I Turned Off My Phone For A Whole Week

No, I didn’t completely implode.

Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash

I recently had the sudden, visceral urge to shut off my phone for an entire week. If this were a few years ago, I’d shrug off the itch and create excuses about staying connected to my job or asking myself what I’d do if someone needed me.

Thankfully, as we all do, I’ve shifted my perspective over the years. So I decided to listen not only to what my body was saying but what my mind craved as well: a break.

I think sometimes we forget about the importance of our own small thoughts. You know the ones, the small voices in the back of your head that sometimes says things that might sound crazy. Things that you brush off as unrealistic. Like turning off the device that holds a magic key to your entire life.

But what’s better than creating your own reality?

So I did the responsible thing and shut off my phone.

Let’s back up a bit here, I’m still a “responsible” individual (whatever that actually means), so I messaged my friends and family to let them know that if something were urgent they could email me which I planned to check once per day. I texted my boss and I’m fortunate enough that my work requires little communication outside of office hours. Everything was good to go.