Digital Detox Experience; How Going Off-Grid For 5 Days Benefited My Mental Well-Being
Disconnecting is self-care.
It allows you to take better care of your mental health and well-being.
And since the start of Notes by Thalia, I’ve been raving about the benefits of digital detoxing because for me, they are essential.
In fact, one of my very first blog posts was titled, “Everything You Need To Know About Doing a Social Media Detox.”
But unfortunately, it’s been a while since I wrote a post solely dedicated to digital wellness.
So today I’m giving you an insight into one of my most recent travel adventures and sharing the benefits of going off-grid for 5 days.
Table of Contents
- Disconnect to reconnect
- The benefits of disconnecting
- How to regularly disconnect from your digital devices
- 4 ways disconnecting from technology benefited my well-being
- 1 | I was able to live more in the moment
- 2 | I got to wake up at 5 am and enjoy the sunrise
- 3 | I truly appreciated where I was
- 4 | I let go of expectations and enjoyed the experience way more
- Final thoughts
Disconnect to reconnect
Since November 2021, I’ve been consciously setting healthier boundaries with social media.
And it’s been remarkable how making a few changes to how I interact with social media has completely changed my overall mood and positivity. I feel more optimistic, less overwhelmed, less pressured to show up online and way less inclined to compare myself to others.
I no longer hate the algorithm or obsess over the metrics and instead, I’ve gotten more comfortable with my slow growth on Instagram. Because I’m not on there for the likes. I’m on there to make real connections with people.
But what I have been struggling with lately is the relationship I have with my laptop.
As a business owner, I’ve gotten into the habit of taking my laptop with me everywhere, even to the beach in case I need to do work.
I’m completely aware that this is not the healthiest relationship but at the same time, this is my life.
I absolutely love what I do and sometimes work doesn’t feel like work. I’m building a business on my own terms and I’ve created a daily routine that not only allows me to be productive but also supports my health and well-being by giving me space to practice self-care.
I am spending my time doing what I want to be doing.
So when I was invited by friends to go on a 5-day off-grid adventure with Tao Philippines, I admittedly was slightly nervous to say yes.
My first thought was, “How will I do work?” Not realising at the time that the whole point of being off-grid is to not work.
Yes, I’m a digital nomad and you see me travelling to popular holiday destinations — but that doesn’t mean I’m on a constant holiday. In fact, I work a lot more than I travel.
So going off-grid and disconnecting for 5 days felt completely alien to me. Because up until this point, I have always been “connected.”
But in taking that time off, I was reminded that, even though my business is my baby, there is always more to life than work. There is more to life than being constantly online.
The benefits of disconnecting
Before I do a deep dive into my own off-grid experience, let’s first take a look at the many benefits of disconnecting.
Taking a break from technology can help us recharge and refocus.
When we unplug from the online noise we can give more attention to our IRL relationships, cultivate a greater sense of gratitude and live more in the moment. Disconnecting from our digital devices also gives us more time.
Instead of getting distracted by addictive game apps, 10-second reels and constant notifications, we can use this time to figure out our needs and spend this time actually addressing them, rather than ignoring them.
But that’s not all, other reasons why you need to regularly disconnect include:
- Improves your overall mood
- Clears your mental space
- Helps you build good digital habits
- Allows you to reconnect with the present
- Improves sleep pattern
- Stops the comparison cycle
- Helps you to feel less anxious and overwhelmed
- Frees up heaps of time
- Encourages you to become a more positive person
- Stops you from procrastinating
How to regularly disconnect from your digital devices
In today’s digital world, it can be challenging to disconnect from devices and take a break from the online world.
But finding a healthy balance between your digital and real life is essential, not just for your overall well-being but for your productivity too.
I mean think about it.
How much time do you waste scrolling on social media? How much time do you spend procrastinating on Asos or Buzzfeed when you should really be working?
Yes, going digital has changed the game and boosted overall productivity but certain apps and sites can also kill productivity.
So the first step to building a better relationship with your devices is to become aware of your current bad digital habits. Reflect on them and ask yourself:
- “Where has this bad habit come from?”
- “How is this habit benefiting me?”
- “What can I be doing instead?”
You can also implement the tips below to cultivate a healthier relationship with technology:
- Work through your bad digital habits
- Be more intentional with the time you spend on social media
- Stop doom-scrolling and do something more worthwhile with your time
- Mute all notifications
- Check emails and messages at the same time every day
- Build a device-free morning and evening routine
- Use an app or browser extension that blocks distracting websites
- Limit time on your devices at mealtimes and on the weekend
- Unfollow triggering accounts or ones you often compare yourself to
- Go off-grid for a few days
- Use this 30-Day Social Media Detox Planner
Save these ideas on Pinterest
4 ways disconnecting from technology benefited my well-being
1 | I was able to live more in the moment
Although I love documenting my travels on Instagram I didn’t feel the need to share this one with you.
I’m not a travel blogger. My content is about health and wellness, and how to prioritise self-care on your terms. And for me, that sometimes looks like putting my phone away and truly living in the moment.
So I made sure that this off-grid trip was about just that.
I didn’t want to be spending precious time taking pictures and videos on my phone that, to be honest, would probably just sit on my camera roll.
I wanted to truly savour the moments.
To be still and just be.
As a business owner, who is still very much at the beginning of their journey, it’s very easy to constantly think about work. When I go out for dinner with John I love to chat business with him, reflect on my goals and discuss the next steps. He’s a business owner too so our lives are very much consumed by what we do.
And in all honesty, it’s hard to switch off sometimes.
