It’s a common sight to see people engrossed in their phones, checking emails, social media and posting pictures, documenting a life they don’t seem to be living.
Our minds are in overdrive, and while is great to be on top of ‘what is happening’, it’s also vital to switch off from work and technology, to give ourselves time out. To help you create more balance, here are seven tips for living life unplugged.
1. Allocate one day a week to be technology free
Turn off your phone, tablet and computer and take a break, I promise it won’t kill you. Think about it, will it truly make a difference in your life if you checked your emails, phone messages or social status updates one day later?
2. Catch up with friends and leave your phone behind
Remember how great it was to listen to the updates on everyone’s life and look into peoples faces not the back of their phones?
Enjoy the conversations taking place, listen, laugh, eat and drink. Be in the moment. How often do we see people in cafes or restaurants, not talking and looking at their devices, sharing how much fun they are supposedly having?
3. Explore the great outdoors
Go for walks or drives to locations where you can relax, breath in fresh air, and soak up the views. Watch a sunrise or sunset at the beach. Organise a picnic and head to your favourite spot. There are so many wonderful places to explore, so make a list of places you’d love to visit and go explore.
4. Read and learn
I’m not talking about reading your Facebook newsfeed here, I’m talking about the stack of books you bought but have never opened. Give yourself the time to enjoy and learn from them and escape into another world in the comfort of your own home.
5. Go to bed without your phone
In our current busy, plugged in lifestyles many of us don’t get enough sleep resulting in our brains being over-stimulated, stressed, fatigued and tired. We even take our phone or tablet with us to bed to ‘relax’. But research has shown that the light emitted from digital screens suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps us sleep, causing us further sleep delays.
6. Take a nap
While sleeping is a restful time for our bodies, it’s a highly active time for brain development and function. Did you know that taking a 20-minute nap during the day could give your body the benefits equivalent to 2-3 hours sleep? Now there’s some incentive to go and grab your pillow!
7. Spoil yourself
Self-care is an important part of living life unplugged. Sleep in and have a late brunch, read the paper and savour that morning coffee or tea. Listen to music, book in for a pamper treatment and try some meditation. Learn to switch off, breath deeply and refocus your mind and energy. As John Lennon famously sung “life is what is happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Don’t let it slip by, stop, unplug and enjoy the moment
