Why did I do it?
Lately I felt like my mind was never stimulated by what I was doing. There were situations where I was watching a show on Netflix, playing with my Nintendo Switch and was also texting with a friend all at the same time. I felt like I could not focus on one thing at a time anymore without getting bored very quickly, although the activity itself should be enjoyable for me.I would always grab my phone to check my texts and my Instagram feed, while I was trying to be productive or even when I was cooking or eating. This behaviour didn't feel normal to me anymore and I was very annoyed that it seemed like I didn't have enough self-control to stick to one action.
So I just hoped that without being confronted by this information overload, my mind would be able to see the satisfaction in the small things again and that I would be more mindful after this 24-hour Dopamine Fast.
Is this really needed?
I was confronted with this question right when I started doing research about it and I was shoked that there were so many critical views on this concept. I definitely understand that from a scientific point of view, the control we have about our own Dopamine Level might be very small and so using the term Dopamine Fast/Detox for this experiment can be seen quite controversial.Furthermore this trend is dicussed a lot because for adults and experts it just seems like a simple vacation or a plug-off from our devices for a certain time. From my perspective there was never a day, where I was not using any technology in the last 6-10 years. I think our generation has become so addicted and used to always being online and distracted by something in the last couple of years, that going without any distractions of that kind will eventually change something for your mind already.
In conclusion I understand why many people don't see the need for themselves in doing a Detox like this and this is great, but a lot of people my age lost complete control over their consumption of Social Media, YouTube, Netlix etc. so there are barely any moments without distractions and for youself to face your own thoughts and for that matter I think it's definitely worth giving this concept a try.
How did it go?
I woke up without an alarm at 7:30 AM and read in bed for about 30 minutes. Afterwards I changed into workout clothes to set the right intentions for my day.
I sat down at my desk and took five minutes to write down a few things I am grateful for at this exact moment before I went downstairs to work out.
My workout was about one hour long and since I had a plan to follow it was not boring at all. (I wrote down the exercises and reps on a piece of paper) In general I felt like I could concentrate on the mind-muscle connection way better than usually because there were no distractions.
After showering I sat down in front of the window and meditated for 10 minutes and it was the best meditation I've ever had although it was the first non-guided one that I did in my life. I could really feel my body and mind releasing and the time went by so fast.
I went for a walk with my mom, so it wasn't a big deal to be without music or podcasts and it was very enjoyable.
Although the day was supposed to go by rather slow I felt like time was flying because I prepared a list of things that I could do when I feel bored, so I spent my afternoon with journaling, writing, reading and dinner preparations.
In the evening I took some time to strech myself, tidy up my room and read, so this was a perfect, slow ending of this very special day for me.
What has changed since the Detox?
So the first 2-3 days after the 'non-digital' day I was very mindful in my actions and I continued doing only one thing at a time because I recognized that I could not deal with 2 or more parallel activities anymore. But that was only the case in those first few days and after that I caught myself again in the same situations where I was constantly looking for things that would keep me distracted.
I would still say that the overall experience was great and also sucessful in some way because I now know a way to cool my mind down a little and be more conscious of my actions.
I want to plan in days or hours into my days without my phone/laptop/social media in the future again because it definitely boosts my productivity, mindfullness and creativity.
Alina
