The Promise of Unplugging

By Sara Harvey Yao. 

On September 30, 2014, Todd and I had the pleasure of talking to Sara Harvey Yao, a Leadership Consultant in the greater Seattle area, about the notion of getting present.  It’s not just important for business, but it’s also important when you want a good experience with the family!  Read her blog post on unplugging from devises and the affects it has on the ‘ol nerves until we “get present” again.  Enjoy!   

THE PROMISE OF UNPLUGGING

The sea turtle that visited us on the beach in Hawaii.

I regularly talk about the role the technology plays in our ability to be present and I put myself to the test to see if I could really walk my talk on our recent nine-day vacation to Maui.  Before the vacation I announced to my family I was going to “unplug” from technology while on vacation and they were supportive, albeit skeptical that I would actually do it.  Upon my arrival to our condo I put my laptop in the desk drawer, turned off my email and texting on my phone and put it on silent.

For a moment I felt liberated, slightly smug with myself and was distracted by the beautiful view from our oceanfront condo.  That lasted for about an hour and then I started feeling anxious.  I noticed my heart was beating faster than normal and I couldn’t sit still.  My mind was being infiltrated by what I might be missing and in general, I felt “twitchy”.  Luckily I knew what was going on – like an addict, I was “coming off” of technology.

I’ve read tons of studies about how the intermittent stimulus of checking email and surfing the web gives our brain a hit of the feel-good chemical dopamine and how addictive it is.  It’s one thing to intellectually know coming off of technology is hard, but it’s a whole other thing to actually try it.  My reaction to coming off technology was so surprising to me is because I consider myself a “moderate user” of technology.  I have decent technology boundaries, like leaving my phone downstairs when I go to bed, not using it during family time, and putting it on silent for most of the weekend.  In my mind, I wasn’t supposed to be feeling this much withdrawal from technology.

After about two days of on and off anxiety, I settled down and really relaxed.  I read three books (that had nothing to do with work), swam in the ocean, and had nightly Uno tournaments with my kids.  When my system finally shifted from “doing” to “being” a series of truly magical experiences occurred.  We saw a spontaneous whale show while relaxing on the lanai, a pod of dolphins came to play with the small boat we were on, and a sea turtle came out of the water, walked up to us and hung out three feet from us on the beach.  As a family we noticed the small things like gecko eggs, beautiful flowers, and cloud shapes.  I felt more joy and experienced a deeper sense of love for each member of my family and for life in general.   I had more clarity, direction, and realizations about my work and life than I’ve had in some time and my husband reported the same thing.  

I can’t promise everyone will experience the almost surreal joy we felt on vacation, but here are some things you can expect from unplugging:

• Anxiety:  No matter if you’re simply slowing down for a few hours or unplugging for nine-day vacations, you will initially feel some anxiety.  No need to be alarmed, this is an important part of the process and it will pass in time as your brain shifts its neuro-pathways back to its “pre-technology” ways.

• Enhanced Senses:  Science has proven our senses are dulled by technology, and when you unplug, your system’s senses can and will return to their natural state.  You will feel, hear, see, and taste things with more vividness.

• Clarity: As a result of unplugging, you will be more connected to your gut sense.  That clarity can propel you to take productive action once you’re home.

• Rest:  You may likely sleep better when your brain is off its technology high, but even if you don’t, there is an inherent level of rest you will enjoy.

I’ve been back from vacation for more than a week, and back to using my all my devices as I was before vacation, but the clarity and rest I experienced is still very alive.  Believe it or not, as I returned from my vacation and moved through my email, there wasn’t a single message or Facebook post I missed that outweighed the joy of truly resting.