Disconnection is the New Celebration

On By AdityaIn Life

One of my favorite authors recently tweeted about celebrating his birthday in the mountains, with NO INTERNET ACCESS.

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Among the hundreds of birthday wish comments, there were also people who “wished” to do the same for themselves and simply disconnect for some time. This simple wish raises an important question:

Why should our existence become questionable at the prospect of not having any connectivity?

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find solitude in an always-connected world, where our minds pay more attention to outside noise as opposed to reflecting on ourselves. This has given birth to a new phobia named Nomophobia – NOMObilePhobia, or a fear of being without cellphones. It may sound trivial, but this has resulted in unwanted consequences on our lifestyles. I know you are secretly agreeing to having this problem or know somebody who is facing this, which is why it is important to understand the implications of this addiction:

1.  MENTAL CLEANSE

Unplug, power down, go off the grid – call it anything you want, but this simple act is your way to cleanse your mind. 33% of people have admitted to feeling dissatisfied with their lives after visiting Facebook. There are countless reasons for feelings of envy, anxiety, loneliness or depression that are a by product of social media, and unplugging for some time can provide the necessary mental cleanse our constant mind chattering requires. Here’s a starting point : Don’t carry your phone to your yoga class!

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Source: EndNomophobia.com

2.  LIFE IS HERE AND NOW

Picture yourself at the top of the Eiffel Tower and not having a cell phone or internet to update your location status. Did Paris disappear or your world come crashing down? The constant urge to publicize trivial details of our lives followed by unending anticipation for validation has obscured life’s reality. Disconnect in order to cherish the beauty life has to offer, only seeking validation in the form of moments that take your breath away!

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3.  NOMO(re) FOMO

FOMO – Fear of Missing Out is an emerging psychological disorder where a person has a constant feeling of being left out. With ceaseless notifications from social media, from friends vacationing to parties to family gatherings, the uneasiness emerging from our online presence has successfully infused our brains with more fear. It’s time to recognize the negative impact and find contentment in our present space.

Quit aspiring to live someone else’s life and start your journey to make your life more fulfilling!

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4.  REMEMBER YOUR REAL FRIENDS?

Remember how you would shout your lungs out to call your friends to play your favorite game? Now even before you answer a call from one of your friends, you have a hundred questions about the reasons for the call. The caller ID allows you to question the conversation before even having one! When did those endless conversations turn to short text messages, leaving no room for sharing true emotions or feelings?

It’s time you quit having those deep conversations in your head and pick up the phone and call your real friend. No, don’t text before you make the call asking for permission. JUST CALL! 

"These voices in your head...I'm going to have to bill you for them as well."

5.  SAY GOODBYE TO CONSUMERISM

Most often when you are online, you are essentially consuming something – whether you are watching a video, playing a game, reading the news or even shopping online. While this has become the primary mode of entertainment and acquiring information, we find ourselves to be consuming more as opposed to creating. Less number of hours are spent in order to offer solutions to problems and having a strict disconnection regime can provide valuable time towards creating real solutions.

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Am I saying you need to delete all your accounts and go ninja with your digital footprint? No way! We live in the age of technology and its important to accept it as a part of our lives. However, we are certainly losing the ability to draw a line between our real and virtual lives, while our virtual lives slowly and creepily take over our existence.

Like Paulo Coelho, let’s learn to Celebrate the reality of Life through Disconnection once in a while. Not just on birthdays, maybe once every week, but take a pledge to cherish your life for what it really is.

I hope this post touched upon an issue we tend to ignore. In one of my previous posts – A Mind in Chains – Preventing Social Media Addiction, I have also talked about various ways to avoid this addiction. If you have some great ideas or stories worth sharing, please share them in your comments. I look forward to hearing from you all!

Carpe Diem!

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34 thoughts on “Disconnection is the New Celebration”

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  7. UnplugCF

    Digital detoxing! It’s a brilliant habit to get into. Too easily do we fall into the habit of living our lives through our phones! Thank you for such a thought provoking piece. We will share this with our readers.

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  8. Rumi Mahanta Dutta

    Life without a cell phone is impossible for today’s youth, but I miss those old days specially my school days when internet was not discovered… We enjoyed those days fully.

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. luciwest

    Great article! It’s right up my alley and very inspiring. As a matter of fact, I’m planning on posting something about disconnecting when heading out into nature soon for my Happier Place website. At that point, I might like to quote your post, if you don’t mind.
    xx Luci

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  10. Wow I didn’t know about a lot of this, especially FOMO. I think I tend to get that a lot. Wish I had the courage to go a day without my phone and connectivity but I think it would make me anxious x

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  11. I like this concept so much. True that connectivity is healthy too but we must always find a balance. We must also connect with our inner selves, and disconnecting from the outside world gives us the chance to listen to out thoughts better, and refresh 🤗 thank you for this!💖

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  12. Like this concept! I’ve done a digital detox of two weeks this summer (went camping so I couldn’t be tempted). By the end, I was ready to kill someone. We do have to disconnect sometimes but internet has also turned into one of our base needs…

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  17. Fatima D Torres

    I was just chatting about this with a friend and how liberating it feels to dedicate time to just being quiet and alone. It really does help with clearing your mind.

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  20. Brit Strawbridge

    Disconnecting is so important! My husband and I have done little things to help us disconnect like leaving our phones out of the bedroom, or putting them away when we are playing with the kids.

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  27. Kay

    Great Topic… I will try this one tooo… LOL… now i understand why someone wants to be alone sometimes far from everyone, and social media.

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