My thumb reaches for my phone before I even notice. The screen lights up, and I am pulled into it. Not because I need something urgent, but because it has become a habit. It fills the gaps in my day without me asking it to.
For me, it is mostly LinkedIn. I do not really use Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. It is just this one app I open again and again. Sometimes it is for a quick look. Sometimes it is just to pass time. But lately, I can feel that it is adding noise to my mind.
I have started noticing how I feel after I log in. My thoughts feel busy. My attention feels scattered. Even if I did not read anything negative, I still feel slightly restless. Like my brain has been “on” for too long.
News is another thing that pulls me in. I read one headline, then another, and suddenly I am carrying stories I cannot fix. And when I feel that tension, I often reach for my phone again, hoping it will help me calm down, but it usually does the opposite.
The hardest part is free time. When the day becomes quiet, memories come in. Especially memories of people I have lost. Grief shows up in small ways, with memories of who you have lost. And when it shows up, my first instinct is to distract myself by scrolling.
But scrolling does not really help. It only delays what I am feeling. And later, I feel tired and full, like I have consumed too much without getting what I actually needed.
So I am choosing a digital detox just because I want my mind to feel lighter. I want more quiet in my day.
For me, the detox is simple. I am choosing to stay away from logging into LinkedIn. I do not know for how long. I am not setting a strict number of days. I just want to see how it feels when I stop reaching for it. Let us see for how long.
I am also trying a few small boundaries. I do not check my phone right after waking up. I avoid scrolling at night. I turn off notifications that are not important. I keep a small time window if I do read the news, so it does not take over my whole day.
When I feel the urge to open the app, I am trying to pause and ask myself one simple question. What am I actually looking for right now. Comfort. Connection. Distraction. Relief.
If I need comfort, I make tea. If I need connection, I message someone. If I feel anxious, I take a short walk. If I feel grief, I sit with it for a minute instead of running from it.
This is not about being perfect. It is about being present. It is about giving myself space to breathe and feel without adding more noise. I am not disconnecting from life. I am trying to come back to it. Slowly, gently, and in a way that feels real. I hope you give yourself permission to do the same, even if it is just for a day.