21 Digital Detox Ideas: How You Can Unplug and What to Expect

Twenty years ago, “Digital Detox” was never in my vocabulary. Although, as an entrepreneur, my entire business has been conducted on digital devices for two decades. If that wasn’t enough, I fell into the hustle culture that the industry breeds. And I HUSTLED. My phone and iPad were practically hooked up to my veins, and the time I spent connected to a device was shocking. I answered every call, responded to every text message, attended every zoom, and watched every training. I had a nagging and underlying anxiousness. Furthermore, I could feel my phone vibrate when, in reality, it hadn’t. This was a huge red flag.

I had an addiction to my cell phone, and it was affecting my mental health. Not only that, but I wish I could say it was only work-related. So much of my “job” was spent on social media apps. I found myself following rabbit holes and what should have taken me 15 minutes, ended in an excessive amount of time, sometimes hours. Not to mention the negative effects of the blue light on my face… Aging faster? No, thanks! And the amount of time I spent scrolling was slowly destroying my daily life. Do I need to work less? Find a work-life balance? Should I change industries? How do I stop?

Addiction to Technology and Its Effects on Young Adults

It was a Tuesday night and all five of my teenagers were home, which is a rare occurrence with working teens. I managed to pull a dinner together, and we sat down…

That’s when it hit me…

All five kids were staring at their phones. I felt like I was observing someone else’s family. This can’t be my kids? How did this happen? Are we all living under the same roof, constantly connected to a mobile device, but disconnected from each other? Is this our social interaction now? Do we spend more time in the digital world and less time as a whole family? Guilt overcame me because my face was in a screen constantly, but I justified it because it was “work.”

But now I was devastated by this wake-up call and knew the negative impact of excessive technology was chipping away at my family. Immediately, I implemented new technology rules… For ALL of us.

We needed a “Digital Detox Day”

In a recent study conducted by the organization Common Sense Media, 50% of teens reported that they felt addicted to their mobile devices. A whopping 78% of the teen respondents said they check their digital devices hourly.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania recently published the first experimental research linking the use of social media sites such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram to decreased well-being. The results revealed that limiting social media use decreased symptoms of depression and loneliness.

 

Digital Detox Day

My mistake was not working hard. We were made to work. Each one of us was called to work in some capacity or another. My mistake was not implementing a few KEY habits that would have allowed me to enjoy the fruits of my labor AND safeguard my family. Let’s face it, it feels good to put our heads on the pillow at night with good exhaustion, a “WELL DONE!” feeling. So, not working is NOT the option.

And we have to be honest with where we’re at in the world… We must be on our phones. Technology isn’t going anywhere. I refuse to shelter my children and remove them from all of their apps and cell phone usage. But I knew there was a way to slowly implement new habits and ground rules to create boundaries for all of us.

Yet how?

How do we take a digital detox day? (Or what I like to call our “Unplug Day.”) I discovered two things in this season, with five teenagers and the world of smartphones.

1. None of us were resting. We were constantly addicted to our screens and never had a specific time to reset our minds, spirits, and bodies.
2. As parents, we’re still in charge and if we don’t give our teenagers tools on how to live with smartphones in a healthy way, we will lose so much more than we’re prepared to even comprehend.

We Were Made to Rest

Regardless of your faith, science has proven our physiology craves rest. Before Thomas Edison brought the light bulb to us, we slept 10 hours a night. NOW? We get an average of 6.5 hours of sleep. And our health, relationships, and businesses are suffering because of it.

What happens when we’re not rested? Studies have linked sleeplessness with irritability, anger, depression, and mental exhaustion.

We have higher suicide on college campuses due to chronic exhaustion.

“We live in a cacophonous age, swarming insects of noise and interruption buzzing about—-emails, text messages, cable news, advertisements, cell phones, meetings, wireless web connections, social media posts. We run the risk of waking up at the end of the year having accomplished little of significance, each year slipping by in a flurry of activity pointing nowhere. Leaders can—-indeed MUST—be disciplined people who create the quiet space for disciplined thought and summon the strength for disciplined action.” — Tim Collins

Why Rest?

