Disconnect from technology on a regular basis

All around the world, people are beginning to disconnect from technology. We are constantly linked to our smartphones for work, pleasure, education, or any number of social interactions. This constant interface with our phones leaves little time for true interaction with others, resulting in, among other things, increased teen suicide, depression, anxiety and stress.

At this point in our global experiment with smartphones, we are finally realizing the hazards of this techno tool. In Denmark, five 9th grade girls performed an experiment with WiFI and watercress that went viral. Teens who have had their own cell phones from an early age, usually without many restrictions, are more prone to depression, have poor social skills, and exhibit high levels of addiction to games and other forms of entertainment. Adults are distracted and don’t give their families as much quality time. Less interaction affects our young children, they turn to screens, and a vicious cycle is born.

Smartphone users of all ages are addicted to the rush of seeing a new like on a social media site, completing a task for work or play, or receiving immediate answers from the likes of Google, Alexa, or Siri. My coworkers and I used to laughingly refer to our Blackberry phones as “Crackberries” because they were so addictive. Little did we know how far the addiction would run. Now smartphones are the window to an entire world of knowledge, experience, and entertainment. A hand-held oracle. And we can’t put it down.

But people are starting to react. The pendulum has swung all the way to the other side and we see TED talks about deleting Facebook, social media fasts have become trendy, and now there is a new option called “Off the Work” in Sweden that requires participants to let go of all input and tune in to their own mind for an hour of silent reflection. One journalist, from the Nordic branch of Business Insider, documents his experience in this article.

While an entire hour of forced internal focus isn’t my favorite way to disconnect, I agree that it is important to spend time on your own without distraction.

I take time daily to gather my thoughts and make new connections both for my family life and for work projects. These moments, for me, require isolation. And some people’s lives are so busy they need an intermediary such as the Off the Work project. This project creates a space between work and home that allows them to have time for decompression and processing. So perhaps the practice will flourish where there are large groups of people juggling hectic schedules.

But I believe people can do this on their own. Traditional Nordic concepts like hygge can and do counteract the constant digital influence. Rule Number 2 of The Hygge Manifesto (as listed in Mike Wiking’s The Little Book of Hygge) says simply Presence: Be here now. Turn off the phones.

I began putting away my phone for small portions of time each day years ago in an attempt to be more present with my children. I work from home, and the temptation to be constantly connected is intense. Requiring myself to put away my phone during specific activities is vital to building our relationships and their life skills. Although I will not hesitate to bring my phone out to snap pictures or videos, I don’t check email or write notes while spending this quality time with my littles. I don’t go so far as to schedule time without my phone, but it happens whenever it is important or necessary; usually multiple times a day, especially when I make the effort to get hyggelig.

Regardless of what gets us there, humanity needs to find some lasting answers as we move forward in this new world full of hand-held oracles that immediately answer our questions, transport us to every corner of the globe, and create social pressures that result in unrealistic and unhealthy environments for everyone involved. But low tech seems to be the new high tech. So maybe there is still hope.

What did I learn from this?

Going low tech, or no tech, increases happiness.