My Personal Digital Detox Experience
Lately I have been using my phone a lot less than I used to. Because of this, I have become more present, and open to a lot more things that do not involve my phone. I did this because every time I scrolled on social media or even watched television, I thought to myself why I was watching other people living and enjoying their lives, while I can enjoy it too.
Every time I was consuming content, I was being passive and not taking action myself. Of course it is fine to watch a movie from time to time or watch a video, but many of us have become so attached to consuming that we feel like we are not living our lives to the fullest anymore.
Breaking Free from Digital Overconsumption | The True Meaning of Life Beyond Screens
Life is about a lot more than consuming content. It is about adventure, meeting people, visiting new places and engaging in different activities. I kind of feel like we have forgotten this because we have become very attached to consuming content. That is why I think that many of us want to experience more real moments. And with real moments I mean talking to people without grabbing your phone or discovering new places without instantly taking pictures.
Phones as Escape Mechanisms
Generally I mean being less attached to your phone and consuming content. Because most of us use it as a coping mechanism as well. If we have to wait or are in a stressful situation, we tend to grab to our phones for comfort. In these situations we are escaping reality for a short time, and it has become almost weird when someone is not looking on a phone when waiting or doing nothing.
Learning from the Past: Life Without Digital Distractions
When I think of experiencing real moments, I always think about living as a little kid or what it would feel like living forty years ago when there were no phones nor the internet nor social media. Life as a little kid was very playful. You did not have a phone, you felt no pressure or shame. You experienced everything to the fullest. Before I was born there was no internet or social media, and people had no choice but live in the moment and talk to each other without distractions, or listening to music records and having a good time.
Taking Action: Practical Steps to Digital Minimalism
But we still have the choice to experience more real moments, without distractions. I have been using an app on my phone called Dumbphone, that makes it less attractive to use my phone. I have also deleted my social media apps, and am already starting to appreciate life without my phone more. There are so many things that you can enjoy besides scrolling on social media. At first, you might still feel tempted to grab for your phone, but after a while, you begin to notice more real moments, and find out that life is about so much more than consuming content.
The Science of Adaptation
It is actually impressive how quickly you can get used to live your life without social media. Even though it has a big impact on our mental health, study shows that we can adapt fast and experience positive benefits within a few weeks. After one to three months, it has become our new normal state, and most people report feeling more like themselves within just 2-3 weeks. This shows that it is way easier to make changes than we think.
The Problem of Overabundance
Right now we have overabundance in everything. We have an overabundance in clothing, movies, games, food, content, products and services, you get the point. It might seem wonderful that we have all of these things available, but these are the things that keep us trapped.
They take away too much of our money, time, energy and focus, amongst other things. It is actually quite hard now to do nothing or to feel bored, because your mind is always bombarded with these impulses. Advertisements are another one. We see so much ads everyday that mess with our psychological brain and makes us crave things that we do not need.
To be honest, you do not need that much in life. You can be fine without social media, without buying new clothes every two weeks, and without buying products that only last a few months.
What We Truly Want vs. What We’re Sold
When we get asked what we really want, most of the time it is freedom, to do things that you love and experience those moments with people you care about. Maybe you want to be creative, spend more time in nature, read good books or visit new places.
The things we truly want do not cost that much, and bring way more fulfillment than all the other stuff. The great thing is, these things are all possible to do. You just have to be brave and ignore the impulses.
Try minimizing the time you spend on your phone, the time you watch advertisements, stop buying on impulse and only when you really need something. Start saving your money and investing it. Minimize the amount of money that goes out of your bank account.
Creating Mental Space in an Overwhelming World
You need to create more space for yourself. The reason that so many people struggle with mental health issues is mainly because we are always overwhelmed. We receive just as much impulses during one day as people who lived in medieval times for their entire life. Think about that. One day versus a whole life.
The Danger of Early Smartphone Exposure
I think it is very dangerous that little children are already allowed to have a phone and to use it like a slot machine. At a very young age, you already become addicted by one of the most impulsive and damaging products. The problem with the smartphone, is that you get stimulated so much, that at some point, nothing seems satisfying anymore.
Things that are less stimulating, like reading or playing an instrument become very hard to do, because it is not attractive anymore. If you become addicted to this stimulation, you will not enjoy the precious small moments anymore. You always crave for something bigger, better or more visually appealing. In my opinion, children are not allowed to have a smartphone.
