Hey guys!
Welcome to the Simplify Your Life Podcast.
It's Coach Simona and I'm glad you decided
to tune in.
What's up, everyone?
In today’s podcast episode, we’re going
to talk about how to unplug from technology
and I’m going to share with you my experience
spending one day without my phone, computer,
or any other type of distraction.
Now, let’s jump right into it!
Alright, guys.
This episode won’t include any tips or strategies,
because I’m sure you know by now how to
unplug from technology, you just may not do
it as often as you want to.
This episode will be more of an introduction
to sitting in silence, being comfortable with
your thoughts, and spending more time reflecting
on your life instead of losing yourself in
what other people around the world are doing.
Here’s my story.
I’ve always been an introvert, and although
I’ve had my fair share of friendships and
networking events, there’s nothing that
I value more than the time I spend with myself
and the opportunity to recharge my batteries.
Here’s the thing, though: before our phones
turned into mini-computers, before social
media, before all the notifications and constant
buzzing, I didn’t spend that much time on
technology.
Yeah, maybe I watched a few TV series now
and then or chatted with my friends online,
but that was about it.
I didn’t find my computer as interesting
as I find it now and I only used my phone
to make calls and send texts.
But I noticed something very interesting happening
once I launched my coaching business 2 years
ago: I started spending more time on my phone
and computer.
And although I often talk about being a doer,
not a thinker, which I recently made a video
about on my YouTube channel, I still think
it’s unhealthy to work all the time.
The problem comes when everything “important”
happens on your phone or your computer, you
feel that constant nudge to check it, and
it’s easier than ever for other people to
reach you and demand a portion of your time.
If you’re a business owner or you work for
someone else but tend to bring your work home,
you need to listen carefully to the next thing
I’m about to say:
There is NO WAY you’ll be able to pull this off without getting sick
in the long run.
So, instead of ignoring the first signs of
what stress is doing to you and being proud
of the whole “hustle” culture, do something
different instead: unplug, recharge your batteries,
and come back stronger.
Are you enjoying this episode so far?
If that’s the case, you will love my new
book “111 Ways to Simplify Your Life”
where I share with you 111 ways to unplug,
recharge, declutter, become more mindful,
and find out who you were before everyone
else told you who you should be.
Get your copy now at
coachsimona.com/book
Now, back to the episode!
Alright, we all know the benefits from unplugging
from technology, but here’s the part you’ve
probably been most curious about: what did
I do with my day completely offline,
without distractions and technology.
Interestingly enough, I found out that my
daily meditation habits were not enough to
calm down my mind.
Meditating helps for 30 minutes or 1 hour,
but our minds are wired to assess every situation,
put labels, and have inner commentary.
If you’re struggling with bad inner voices,
check out my video on how to silence the inner
critic.
I will link it below.
So, in addition to meditation, I became more
mindful of the present moment.
You see, when you have no technology allowed
in your day, you start to reconnect with yourself
on a deeper level.
I actually found out that I became more aware of my
thoughts throughout the day, I paid attention
to the sensations in my body, and I felt generally calmer
and more relaxed.
I chose to spend this day predominantly in
silence.
I drafted this podcast episode, read a few
pages of one of my favorite books
"Tools of Titans" by Tim Ferriss, journaled a little
bit, and had more clarity on this new project
I’ve been working on.
Did I feel bored?
No, not really.
Our minds are highly adaptable: if we give
them the opportunity to find something interesting
and entertaining while doing this dopamine
detox, they will surprise us.
I actually found myself doodling which is something
I haven’t done in a while.
I had more energy to do things around the
house.
I did my laundry, I spent about 30 minutes
just looking through the window and enjoying
the beautiful view.
I felt so much joy, but not that type of ecstatic
high that you briefly feel when you watch
your favorite show or you’re waiting for
a text from someone you have a crush on.
That was a different type of joy.
A quiet joy.
Don’t get me wrong: working is fun, working
is important, working can be extremely fulfilling
especially if you’re an entrepreneur.
But working needs to have a beginning and
an end.
Just like a movie I recently watched, called:
“Endings, beginnings”.
The idea was as old as time but I really enjoyed
it: every ending leads to a new beginning.
And every new beginning comes from something
else ending.
Now, here’s something I’ve never shared
before.
I’m new to Chinese herbal medicine, but
it’s something I’ve been researching in
the past few days, and I’m interested to
find out more before I share my opinion on it.
But there’s a concept you’re probably
familiar with: the yin and yang energy, the
feminine and masculine part of us.
Technology makes us reactive, constantly on
the go, whether we’re working, watching
something, or chatting with friends - we’re
active, we’re doing, we’re in our yang
energy, the masculine.
What we often forget is that if we want to
be happy and healthy in the long run, we need
to know how to be in our feminine.
We need to learn how to let go, how to sit
in silence, how to slow down.
That’s what yin energy is all about: going
with the flow in life.
I started researching all of these things
because every time I burn out, I have problems
sleeping and feel extremely hot.
That’s the excess of yang energy, the masculine
part of us.
Yin energy is all about cooling down, sleeping
more, relaxing.
And while that sounds like a wonderful thing,
too much of yin energy is also not good for
us.
We can feel a bit lethargic, not able to set
goals and achieve them, and generally not
operate very well in a world where you need
to know how to stand up for yourself and set
boundaries.
So, what is my key takeaway from this experiment?
If you don’t unplug from technology once
in a while and connect with the real world,
the one you can actually touch, feel, smell,
and live in, you will lose one very special
connection: the one with yourself.
You’ll be constantly comparing yourself
to others, competing with them, or wasting
your time watching shows that are creating
other worlds to escape from the one you’re
actually in.
We won’t live forever.
And one day, we will regret all the time we
spent scrolling on Instagram or binging random
videos on YouTube.
This is your chance to do something good for
yourself.
Unplug from technology just for a day.
Reconnect with yourself and you’ll no longer
feel the need to escape from yourself.
Let me know in the comments below if you’re
going to try to unplug from technology
or share your experience if you’ve done it before.
How did it feel and what did you do with your
time?
Thank you so much for listening!
If you found this episode helpful, please
like it.
And subscribe to my channel if you don't want
to miss out on my weekly podcast episodes.
I love you guys and I'll talk to you in the
next one.
Bye!
