Digital Detachment
Choosing to live like old times in an innovative yet toxic world.
I can feel my energy leaning towards digital detachment this year. It is a practice I started way back in 2022, when I temporarily deactivated my Instagram account, only to realise that I may never feel the need to return to it for years to come. I started journaling about my experiences instead. Now I spend my free time nurturing myself, trying to heal from the overstimulation of this fast-paced world.
This year, it’s time to go deeper and be more intentional towards digital detachment. I am beginning to realise that I only have one life to live and so much still left to be seen and I may never wish to grow out of, in fact even try to lean more towards my old ways that gave me joy.
This world is innovative, yet toxic. Technology has improved convenience, yet made us all detached. My words are not an invitation to detach yourself from this reality completely, but intentionally take a step back where necessary. This year, I have adopted some practices, some I wish to adopt towards digital detachment. These practices do not have to be life-changing. Simply conscious. I invite you to do the same.
Turning off notifications on my phone.
When
commented on one of my posts that she likes to keep the ringer off for her phone, it nudged me to step away from my phone whenever I possibly could. I decided to turn off most notifications on my phone over the weekend. I soaked the morning sun with nothing but my coffee in hand. I stepped outside my home and observed the world around me. I felt alive, not trapped by a device, for the first time in years.
Buying wired earphones instead of AirPods.
I have been contemplating purchasing new earphones for a while since I have been surviving without them for a few months now. Instead of going for Airpods, I decided to buy the wired earphones. Not only did it save me a ton of money, I now feel like the main character I always did when I listened to music on my iPod back in 2009. It takes me back to old times when life was simpler. That feeling holds more value in my life than any technological advancement ever can.
Converting my phone gallery into a photo journal.
I love looking back at photo albums my parents carefully preserved for me and my brother over time. It makes me sad to think that most of the generations to come will have a huge pile of digital memories to look back on. Nothing physical. So I have decided to maintain a photo journal of the simple moments in my life. These include moments when I was surrounded by loved ones, when I smiled, when I ate something that blew my mind, travel entries and much more.
I miss the simplicity of old times. We were expected to function as humans, not machines. All of us knew that pausing for a moment wouldn’t be the end of the world. If you choose to join me in practising digital detachment from now on, I can’t guarantee that the path ahead will be any easier. But I know for sure that it will be fulfilling. Maybe that’s all we need to return back to our human selves.
THIS WEEK’s RECOMMENDATIONS
If you enjoy reading Unwind, I would love it if you consider recommending the publication to your readers. Simply go to your dashboard > Recommendations > Manage > Add recommendation > Unwind.
I’m back on Substack and just saw this! So grateful you liked my poem💗 and loved this post too, wishing you the best mansi!!
I resonate with this, just introducing some friction by the more analog variants of these things, be it wired earphones for music or printing photos for memories , make it so much more intentional and dare I say more fun. Digital has its advantages, but when it comes to things that make life more 'living' rather than surviving, analog is the way to go.
One of my hobbies is photography, and the joy I have got by printing out my photos just for myself is so so much better than just posting on Instagram.
....Also, how do you print out your photos, I have been trying to find a method that is a bit easy to use as well as easier on the wallet.