That Time I Turned my Phone Off
I know this post is long over due but I want to talk about that time I turned my phone off. Yes, you read that correctly. I actually turned my phone of. For 24 hours. In Mexico.
It’s hard to remember what life was like before Instagram. But when I do think back to that “simpler” time, I remember that five years ago I went to Thailand without a phone. Of course I brought my clunky digital camera so I could upload Facebook photos when I got home, but that didn’t have the same affect on me that Instagram does today. The ability to instantly post, to receive instant feedback changes everything. It’s no longer about the moment that is captured in the photo. It is now all about everything after that moment. What should my caption be? Is it too filtered? Is this a cute hashtag? Taking a photo has suddenly become a completely different experience…if your intention is to post it.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am obsessed with Instagram and clearly won’t stop posting as there are many wonderful things about it. I have a job for one thing, that did not exist before the app was born. I have friends that I met “online” whom I am so close with now. And above all, I absolutely love sharing my life via photos and stories. What might seem awkward and painful for other people, such as directly talking to the camera, is actually really fun for me. I get so much joy out of connecting with friends from all over the world, answering questions and sharing tips. I have also gained a lot more confidence in my body image and also in things like public speaking, which used to be one of my biggest fears!
While there are obviously so many things about Instagram that I love, there is such thing as too much of a good thing. I really try and respond to every single message and comment, which can be very time consuming. I also like to stay in touch, see what everyone is posting and like other people’s photos. And of course film and story everything and anything. So might as well just glue my phone to my hand, right?
As with all other things in life, there is a time and a place for everything. Sitting next to DC on the couch while watching a movie is not the right time to check my phone. Going out for dinner with friends is not the right time to check my phone. Lying on a beach in Mexico on vacation…I mean, it sounds like a really good time to check my phone but I decided before we left for our trip that I would take a 24-hour phone detox on our vacation.
My intention of the phone-detox was to be as present as possible and just connect with the people and things surrounding me. It took a few hours in the morning to “get the hang of it.” For my muscle memory to not automatically cause my hand to reach in my bag for my phone. But by the afternoon I not only felt more relaxed but also liberated. I couldn’t check an e-mail or like a photo on Instagram even if wanted to, and all of a sudden, I didn’t really want to. In fact, I chose to keep my phone in the room almost every night we went out, and go purse-free. Talk about liberty.
Yes there were times when it would have been nice to have a camera – such as the beautiful white party on the beach which we never got the chance to capture. But those memories are real, even if they are in our heads instead of cyberspace.
Going phone-free for 24 hours is definitely a practice I want to try and implement once in a while and something that I definitely recommend everyone try at least once. You’ll always have tomorrow to take all the photos…after all, how do you think I got all these shots?
