Disconnect to Reconnect: Stepping Away from Technology
Take a step back with me for a minute. For those of you who are pre-Google, pre-Instagram, pre-YouTube, pre-Pinterest… before all of that—who were you? How did you decorate your home? How did you cook? How did you dress? What did you think? Before all the influence, who were you?
Before we had all of these options and ideas constantly fed to us, we liked what we liked simply because we liked it. There was something in us that drew us to a certain thing, or style. We had our own ideas, our own recipes, our own way of doing things. Our own culture. Of course, there were books and magazines and TV—but it was different. News and trends took time to reach us, and even when they did, they didn’t feel so all-consuming.
The 90s are all the rage right now, and I think there’s a good reason for that. TVs blaring, phones constantly scrolling, podcasts or music always in our ears… it’s a lot. We’re tired of the noise. The distraction. The endless opinions. Wouldn’t it be lovely to just turn it all off for a while and reconnect with your true self? The good news is, we can!
Before all the influence, who were you?
I’ve never loved the phrase “find yourself,” but I do think something like that is needed right now. We take in so much, all day long, without even realizing it. It slowly starts to shape what we like, what we do, and how we do it.
So turn it off. Let your mind rest. Sit in the quiet and listen to the hum of nothingness for a bit. It sounds simple, but it feels strangely hard these days. Still, there’s something really good waiting for you on the other side of that quiet. Make space for your own thoughts again.
How to give it up
Go cold turkey. I know some people say to ease into it, but personally, I find it easier to get a handle on habits by cutting them out altogether—at least for a time.
Take social media, for example. Turn it off completely for a week. Don’t open it once. By the end of the week, you’ll likely feel a kind of freedom from it—and from there, it becomes much easier to set limitations. Maybe it turns into a quick morning check-in instead of random scrolling throughout the day.
What to do with yourself
Read a book. Not a digital one—a real, hold-it-in-your-hands kind of book. There’s something about it that quiets the mind in a different way. Remember library cards? They’re still around. We’ve always loved libraries in this family. In every town we’ve lived in, it’s one of the first places we check out. (No pun intended.)
Start a hobby. What’s something you’ve always been interested in but never felt like you had the time for? You might be surprised just how much time appears when you set the devices down. Gardening, crochet, painting—whatever it is, give it a go!
And here’s a not-so-fun one: clean your house. It may not sound exciting, but it’s deeply satisfying. Clearing clutter, dusting all the forgotten corners… it does something good for your mind, not just your house. I’m always a little shocked at what I find when I start moving things around and cleaning behind and underneath. A good old-fashioned deep clean goes a long way!
In closing
I want to challenge you, and myself, to step away from it all for a week. Go back to 1997 for a little while. (And if you’re not old enough to remember 1997, I am truly sorry.) Think about who you were. What you loved. What felt natural to you. Then try stepping into the older version of that girl—without all the noise telling you who you should be or what you should be doing. You might find she’s been there all along, simply waiting for a little quiet so she could step out.
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