I'm back from my digital detox!
Aloha, beauties!
tutto bene?
Wow, this one month of social media detox seems incredibly long! I feel fantastic and truly relaxed! There is so much I want to share with you about the insights and inspiration I have gained from this experience. This applies not only to the detox month, but to the entire two months of my stay here in Italy, which is slowly coming to an end. Looking back, it was a bit like an EAT, PRAY, LOVE journey that led me closer to myself, my roots, and my heart. There are so many wonderful insights that I have decided to send them to you in several emails throughout this week. Of course, they will also be filled with great goodies and inspiring exercises for you! Enjoy :)
IMMERSING YOURSELF IN SOCIAL MEDIA LEADS TO DISASSOCIATION
Do you also notice how your constantly accessible cell phone keeps pulling you out of the moment? Of course, you can also find helpful inspiration in the virtual space for what you are currently looking for or need in life. But as soon as you act out of habit and unconsciously switch to autopilot, you distance yourself from yourself. You dissociate, literally losing yourself in the infinite space of the digital universe. So much so that you can't see the beauty and signs that are right in front of you. We are all in this together and, especially in light of the digital revolution, we need to find a healthy way of dealing with electronic devices and the internet. The more often we step away from our everyday digital experience, the better we understand what it does to us. Then we can decide for ourselves whether it serves us or not and what we use when and how. Taking responsibility for this and being a role model is important, not least for the generations after us.
FASTING MEANS LETTING AN ADDICTION OR HABIT DIE
Fasting is actually a very radical form of withdrawal. From one day to the next, you deprive yourself of physical or even mental nourishment. In many religions, fasting is used as a spiritual tool to achieve purification. Consciously omitting something helps to literally starve the greedy ego-mind, to reflect on the essentials and to reconnect with oneself. The effect is tempting: you arrive at a place of deep humility and learn to better recognize and appreciate the many gifts of life . It is a holistic cleansing for body, mind, and heart. But the path to get there is arduous. I mean, let's be honest, who is eager to die? The ego is the very last thing!
WHAT WILL BE LEFT OF ME THEN?
Some people are scared by the mere idea of fasting. I didn't feel ready for the digital detox at all , as I had decided to do it very spontaneously. I had already done several therapeutic fasting cures, during which I only drank teas or juices for 7-10 days. But I had never done such a long fasting cure before, and certainly not with social media. It was scary, and that's exactly why I wanted to try it. I saw it as an opportunity to get more into the flow where I was unconsciously still standing in my own way. I was nervous, but ready for a transformative experience. Ready for new energy!
So, in order to become more present in the here and now, I dared to take a 4-week break from Instagram and Facebook.
ON DAY 1, I HAD WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS
I really noticed how I was thinking in Instagram Stories and automatically reaching for my phone: "Oh, that's nice! I could take a photo and share it in my story." But suddenly there was no purpose anymore, so I didn't take a photo. I could just sit there and enjoy the moment to the fullest. DOLCE FAR NIENTE – the sweetness of doing nothing, as they say so beautifully in Italian. I had to laugh because it was so absurd to watch myself still acting according to the old program. And it is precisely this observation that is the first step out of the old habit.
IT WAS THE BEST DECISION I'VE MADE IN YEARS!
On day 2, I wrote in my diary:
"I feel more at peace than I have in a long time! Suddenly, I have so much free time. I can focus more on my projects again and am no longer distracted or influenced by the hustle and bustle on Instagram. It's a new experience. I feel like I've really arrived in Italy and found myself. Contact with friends has a different quality. Because I'm more grateful for every meaningful conversation. I'm calmer, more focused, happier. It's 9 p.m. and I have so much more energy than on days when I was on my phone a lot!"
THE RESULTS ARE ACTUALLY NUMEROUS, BECAUSE I HAVE...
my screen time by half, from 6.5 to 3 hours a day.
more energy for everyday tasks.
my creative creativity in new directions.
2 books read, learned better Italian and and decorated my little house decorated.
a lot of time in the nature jogging, hiking, and ice bathing.
Let go from old habits and beliefs.
my inner Jane Austen —she's my queen of queens!
my Italian roots .
beautiful, new visions .
the love invited to guide me and thereby
incredibly beautiful moments manifested.
In short, I feel more alive than ever since then—and you can too!
Are you interested in using your phone more mindfully?
In my next blog post, I'll share 7 CHANGE-MAKER TIPS to help you try this out in your everyday life in a fun way!
#beyoutiful
Warm regards and have a great start to the week!
Your Annabelle