What We’re Doing for National Day of Unplugging
Gear up for the National Day of Unplugging!
What are you doing March 1-2? I will be doing lots of things and none of them will involve devices. An entire 24 hours of ZERO devices. Can you imagine? It’s pretty difficult to get through the day without using any form of a device. Be it your TV, phone, laptop, or tablet, you’re most likely using at least two of those a day to conduct business, entertain yourself - or your kids!
““The National Day of Unplugging (NDU) is an annual 24-hour period, running from sundown to sundown, of observing a communal digital detox. A project of Reboot, the NDU is an outgrowth of the Sabbath Manifesto, an adaption of our ancestors’ ritual of carving out one day per week to unwind, unplug, relax, reflect, get outdoors, and connect with loved ones. The NDU provides an opportunity for diverse individuals, communities and organizations to join around the common thread of disconnecting from our devices to connect with those things that are truly important in our lives.””
This is the ultimate digital detox. And we are 100% pledging to be a part of this, this year. It’s a little embarrassing that it will require me to be so intentional about NOT picking up my phone, but I am sure I’m not alone in that! Screens are infiltrating my vision more than I would prefer to admit, and definitely more than I want to demonstrate for my children. It’s like I can’t get away from them. But you know what, I actually can! And I am going to be more conscious of making that happen. I am literally at the salon right now listening to a conversation about how Instagram is taking over our lives. One woman is saying that she had to hide her app in a folder so she wouldn’t go on it as much, because once she opens it up, seemingly all of a sudden hours of her day have flown by. It really is like we go down the rabbit hole, and we are missing so much of what is right in front of us.
I don’t want my kids growing up seeing me with my phone glued to my fingers, and my face always in a screen.
Sometimes we need a little push to kick off a new habit. So I think I am going to use the National Day of Unplugging to be a cold turkey - change my habits - kind of day. I am thinking it could be helpful to create “business hours” for myself. Like, I can be on my phone for a maximum of 10 minutes twice a day. That would be for those “scrolling” or catching up periods. Then when the kids go to bed, I can do another 20 minutes if I have to respond to emails or something like that.
Honestly, screens have not only been an issue with my parenting, they have been an issue in my marriage. I know. Gross. Welcome to 2019! But my husband has complained to me time and time again about how I spend too much time on my phone. I don’t feel like I do but according to my screen time monitor - I do. I am honestly not one hundred percent convinced that the screen time breakdown is accurate, do you think that it is? Or am I just that unaware of how much I am on my phone?
My kids all have iPads and love to play games and watch shows. Even some of their homework is required to be done on the iPad. Apps are now part of our curriculum, so how can we teach healthy boundaries for them? How can we have a foot on each side of the line between a useful tool and a tool for entertainment vs a brain-mush-maker? I have created guidelines such as how long they can be on screens, what apps they are able to be on, and talking to them about being screen smart. But sometimes I will still catch someone on YouTube (which I don’t allow, because of the lack of monitoring), and they will be watching kids unwrap toys. It blows my mind how they will literally watch anything! I want to scream, and sometime do, “GO PLAY WITH YOUR OWN ACTUAL TOYS!”.
My plan is to take this 24 hour device break and talk about being intentional with our time, conversations, and actions. What is screen time taking away from your life? How often are you really on a device? How much of your to-do list is still unchecked at the end of the day vs how much time did you spend on social media? We are losing so much actual connection with others.
You know that feeling you get standing at the waters edge with your feet in the sand? Or running barefoot in the grass…?
There is just something about it. It’s calming. It’s balancing. It brings peace and a sense of restoration throughout your body. Grounding or earthing…whatever you’d like to call it, it’s all about literally being connected to the earth. This can be done by having your body touching the ground, water, or if you are inside, being connected to a conductive surface that is touching the earth. I actually gave birth to my third baby at home, in water and had the birthing tub grounded. After her birth, I got out of the tub and used a grounding bracelet that I placed on my ankle. Talk about being extra!
According to specialists grounding “may be a simple, natural, and yet profoundly effective environmental strategy against chronic stress, ANS dysfunction, inflammation, pain, poor sleep, disturbed HRV, hypercoagulable blood, and many common health disorders, including cardiovascular disease.” [Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons] people say that there is not enough scientific evidence to prove that grounding is beneficial, but I say the proof is in how you feel!
