The joy of a digital detox

Hey, did you miss me?! Quite possibly not, and I have to admit it’s been lovely to have a ‘proper’ holiday these past two weeks. 

Last week we headed to Lake Garda, Italy, as a family, for some much needed RnR and I guess a little family ‘babymoon’ before number 3 arrives next month. The weather wasn’t amazing apart from 2 days of glorious sun, but it was SO nice to unwind a little, properly play and hang out with the children, and get away from the humdrum of day-to-day routine. 

Whilst I’ve got a couple of posts coming all about our trip to Lake Garda with Eurocamp, I think the thing that has been at the forefront of my mind has been the joy of a digital detox and what pleasure it was whilst we were away. 

Sporadic wifi. 

The feeling of not HAVING to get back to anyone instantly.

No constant buzz of social media in the background (however much I usually love it!).

Being REALLY present around the children, chatting, perfecting card games. 

Not getting sucked into the “just give me one minute” spiel when responding to an email that, frankly, really isn’t that important.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never felt that guilty about using my phone as a parent as I feel confident that we do bloody loads for our kids, and it doesn’t hurt them to actually wait just a minute sometimes. But I was more surprised in the difference not having my phone attached to me (or even turned on some days) made to me. 

Quelle surprise I felt calmer, less wired, read more books and I dunno, cared less about all the waffle in my phone, so much of which is just noise and isn’t necessary. Ironic, you may say, as bloggers can be the worst at contributing to this noise, but I think it’s made me want to be more selective now.

One evening when the weather was crap, the kids were in bed, and Adam was catching up with some football on his (working) phone, I literally sat there, tired out from a lovely day walking and biking with the children, and stared into space.

For 30 minutes.

And it was heaven!

My mind felt like it was really letting go of working, online life, house move and renovation stuff, admin bollocks…for the first time in ages.

So on my return I unsubscribed from blogs/pages/people who in the nicest way possible don’t float my boat, and choosing when and how I read stuff. I’ve decided to go kinda cold turkey on my phone- deleting my FB app (eek!) to prevent mindless flicking through news feeds, and also leaving my phone upstairs more when I’m pottering away downstairs. 

I absolutely love working in blogging and digital marketing, but like many things can become all-consuming, so I think having a breather every now and again from it all can be soothing for the soul. 

Doing nothing can be good, and I fully intend to enjoy doing more of nothing in the run up to baby number 3’s arrival next month. 

What about you? Are you in need of a digital detox or do you think you have a good balance? I’d love to hear your tips about how you unwind, or what your favourite ‘nothing’ activity is!

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.