The Benefits of Unplugging

Hey, Squad!

This Friday, March 1 is the National Day of Unplugging. Yes, you guessed it right. The creators of this day are urging you to stay away from your electronic devices for 24 hours. Sure, this doesn’t mean you can't turn on your lights or use your car. This challenge only extends to your cell phones, tablets, computers, and anything else that provides you with social media, email, texting and/or the internet.

We know, you’re probably like, “Umm, I could never survive all day without my cell phone!” Warning: we’re gonna sound like your grandparent for a sec: How do you think people survived before all this stuff???

This is totally doable. Sure, if you have a day where you have school or work and you need to use this stuff, then try it this weekend. But unplug and challenge yourself! Here are some reasons why it’ll benefit you:

You’ll have time for other things.
How many hours do you spend on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook just to kill time? Why kill that time? Fill that time with other things. Clean your apartment, read that book that’s been collecting dust, run some errands, or binge a show you’ve been hearing all about at work.

It’ll reduce stress.
So if you unplug midweek when you have a million meetings and the workweek is in full swing, unplugging may add to your stress, because at this day in age, cell phones are a huge part of the workforce. Take a random Saturday, then, and see how it helps you unwind and declutter your mind. For many of us, work occupies our time from the minute we wake up to the minute we go to sleep, so removing yourself will help you relax a little.

It allows you to reconnect.
This one sounds kind of counterintuitive, but disconnecting will help you reconnect. Sit down and have a face-to-face conversation. Go on a date or out with a friend and say, “Let’s not touch our phones until we leave.” Pick an activity to do with your friends that makes you all forget about your devices. Play a board or card game; go to a fitness class; grab a cookbook and attempt a new recipe. Here’s the kicker with these, though: you can't post about what you and your friends are doing! Nope, keep those phones put away!

You’ll sleep better.
Being bombarded by technology and updates can leave your brain on overload as you try to go to sleep. Your mind will be able to unwind quicker if you take a break for the day. As a matter of fact, on any given day, don't bring your phone or work to bed with you at night. Always try to unplug at least an hour before calling it a night.

It may help your self-esteem.
Sometimes we compare ourselves to those on social media. We all have those people that we follow who make us think “Am I doing enough?” or “Am I attractive enough?” or simply “Am I enough?” We see them post every day about all the cool stuff they are doing and this might make us not feel a bit insecure. Taking a break will help you avoid these comparative thoughts and relieve you of the negativity, which will help you remember you are enough.

This will be a challenge, but that's why it's worth trying!

Best of luck,
Love Squad