Screen Detox

My husband and I decided to do a screen detox because we both felt a need for a change. Together we agreed to take on the challenge and it ended up being a wonderful decision. That on top of some other changes like a juice fast, creating goals, having a stretching routine, and developing a budget, we’ve really started to improve our lives.

Screen Detox with Kids

We also included our son on the screen detox. He was allowed a bit of early morning t.v. time and then nothing more. For Christmas my mom had purchased him a tablet which he loves and it has a lot of great educational games. I was noticing though that he wanted to be on the tablet frequently.  I looked at myself and my husband and began to see how we were attached to our phones and how he’s at such an age where he mimics the things we do. We weren’t setting a good example and we had to do something about it.

How We Completed a Screen Detox

We stopped using our phones for anything but keeping in contact with friends and family, listening to music or doing something business or life related, for example paying bills, buying a birthday gift, or doing productive research.

I limited the times I would text or make a call so that I would limit reaching for my phone. We both kept our phones in a general location.

We also wouldn’t use the television. No shows or movies for us. Neither of us have a tablet so that wasn’t an issue but if we did we would have set it away. In addition to the computer I would only use it for business.

We’d fill our time with more important things, like being outdoors, being productive or having family time.

Why I Chose a Screen Detox

I needed a change, for myself, my marriage, and my son. I honestly didn’t think I was as bad as I really was. I’m not big on social media, only for my blog, so I thought I was okay with my phone. The reality was that I kept reaching for it and watching mindless videos for a ridiculous amount of time. There were other productive things that could get done but I had wasted my time on my phone.

I was also using my phone to avoid feelings. If I felt sad about something, I’d whip out my phone searching for a funny video to make me laugh. Looking back at it my phone starting to take over my life, I wasn’t living my life anymore.

Day 1, Friday

It was a rainy day. I found it to be difficult and was extremely bored. I struggled to sleep at night because I was used to listening to something on my phone. Through the day I felt the urge to keep reaching for my phone. During the evening my husband taught me to play chess and we also played a few family games.

Day 2, Saturday

Saturday was also a gloomy rainy day. It made it challenging to stay off the screens. I was bored and wanted to reach for my phone often again. This night was hard to sleep as well.

Day 3, Sunday

I felt better on day three. We took a trip to a nearby city and each purchased a self improving book. I purchased  Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide to Money and my husband went with 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson. We came home and played some games as a family. Before bed, my husband and I read a chapter from our new books. It was the first time we had ever read together in bed and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  We talked about our chapters. I found it much easier to sleep this night.

Day 4, Monday

It was a sunny day and the weather was nice so we spent the day outside. It was easy to stay away from the phones and I started feeling more cheerful. I didn’t feel distracted or clouded from my screen.

Day 5, Tuesday

This was another good day. First I was productive on my blog then we had family time and spent a lot of the day outside. Throughout the week my husband and I had started to develop a new bedtime routine which involved stretching and reading. I found myself looking forward to the new routine and feeling more connected in my marriage.

Day 6, Wednesday

Yet again it was a good day. We celebrated Valentine’s Day with our son. We played some games as a family in the evening and planned for a movie night on Friday. I really started to feel like I was living life again. I didn’t feel so foggy from my phone being in my face.

Day 7, Thursday

Thursday was another rainy day. I didn’t find it as difficult as the first two rainy days. I did find myself feeling some boredom though but I more easily found other things to occupy my time.

Screen Detox Results

I found the screen detox to be especially difficult on the rainy days. At first I had trouble sleeping but then my sleep began to improve. I felt more creative and learned to play a song on my kalimba.  I am now feeling less attached to my phone. My husband and I both read at night before bed instead of scrolling YouTube. We both feel much more productive.

Initially I noticed my son asking about his tablet, mostly within the first two days. We just explained to him the importance of not being attached to a screen and why we were doing a detox. His imagination really seemed to grow and he was off making up games and playing with toys instead of asking about the tablet. We also started playing games together as a family almost daily.

Try a Screen Detox for Yourself

I highly recommend a screen detox for anyone. It created such an improvement in our lives and we still practice limited screen time and will continue to do so. I feel much happier and like I’m actually living my life instead of being sucked into watching others live theirs. If you try a screen detox let me know how yours goes, how long did you decide to do your screen detox for? Has it improved your life?

If you liked this post check out my other post 5 Bad Habits to Cut Out of Your Life.