Digital Detox

We all started off 2017 vowing to exercise more and eat less, begin a new project, or quit old habits. New year, new you, right?! But while we were all planning our next cleanse did we even consider that the most beneficial kind of detox we could try this year is a digital detox?

Last week, HSC Content Manager Sara Norris was was forced into an involuntary digital detox and it turned out to be better than any massage or cleanse she's ever tried! Read all about her thoughts and time away from screens below:

The tourism board of Yellowstone Country invited me to explore the wilderness of Montana as a writer and photographer. Being a huge fan of the outdoors I was ecstatic! Then I remembered that “wilderness” meant no phone, no internet, and no email for an entire week! It’s hard enough to imagine not having access to our phones for even a minute, much less those of us working in the world of PR and social media where our phones are our lifelines and the core of our business.

I worked tirelessly to prepare for this trip by getting ahead on projects and making sure client accounts were up to date. The night before I left town I set the away message on my email account feeling anxious as I shut down my laptop.

The next day I landed in Bozeman after a breathtakingly beautiful flight over the mountains. As we taxied to our gate I took my phone out of airplane mode. I figured this is 2017, how disconnected could I really be? I thought I’d at least have one bar of service, right? And I did…as long as I was in the airport. As soon as I left the parking lot I had ZERO cell service; not one single bar for an entire week and it was AMAZING!

My week was spent laughing harder than I had in months, snowmobiling to the peak of Two Top Mountain, watching wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, snowshoeing to thermal pools, eating delicious meals without taking a picture of them first, ziplining through the trees in Big Sky, ice climbing up a 125ft frozen waterfall in Hyalite Canyon, and being 100% present for the experience of a lifetime. My phone only left my pocket to take pictures for myself, not to share on social media.

With every passing day of my trip I came to realize just how much my phone has become less a tool of convenience and more like an anchor dragging me down. Without it, I became less anxious, less stressed, and less distracted. I was connected and engaged with the people around me. I was more aware and present during my experiences. I felt clearer headed and more creative than I had in months. I returned from my trip feeling like a new woman!

If my experience isn’t enough to get you try a digital detox for even one day, then here are just a few of the many proven reasons why you should give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?