In a nutshell: You might not realize it, but today is National Day of Unplugging, a movement in which we're encouraged to take a 24-hour break from technology and connect with ourselves, loved ones, and communities. But for many people, it's easier said than done.
Most of us rely on technology these days, particularly when it comes to work. In many professions, disconnecting from all devices is an impossibility. And even if your job is possible without a computer, people rely on their phones, laptops, etc. when outside of working hours.
According to The National Day of Unplugging, we miss out on the important moments of our lives as we spend hours with our noses buried in devices. Instead of playing on a smartphone, it suggests reading a book, meditating, and taking some quality you time. It also suggests hosting an unplugged event, where participants can put their handsets in a "cell phone sleeping bag." The website states that 112,000 people have already joined the movement.
While completely disconnecting for a day might be infeasible for most, cutting back on our online time could be beneficial. There have been numerous studies showing how using social media sites, especially Facebook, have been linked to anxiety, loneliness, addiction, and depression. I once tried deleting all my social media accounts for three weeks as an experiment, and at times it felt like coming off heroin (I also went back to them all).
A day without having to deal with depressing news, multiple notifications, low-battery anxiety, and annoying Facebook posts might sound good, but it's unlikely that many people will disconnect for 24 hours. Could you do it, and if so, would you actually want to?