My blogging journey took off when my family and I took on the challenge of living a healthier life. I have become a health guru from writing for medical companies like Liberty Medical. You can also check out my blog at Carrots Over Cake for other health and family tips!

“Disconnect to Reconnect”

Reasons to Unplug from Technology as a Family

As it has been successful in creeping up and finding itself a permanent spot among my family, technology has managed to bewitch each of us – mind, body, and soul.  It’s unfortunate that I, like so many of you, have been made a victim to the digital and technological world.  Staying constantly plugged in to the world around me has proven to negatively and positively impact my life.  As a wife, a mom, and a freelance writer, I have come to realize that I was missing out on significant life events happening within my family. 

As an experiment, we decided as a family to make a drastic change in our household – unplug from technology.  Although outrageous to some of you reading this, we were able to disconnect for two months by implementing strict rules that were within reason.  Challenging at first, I want to share with you the reasons why we decided to unplug as a family, what methods we used to help our transition, and what we positive benefits we experienced as we disconnected from technology and reconnected with each other.

Reasons to Unplug from Technology

Although we understood that technology is incredibly useful and convenient in our lives, its constant presence in my family’s life made it difficult to function without it.  Here are the reasons why my family decided to unplug from technology:

·        No Human Interaction: Each of us was constantly checking, texting, or using our electronic devices while in mid conversation with each other.  We no longer had face-to-face conversations, nor did we interact with each other anymore.  The development of social media replaced our verbal discussions and turned them into cyber attacks.  We no longer felt the need to talk to or interact with one another in person.

·        No Physical Activity:Thanks to our great entertainment system, family dinner consisted of us eating around the TV, watching the latest episode of a TV series, in silence.  We no longer played with each other outside, or spent time in the park playing with the dog like we used to.  We were getting lazy, and we were beginning to forget what it meant to be physically active.

·       Development of Negative Attitudes:  The more immersed we became in our technology, the more we began developing anti-social behaviors.  I didn’t understand why the number of phone calls from the principal of my children’s school was increasing, or why my husband and I were constantly fighting with each other.  Each member of my family used technology as an escape route to avoid dealing with our feelings – and each of us began developing negative attitudes and behaviors.

Methods to Help Unplug

As a mother and wife in today’s digital world, I found it to be extremely difficult to maintain a healthy connection with my family.  To help us disconnect from technology and rebuild our relationships, we implemented the following methods as a means to reconnect with each other.

·       Strict House Rules: Creating a list of rules and visibly displaying them through the house makes the initial transition of unplugging easier.  Having a constant reminder that cell phones were not to be used for talking or texting until after homework assignments were completed; or work related calls were no longer allowed to be accepted after office hours.  The use of all social media accounts were deactivated immediately.  These constant reminders were helpful and necessary for my family.  Television, video game consoles, and portable electronic devices were not allowed to be used during school days, and were only allowed to be used after sunset on the weekends.

·       Limited Access: Limiting access to electronic devices, internet usage, television watching, and game consoles proved to be one of the best approaches to help unplug my family from technology.  Initially downgrading our cable channels, we removed multiple monitors and relocated them to a single room – the entertainment room – as a means to reinforce family time.  By limiting access to the use of technology, my family and I were forced to find other outlets to consume our time and entertain us.

·       Techno-free Vacation: Whether it was for a day, a weekend, or an actual vacation, one of the best ways to help unplug from technology is to spend time together and leave the technology behind.  We spent our time in parks, at beaches, and being active, uninterrupted by distracting noises and notifications.

·       Face to Face Introductions:  Realizing how much time my children spent on the phone talking and texting their friends, I wanted to know who they were.  By removing their mode of communication, I suggested that their friends come over for dinner.  This is a great way for you to interact with the individuals playing a role in your child’s life.

Positive Benefits of Digitally Detoxing

For a long time I had become oblivious to how much time my family spent buried in technology.  By removing or unplugging ourselves from the unhealthy and addiction-fueled influence, the methods we chose to incorporate into our lives proved to restore and reconnect us to each other.

·       Refocusing Relationships: Digitally detoxing from technology helps you to refocus and re-evaluate who is really important in your life.  Instead of freely expressing and communicating your true emotions through social media forms, interacting with people face-to-face helps you in social situations to solve problems.

·       Remembering to Appreciate the “Now”: Recognize that technology speeds up time and is relative to your individualized state of motion.  Therefore, learning how to unplug from technology provides you with tranquility, stillness, and a moment to appreciate the moment.  Without technology’s strong influence over your life, you’re able to remove yourself (and your family) from that environment to restore your sense of independence and embrace the “now.”

After two months of digital detoxing, my family’s addiction to our usage of technology has significantly decreased.  Instead of depending on it like we used to, we have learned the valuable lesson of when to use it, when to turn it off, and how.  No longer are we compelled to share every movement or comment on the statuses of others because we no longer feel the nagging pressure to prove we’re relevant in the digital world.  Connecting, nurturing, and interacting with people on a personal level has been the most beneficial lesson learned since reactivating and reconnecting to the technological world again.

Like a well-balanced diet, the use of technology in your family and life, should be used to help manage and organize it – not control it.  The best advice I can give you as you and your family move forward in the modern world is to try digitally detoxing.  Not only will you promote and encourage the use of your imagination, you’ll be able to further solidify and transcend the relationships you want on an emotional, physical, and spiritual depth.