Although the content I publish in my emails, on my blog and on social media exists to help you mindfully navigate and balance your day, it can sometimes be difficult for me to listen to my own advice.
So I saw this digital detox as an opportunity to take a much-needed break and rest.
To reconnect with myself without the distraction of work or technology.
2 | I got to wake up at 5 am and enjoy the sunrise
If you know me, you’ll know I’m famous for my slow mornings.
You won’t usually see me waking up at 5 am and following an unsustainable “That Girl” routine but instead ignoring my alarm and choosing to read a fiction book over going to the gym.
But let me get clear on the reason behind my slow mornings because although I love to sleep, I’m not someone who gets 12 hours each night.
I’m currently in my night owl era.
I tend to fall asleep quite late at around 12 or 1 am. Either I get a boost of creativity and choose to work, watch something on Netflix or get distracted with Instagram (yup, even I have some pretty bad habits). I need at least 7–8 hours of sleep each night so if I’m going to bed at 1 am every night that means I’m waking up at around 8 or 9 am.
But being off-grid meant that I didn’t have the opportunity to work at night or the means to watch Netflix or even scroll.
I’m 32 and way past my heyday era so I also wasn’t staying up until the early hours of the morning socialising or partying.
Instead, I was heading to bed on average at around 9.30 pm to do my bedtime reading and then falling asleep around 10 pm.
And like clockwork, I’d wake up every morning at 5 am without an alarm after getting my 7 hours of good quality sleep. This meant I was awake every day to watch the sunrise at 5:20 am! Like who am I?!
I have to hand it to all of you early risers — you’re definitely onto something. Everything is so quiet at that time of the morning. All I could hear was the sound of the birds and the soft crashing of the waves.
It was an extremely peaceful and grounding time.
After watching the sunrise, I would then do my 30-minute non-negotiable reading before heading for a morning swim. Seriously, there is no better feeling than diving into the sea that early in the morning. It was cold, crisp and refreshing.
Now I just need to recreate this morning routine for every day of my life.
Looks like I might be joining the 5 am club after all 🤯
3 | I truly appreciated where I was
Despite the fact I got sick and had diarrhoea twice on this trip, I had one of the best times of my life.
One of the reasons why I never got into travel blogging is because I enjoy travel far too much. Counterintuitive I know but hear me out…
Travel has become somewhat of a popularity contest lately thanks to the rise of social media. Because of the excessive need for everything to be visually appealing and “Instagrammable”, entire cities and cultures have been reduced to tourist attractions, must-sees and “Insta-worthy” hotspots.
To be a travel blogger you need to always be one step ahead of everyone else. You need to do tonnes of research to know where to go. And you need to wake up super early to beat the crowds so you get the Insta-worthy picture.
So no offence, but that is far too overwhelming for me.
I prefer to slowly move through a place, get to know its culture better and make real, long-lasting memories.
In fact, when I was in Italy last year I made the big decision to not always see or do what is most popular. But to really slow down and only experience what I truly wanted to experience.
I can’t help but feel that when you plan to go to a certain place, there’s an expectation to uphold.
To get the right picture and share it on Instagram all in the name of “likes”.
But the reality is, we often miss out on truly appreciating the moment because we’re too focused on trying to capture it perfectly.
So regularly remind yourself that the memories you make, the people you meet and the feelings you have at that moment are the only things that truly matter.
Not some picture that will just get buried on your Instagram feed or the stories you tell people later on (who probably aren’t even listening because they’re too wrapped up in their own lives.)
4 | I let go of expectations and enjoyed the experience way more
Before heading on my off-grid trip, I went on an island-hopping day tour with John and my new Australian BFF.
One of our last snorkelling spots was just off a remote island which had a small section of coral. While the rest of the people rushed off the boat and went to the deeper part of the sea, we decided to hold back and swim close to the shore.
After about 10 minutes John started waving his hands around to try and get my attention.
A big, beautiful turtle was swimming right next to us. We followed it for about 2 minutes before it swam away from the shallow coral and disappeared into the deep blue.
It was one of those magical, “I was not expecting that” kind of moment.
When we got back to the boat we told our guide that we saw a turtle. He told us that we were extremely lucky as they don’t usually come this close.
When we told the other people on the boat they just looked at us with pure disappointment. While one woman mocked us and asked, “How many fingers am I holding up” to check we weren’t delusional, an older French man claimed we were lying.
His exact words were, “It was not a turtle you saw it was a rock.”
He was one of those people — “all the gear with no idea.” He had his Go-Pro, waterproof camera and expensive snorkelling kit, and all he wanted to do was capture underwater footage.
And he made it clear that he was annoyed that we saw the turtle and he didn’t, and the fact that we weren’t even looking for one whereas he was. Not only did he ruin the experience for us because of how he reacted, but he also ruined his own trip because of the expectation he had put in place.
Along with millions of other things, the ocean, its wildlife and how certain situations pan out are outside of our control. And I have to admit, in the past, I have been one of those people to put high expectations in place. Especially on birthdays. Because for some reason, I attached the quality of what I did or saw to how good the day was. To how happy I was.
But I’ve now realised that it doesn’t matter what I’m doing. I enjoy my day regardless of what incredible things I’ve seen. I’ve learnt to appreciate the small, simple moments like reading a fiction book while swinging on a hammock. Or having your boyfriend bring you pancakes in bed because you’ve been up all night with the shits.
It’s these raw, unexpected moments that I now live for.
Not some curated photoshoot that I’ve gone out of my way to create just for the sake of impressing others.
Stop putting pressure on yourself to capture the perfect footage or see the best sights when you can simply appreciate what’s already around you.
Let go of expectations. You’ll have a much better time without it, I promise.
