Back in town – social media or specifically the world wide web being the metaphorical town! I don’t usually post too much about my personal reflections on this platform. Not having instant or reliable access to the internet gave me some real insight into myself. Below are a few things I learned.
- How much I rely on the internet for work. My inner perfectionist went on a wild run, causing anxiety and havoc. I wanted and needed to connect, listen and understand my clients without being disrupted by tech issues. Luckily, it was successful.
- How much I crave connection with family and friends. I spent the first 15 years of my life where we didn’t have an instant connection at our fingertips. My dad lived abroad. My sister and I would wait by the phone every Sunday evening for his weekly call. Yet I found myself craving that instant connection, the dopamine hit, the instant validation.
- How much I watch my phone and not the world. Previously to this period, I would not say I was a person to spend a great deal of time on my phone for entertainment purposes. Yet, I love Netflix, Spotify, Prime video. I felt a void not having those apps. I realised I used Spotify every day, multiple times a day. Not having these things allowed me to appreciate silence and how much creativity is born from a still focussed mind.
- More interestingly, I learned how much I love to learn and grow. I use the internet so much for learning and personal development. I love podcasts such as Brene Brown, The diary of a CEO, Deliciously Ella, Russell Brand and Happy Place. I read so much more research, literature, blogs than I had previously thought. Not having access to this made me feel stagnated, yet it was only a week of my life!
These offline weeks made me realise I never actually slow down and pay attention to myself and my behaviour. Not long enough to make conscious observations about how much I use the internet anyway.
How about you? If you had to live without the internet, what would you miss?
