What I learned about myself when I stepped away from screens for a day.
I did it — I took a full 24-hour break from my phone, laptop, and TV (well, usually YouTube, but still). I’d love to tell you it was a magical experience, filled with creative insights and deep relaxation.
But that’s not exactly how it went.
Turns out, and I’m a little ashamed to admit this, I get bored easily when I’m alone without a screen.
It wasn’t about missing my phone — I’ve gone days without it before, and I even did a month-long social media detox with no problem.
But not having my laptop? That was a different story. No work, no video editing (which I’ve been really enjoying lately), no YouTube. I’ve recently stumbled upon a channel about life in Japan, and I find it absolutely fascinating.
Even crocheting felt weird without a TV show playing in the background. To be fair, I do watch it in French (even though it’s an American show), which makes it feel a little more intellectual.
One thing I definitely rediscovered is that I have a hard time sitting still. I always feel the need to be doing something — preferably something ‘useful’ (hello, childhood reminders from relatives to always be productive).
To illustrate:
- I went to the farmers market for coffee and flowers (which, okay, is my usual Sunday routine).
- I finally bought that plant I’d been meaning to get for ages.
- I prepped a bunch of celery for my morning juice.
- I did a 45-minute mobility workout — longer than my usual 20–30 minutes.
- I even mended a curtain that had been ripped for who knows how long.
- I read (and finished!) a non-fiction book.
- I cleaned the fridge, even though it wasn’t particularly dirty.
- I did other random chores.
And that was all before 5 PM.
I know it would have been different if I’d had a really good fiction book. If I’d been wrapped up in a great story, I probably wouldn’t have noticed time passing. But I didn’t, and that definitely made the detox feel harder.
On the bright side, I did manage to lie down for 45 minutes — an actual achievement for me.
The hardest part? After dinner. It’s like my brain is conditioned to shut down and just watch something in the evening. I was so close to turning on Disney+ and sinking into my current show… but I didn’t.
So, what’s the takeaway?
I’m glad I got so much done, and I’m happy to report that I didn’t have any social media withdrawal symptoms (despite being on Instagram much more since starting my blog). But 24 hours isn’t that long, so maybe that’s why.
What really stood out to me was my struggle to just be — without constantly doing. That’s something I want to sit with for a while.
Will I do another digital detox? Definitely.
Will I do it again next Sunday? Ehh… we’ll see.