Digital Detox

I left the Los Angeles area and went to a wedding this weekend (a fabulous one) and am amazed at how rejuvenated I feel. My wife and I were both commenting that, despite the bit of running around to get ready for the trip, the long drive to the San Luis Obispo area, and doing so with a young child, etc., we both felt fantastic by the time everything was over. Being away from our devices was surely part of the reason why we felt so refreshed. I personally left my laptop at home and when my phone died Saturday I didn’t recharge it until late Sunday night (Gasp!). So often I mentally “get away” by reading the latest news, one of my five unfinished books, or tweeting to people who mostly don’t respond. Typically, interacting on social media gives me less anxiety than communicating with others in the outside world, but being around great family and friends this past weekend was the cause of my feeling reengerized and relaxed. Usually social settings leave me feeling drained, but because of school burnout and needing a break from using my brain solely for academics, being around people is what I find I am needing to regain my sense of self. It’s nice to know there is more than one way for me to get away: actually getting away, and with the people I care about.