Enrich your life offline!

Photo: ©2019 Patrick Kern

Dear friends,

A couple weeks back, I was listening to All Things Considered, and this segment caught my attention: Teens say social media is stressing them out. Here's how to help them. Reporter Michaeleen Doucleff said at one point during the story: “Enrich your life offline”.

Enrich your life offline.

Yes, yes, yes! How simply and perfectly put.

What happens when we put down the phone? Instead choosing to embrace our offline sources of spontaneity, joy, creative inspiration, IRL (in real life) connection? What are your favorite things to do that don’t involve a screen? How much time are you spending doing those things? When was the last time you learned how to do something new & creative with your hands? Are you using screentime to check out, and calling it rest?

Cultivating a tech-balanced lifestyle is fast becoming a rare skill. Yes, a skill. And it takes strong intentionality to hone it nowadays!

If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself! How long can you move through your day/the world without consulting your phone? How dependent are you (or aren’t you!) on your phone? Many of us are bound even further with smartwatches, tablets in the kitchen/bedroom/office, etc, so even with a phone is not physically near us, we are still tethered to its every beck and call. Do you sleep with your phone on your nightstand as your alarm clock? Are you ever not within arm’s reach of the internet? No judgment: just reflect and be honest about your relationship with your technology.

The ATC segment was inspirational for me because it focused on youth’s solutions to what they identified are the rampant mental health challenges facing them through ubiquitous social media. (Rather than older adults trying to solve their unique issues.) New youth-led organizations like Log Off and LookUp India are working to educate about and create strong digital wellbeing habits in young (and not so young!) folks. Virtually any age group can benefit from exploring these digital well-being practices to balance their relationship with their tech and social media habits.

So, what offline activities bring you JOY?! How do you PLAY?! What lights you up?! Is there something you love that you haven’t made the time for lately?

Make a list, if you are a list maker! Choose anything from that list.

Then, put down your phone (or turn it off and keep it with you if that makes you feel better), take off your smartwatch, whatever it is that will enable to to wholly embrace your being happily OFFline – and go do it!

Give yourself the gift – and freedom – of cultivating your offline life today – even for just an hour or two! Trust me, the world will all be there when you are back online… I promise. :)

Blessings, freedom, and sunshine,
Nicole