They do not understand the dangers of overusing and overconsuming this device. It really is a thought deletion machine, just like Rick Beato described in one of his videos.
The Economics of Digital Addiction
The crazy thing is that because there are no regulations or restrictions for smartphones, it seems totally fine to spend eight hours a day scrolling on TikTok or Instagram. Yet it is the most addictive things there is, even more addictive than drugs or alcohol. Most billionaires have become so rich, because we keep falling for these kind of traps. Look at Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg. They got so rich by abusing and stimulating overconsumption. We keep buying stuff online that we do not really need, and we keep using these apps that have a negative impact on our lives.
Wealth Inequality and Personal Power
Roughly 10% of the population owns 80% of the global wealth. The bottom 50% of the population owns less than 2% of the global wealth. It’s simply because we give some much of our power, our attention, money, time, and freedom to these ultra wealthy people.I do not think this is fair, and by limiting your exposure to overconsumption and overabundance, you actually set yourself free from this inequality. You have more time and space to take care of your finances, more energy to build a business or work on your career, more time for family and friends and more time to spend on things that you love to do.
Taking Personal Responsibility
I do not think it is very likely that the government will set restrictions for overconsumption or wealth inequality, so you have to take action yourself. Luckily, humans can adapt very quickly, and you can get used to limitations pretty easily. After that, you will start to feel better, less stressful, more open and live a more peaceful life. Clearly something has to change. It is not healthy to live in such an overabundance. But you can take control over it, by limiting your exposure to these things. By becoming more aware of what you truly want, and what you rather want to avoid.
The Power of Limitations
It is insane how much more creativity, focus and clarity you get when you set boundaries. Limitation is the best resource for it. It is also more peaceful and vibrant. You will feel much more alive when you limit yourself and avoid overabundance. Think of it like being a musician. If you play too much notes during a song, it will sound chaotic or overwhelming. When you limit yourself to playing three or four different notes, you will create more space and sound more pleasant to the ears. Setting boundaries does not mean that you quit social media or shopping altogether. It just means that you take care of your energy, stress, focus and creativity better.
My Results After Two Months
I have been using a dumbphone app for about two months now, and I have been more conscious of what I consume. So far I can say that it has definitely made some improvements to my life. I noticed that I procrastinate a lot less. Cancelling cable tv is another big thing. Right now the commercials you see on television are just as long as the tv programs.
Try watching television with intention, like only watching a movie or series on Netflix when you know what you want to watch. When I want to do something now, I just do it, because I won’t get distracted very easily. I have also started improving my saving and investing habits, and I am more aware of the things that I buy.
If it has no additional value to my life, then I will not buy it. Every time I save or invest money instead of spending it, I create more freedom.
Lifestyle Design Through Minimalism
I think minimalism and setting limitations has a lot to do with lifestyle design. You decide how you want to live your life, how to take care of your mental and physical health and how you can optimize your environment for the things that you want to achieve.
Practical Steps to Get Started
If you want to experience more real moments, where you are fully present without being distracted, try setting some boundaries this week. Start with the things that have the most impact on your life. Notice when you feel stressed during the day or have low energy levels.
Identify moments when you procrastinate or have trouble with focusing, and figure out the reason for it. It could be your phone habits, gaming, eating junk food, watching tv, listening to music without intention, impulse shopping, you name it. When you identified the problem that you have, try coming up with solutions.
If you game too much for instance, try to game only with some friends. If you listen to music without intention, try enjoying the silence more and do some breath work instead. When you consume too much content, delete the apps that distract you, and try to go for a walk, write in your journal, or draw a sketch.
Embracing Boredom and Alternative Activities
There are so many things you can do in life that are fun, and you can do them just fine without your phone. When you set boundaries, you can come up with so many activities to do, things that you have delayed for way too long. Sometimes you might get bored, but being bored is good. It enables you to think more creatively.
Closing Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Let me know about your experience with this. I am interested to learn about your approach for more real moments, without distractions.
If you want to read more articles like this one, check out Remove Yourself from the Noise: Find Peace and Clarity in a Distracted World
Check out my Youtube channel where I talk about these subjects in a peaceful way.
Have a great day,
Mart Bergsma
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