We all live in an ever-transforming digital world where everyone is connected to technology in one way or the other. When I say connected to technology, there is a great proportion of people who are addicted to the same. For those who are addicted, here come’s Digital Fasting or Unplugging. It is a voluntary process where you stop using your technology for a stipulated amount of time. You unplug or disconnect all of your devices from the internet like your computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. It all depends on your relationship with your devices, as many people decide to do digital fasting for some hours, days, weeks, months.
Digital fast vs. Digital detox
Some people think that digital fasting and digital detox are the two same things. The truth is that there is a lot of difference between them. Digital detox refers to reduce technology use, whereas digital fasting refers to be without technology. Examples of digital detox are keeping your internet off, put your phone on silent so that no ring should distract you, turn off your notifications, etc.
Popular Ways of Digital Fasting
1. Vitamin solitude
Cal Newport tells about vitamin solitude in his book, Digital Minimalism. This vitamin solitude refers to have 7-10 minutes every day alone with your own thoughts only. You can follow this if you are fully addicted to your devices and want to start digital fasting. The important part of this type is you are trying to be alone without your technology, only with your thoughts.
2. Short fast
In the beginning, you will find it hard to stay away from your phone and laptop. So you can start following short fasts, it refers to fasting for some short time period, like for at least 12 hours a day. You should use the screen time feature on your phone. It will help you to tell how much you are using the device.
3. Weekend fast
If you are doing short fasts easily, you should try weekend fasting. In this weekend fasting, you can only use your phones and laptops for your personal use on weekends only. You have to uninstall all your social media apps for weekdays. This does not mean that the whole weekend you are fully into your digital gadgets. The weekend should be a time for catching up with your friend, family, and all. You have to re-install your social media app and scroll in your time limit.
4. Extended fasts
It is one of the most difficult and serious types of digital fasting. Most of you can do weekend fasts hardly. Less than one-fourth of people can do these extended fasts. This fast is for a month or months, or it can be more than that. After doing weekend fasts, your addiction will end up, but if you still want to go with extended fasts, it’s really appreciable. To follow this, you have to leave your daily environment. Try to go camping or stay in huts, the gateway from the city and into nature without any digital gadgets (except watch and phone for safety or emergency reasons).
The following are the benefits of digital fasts:-
1. Technology can be stressful
While you are fully addicted to digital devices, you cannot even imagine your life without your tech devices. Many research and surveys have found that the use of technology can boost up your stress. All of us have a habit of constantly checking emails, messages, and social media that accounts for most of your stress. Our stress level increases, and we start to feel uncomfortable when we are not getting the feed. America’s psychological association’s annual Stress in America survey shows that around 18% of U.S. adults cited the use of technology as a significant source of stress in their day-to-day life. Doing digital fasting will help you manage your stress better.
2. Creativity
When you are so much into the world of technology, you try and look for easy ways to do things instead of coming up with creative ways yourself. Let’s say your boss at work gave you a project and asked you to come up with a solution. Instead of brainstorming and thinking of novel solutions, the likelihood is that you will seek the help of technology. This is where you are losing our creativity as you are not giving time or zone to your mind to think and come up with great ideas. You simply search for it on the internet, copy someone’s ideas, modify it, and publish. Digital fasting will help you enhance your creativity because if you are not using any tech device, you have to do things independently. While you are fasting, you will have a lot of time, and you should try writing, painting, etc.
3. Clarity
When you are fasting, you will mainly have time for yourself. It would be best if you were alone without anyone or any digital devices. Take your personal time and think about yourself. You are not living a good life if you are not clear about yourself and not listening to yourself. Fasting will provide you clarity. You will be able to recognize what is actually going on in your mind and body.