We should be resting one day a week for not only our mental health, but our physical health, as well. Resting one day a week allows you to receive the gift of tranquility and rejuvenation that comes with 24 hours of rest, which is a good reason. There is a rhythm or a cadence to working with a healthy family lifestyle—and RESTING one day a week is the secret! Did you know your productivity doesn’t change after working 50 hours a week? So whether you’re working 50 or 70 hours, you accomplish the same.

In addition to implementing a rest day, we combined it with our detox day. Our family needed one day a week when we rested our souls and had a digital detox.

“If we do not allow for a rhythm of rest in our overly busy lives, illness becomes our sabbath—our pneumonia, our cancer, our heart attack, our accidents create sabbath for us.” — Wayne Mueller

There are so many positive changes that occur when you implement the new habit of a weekly rest day. You’ll open your eyes on Monday feeling energized, creative, and with so much clarity. We work our ASSES off five days a week and dedicate one day for household work and one day for rest.

What a REST DAY does NOT look like:

• Mowing the lawn
• Reorganizing the garage
• Cleaning out your closet
• Binge-watching Netflix
• Going to see a movie
• Cleaning the house
• Paying bills
• Answering texts
• Checking emails

21 Digital Detox Ideas for Your Rest Day

What a REST/DIGITAL DETOX DAY looks like:

1. Unplug from electronics
2. Be still
3. Get into nature
4. Go to church
5. Grab ice cream with the kids
6. Lie in a hammock
7. Go for a bike ride
8. Read a good book
9. Make love
10. Go to the beach
11. Listen to music
12. Go kayaking
13. Take the family on a picnic
14. Take a nap on the grass
15. Journal
16. Meditate
17. Take a drive
18. Listen to worship music
19. Watch the sunrise
20. Watch the sunset
21. Sit at an outside café while a band plays

Your digital detox should feel like delight, wonder, and replenishment; Like a vacation for your soul. Being in the present moment is such a rewarding experience.

Resting well is hard work. It does require some organization and planning at the beginning. And be ready for your family to hem and haw. (That’s an understatement.) My children still fight me on this, and that’s OK. I started taking the kids hiking on Sundays because I got tired of hearing them complain about being bored without their phones. And until now, our Sunday hikes are some of our favorite memories!

It also holds us, as parents, accountable for detoxing as well. If I’m going to have them unplug, I need to, too! And it forces me to spend time with my family. (Don’t judge—spending all day with five teens isn’t always a rest day for the mom…LOL!)

What to Expect From Your Digital Detox

Resting one day a week will leave you ready to SLAY the remaining six days and give you a sense of accomplishment and FULFILLMENT like you’ve never experienced! Instead of trying to remove technology from everyday life and going cold turkey, we found the best first step to begin combating your technology addiction and digital overload was a weekly break. This combined with a rest day is a great way to reduce your stress levels and connect on a deeper level with your family.

We noticed our attention spans increased, and our communication operated on a deeper level, with the ENTIRE family. The first thing you’ll notice on your unplug day, the kids will pout and have a tough time. I always picture it as addicts detoxing… it’s not fun. But within a few hours, they start talking to each other more, laughing, and encouraging each other’s creativity. I have a better relationship with my kids, which is a great thing.

Like all bad habits, it’s easy to sink back into boundary-less technology usage. However, give yourself grace and just pick back up where you left off. I promise you, it’s a fight worth fighting!

When you start intentionally resting weekly with a digital detox day, you free yourself up to do more of what matters… And that’s living a FULL LIFE—A life overflowing with an abundance of work, play, and REST!

What is your most difficult obstacle to implementing a day of unplugged rest for your family? Let’s chat about it! Subscribe below so we can continue the conversation.