9 Days Without Internet or Cell Service
How I came to understand my social media addiction and what I did about it.
It was four days before I felt well rested.
It was seven days before I heard my own voice.
It was nine days before I accepted that I had a social media addiction.
Over the holidays, I intentionally spent nine days at a cabin in a secluded part of Tennessee where I had no access to internet or cell service. All I had with me were my dog, two cats, and lots of books.
I let myself read when I wanted, eat when I wanted and sleep when I wanted. While there were digital clocks brightly alerting me to the time of day, I paid them no heed. I listened to the wisdom of my body (my Nudge, for those of you familiar with Rebel Hugger) and finally after four days, I no longer felt sluggish. I felt physically well-rested and energetic. I began going for 3 mile hikes with my chihuahua up the mountain in the cabin’s backyard.
My mind and soul still needed rest. I spent the next few days building campfires outside and wood stove fires inside. I read. I played solitaire. I took more naps. I took drives through the valley near Pigeon Forge.
Did I ever feel bored. No.
I was too mindfully and soulfully tired to feel bored. The rest felt good. It felt right. I was eager for boredom to arrive.
Going into day 7, my mind started daydreaming about a time in the future when I have the relationship I want, the house I want, the life I want. I didn’t have to make plans to sit with a list of questions to prompt my mind to come up with this scenario. It was organic, it flowed from the well-rested space of my mind.
I welcomed the daydream as a long-lost friend. “Ah, there you are, my friend. I was afraid I’d lost you for good. Welcome back.” I smiled and settled in to my daydream, letting myself get lost in my imagination.
On day 9 I was ready to head home and while I wasn’t consciously aware of it, my soul hadn’t quite found its rest the way my mind and body had. Instead I heard a plea. One that the Nudge had been recommending for years. “Stay off social media. Please stay off it.” she asked.