August 21, 2016

Practice Self Care with a Digital Detox.

0 Boost Score Miranda Aponte (1,375,390)

518

In Deepak Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, he explains the Law of Pure Potentiality: “The source of all creation is pure consciousness…pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest. And when we realize that our true Self is one of pure potentiality, we align with the power that manifests everything in nature.”

Have you ever meditated or closed your eyes for a few moments and felt the pure state of being? Just being?

That is what Chopra is talking about. This is also where creativity exists and thrives. Just being in our true essence and without constant information flowing to us, we are freed of outside forces. In order to tap into this pure, divine energy we must tap out of our technology-driven lives.

The average American spends eight or more hours on electronic devices. Fortunately and unfortunately, I am not the average American, spending much more than eight hours on my devices. My work is dedicated to online spaces. I work for a remote company, Inspiral Studio. We focus on providing web solutions for health and lifestyle businesses. We put great emphasis on having a work/life balance.

I thoroughly enjoy what I do and there have been many times where I go down the digital rabbit hole researching or writing a piece, like this one. On a daily basis, I open SnapChat, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Slack, Trello, iMessages, and Emails. Not to mention the several articles I click to read. I am most definitely a millennial. Being “plugged in” is clearly essential.

There came a point a few weeks ago when I found myself nauseous with the digital merry-go-round that my life had become.

It became obvious to me that I needed a digital detox.

Being the Aries (aka Ram) that I am, I felt that this had to be an all or nothing ordeal. I turned off my phone and put it in a drawer on Friday. (Cue my sister rolling her eyes being unable to reach me.) I decided this was going to be a weekend-long event.

A few things I noticed right away were:

Relief: Sweet relief. I realized how I jump at the vibration of my phone. My phones absence left me feeling completely free of “responsibility.”

No distractions: There were definitely moments I didn’t know what to do with myself. Whether I was waiting in line for the bathroom or driving somewhere I had nothing to do but breathe, look and listen.

Time: It didn’t really exist. I was not checking on it and I didn’t end the weekend thinking time went by too fast or too slow. Each moment passed as it should and I felt myself being present for each one.

Undivided attention: One of the most rewarding things I later noticed was how much my attention mattered, my undivided attention that is.

Every Sunday morning my boyfriend pitches for a baseball team. I am the farthest from a sports buff, finding even the simplest of sports games confusing. I pay attention to the game for the most part, checking my phone a few times here and there. But this Sunday I had nothing to do but breathe, look and listen. I left the game feeling much more knowledgeable about baseball than I ever had before and it felt good.

I consider myself a student of the Universe and leaving my distractions in a drawer allowed me to be fully present and absorb what was right in front of my eyes.

What I realize now after reading Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, is that giving myself a break from the constant distractions, buzzing and flow of information, I brought myself closer to my true essence—a state of freedom and contentment that allows me to truly divulge in the present moment.

There is no way I could ever be indefinitely free of my digital devices. On Monday morning I returned to them rejuvenated with fresh eyes. I believe that digital tools give us so much: education, connection, inspiration, the list goes on—but the truth is that our natural essence embodies all three. Do not become digitally distracted to the point where you forget all of the power that you hold and how easy it is to reconnect with it.

Interested in taking a digital detox? It doesn’t have to be as extreme as mine, although I do recommend it. Here are some practical tips to unplug:

>> Give your electronic devices a curfew and set them to do not disturb mode

>> Meditate a few times a day

>> Get an alarm clock and leave electronic devices out of the bedroom

>> Leave your device at home during yoga or your next farmer’s market trip

>> Schedule “me-time” digi free, unplugged at the park or somewhere in nature

How do you unplug? For more tips on how to take advantage of technology and not let technology take advantage of you sign up for Inspiral Studio’s Newsletter here.

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