper and radio, but that was it. If we didn’t have those on, we just waited until the evening news, or the morning paper. Most of what we see on social media is not critically urgent. Even 24 hour news stations are relatively recent. Here are some ways to adjust:
  • Fill your time with a physical activity – go for a walk, garden, clean that closet, workout, etc. The endorphins released by doing this will soothe you (this also works for the jitters). It also helps train your mind and body to seek endorphins from a more positive source than seeing notifications or the latest reel before your friend does. 😉
  • Do something creative – paint, knit, bake, etc. Even better if it’s something that keeps your hands busy and not reaching for the phone out of habit.
  • Do something in person! Have lunch with a friend, go to a local gallery or museum.

This might be the hardest of the 26 Day Challenges. It may also be the most rewarding. I encourage you to try this once a month, and then once a week. Others have found that no phones between say 7pm and 9am work better for them.