Quitting the Internet to find answers

Sign indicating a no internet zone. More and more leisure accommodation offer no wifi to help people reconnect with themselves and find answers

No social media.

Complete isolation.

Just me and introspection.

Let’s quit the Internet to find answers

The goal of this experiment, is to reduce constant external stimuli to discover truths about myself. With the internet, we are bombarded by information and content, killing any focus or productive thoughts. We become completely passive, it kills our creativity and it disconnects us from ourselves. Who do I aspire to be ? What are my goals in life ? What do I truly need to be happy in life ? Only through introspection can we find the answers, and sadly, technology and marketing are taking that away from us.

In times of anxiety, during depressive episodes or at times where we are completely disconnected from ourselves, social media and internet detox are a great solution to find answers.

I have done a social media detox in October 2023. For a whole week, I didn’t open any social media apps, watch TV shows or movies. However, I still watched videos when eating (twice a day). I also used YouTube to study web development and SEO at the time. I reduced to a maximum my interactions, I stayed alone and didn’t message anyone the whole week. 

That week was quite easy to go through. I wasn’t bored since I could still read books and study, I also love being alone so I didn’t feel lonely at all. 

But, that being said, I think I could have tried harder in retrospection, especially in regard to watching videos while eating. Because of the situation I find myself in this month, I want to do a new upgraded digital detox for a week. I want to see how I cope this time. 

Context

I am currently in an accommodation where there is no wifi (and no TV but I don’t watch it anyway so it doesn’t count). I’m in Sweden, where I know absolutely no one and people don’t try to talk to you. For the first week I have been in this cottage, I have updated the introverted-peaces’s social media accounts. I kept in touch with friends and family, and I have watched (too) many YouTube videos.

However, my roaming data is coming to an end ! And I am depending on them to find hiking spots and use the GPS for the next three remaining weeks. I also need to find a job soon even though it’s proving difficult with my current mindset. I still have to reassure everyone that I’m still alive and not lost in the woods. As a consequence, I have to save my data! And I thought it would be the perfect time to do a next-level isolation experiment. 

The first time I did it, for a week I felt tranquil, at peace, and content. The experience was a walk in the park and I actually was disappointed to end it then. I already knew I wanted to do another one. 

But I am curious to know how it will go this time. I know I am dependent on the World Wild Web for many things… Sometimes just to satisfy my curiosity on topics that pass through my mind. So this will definitely be more challenging than last time !

If you are interested, read my article on how I found freedom while hiking in Sweden.

PRO TIP


From previous experience, I can say that cutting off ALL notifications, even harmless apps, is a game changer. When you are deep in thought or in a creative process or in middle of an activity, a notification, even soundless and just visual will interrupt any process and destroy your focus. Even outside of this experiment, you should check your phone only when you are done with current tasks.

24 – 31 March

First day – I warned my family and friends, I cut off all notifications. I deactivated instant media downloading on WhatsApp (many active group chats sending photos and videos). My phone will be used only for taking pictures/videos and using the GPS.

I spent all morning using the internet to look at job offers and post on instagram. As a result, the challenge had to start at midday. 

I ate my lunch looking out the window for the first time. It was a bit boring but not completely uncomfortable. 

Last day – I wanted to do a day-by-day check but every single day was the same so … Debrief time!

Debrief

I can confirm that I have a phone addiction

During the week, I found myself automatically opening the Instagram app. I would realise instantly what I was doing and close the app straight away. But the impulse has been there at least once a day. It really shows the addiction I have to the app… When I’m bored and don’t know what to do. Instead of thinking about a productive or creative thing to do, I unconsciously choose to occupy my mind with instant dopamine.  

I was bored…

This time I was more bored than last October. Probably because then, I used my computer to learn about coding, so I could satisfy my curiosity and occupy myself with sewing. This time, since I don’t use the internet at all, I can’t really learn about new things. I don’t have access to a library or book store. My current accommodation doesn’t have a table that I can use to sew, the only table is an old, small, wooden table that has chips all over that would damage any fabric I would put on top of it. 

Instead, I have been spending my mornings reading and afternoons hiking. Both are things that I truly love the most in life, yet I found myself bored every day, especially in the mornings or when it got dark in the evenings. 

Limited creativity

As you may have read in the Pleasure vs. Happiness article, boredom is important when you want to stimulate your creativity and mind. A week later I don’t know if I can say I have been more creative. I have thought about many topics, but without overthinking too much, which is a good thing for me. I did use that week to take videos and photos to plan creative content, but not as much as I thought I would. 

Frustration?

I have also had no way to reward myself, and getting rewards is important to keep you motivated. But with my whole budget going to next month’s rent, I can’t decide to just spend money on a reward like a book or waterproof hiking shoes. Creating a finished product that I sew myself is a reward itself, but I would need to find a way to organise a working space in my current accommodation and I haven’t found the inspiration or motivation. 

Hello anxiety 

I have also been “slightly” stressed about finding a job, so this probably affected my perception of how my week went… I guess month-to-month survival is anxiety-inducing… Who would have thought ?

But it is important to note that quitting the internet is really helpful to reduce anxiety. In fact, as times goes by, I feel more anxiety by being on Instagram and Youtube than dopamine. I guess the next step is to actually stop opening the apps unless there is something that I really want to see.

Success

I am proud to say that I didn’t use the internet this whole week (except for the GPS and finding hiking trails). Even though I had the impulse to click on the Instagram app logo, I closed it straight away without checking it out. I also didn’t miss any of the content that was posted on different websites or accounts. It was more of an unconscious action than a true desire to open it and check on people. 

I do think that when I do another week without the internet, I will prepare beforehand with either books about subjects I want to learn about and prepare an organised space to do crafts and creative activities.

Self-introspection and development 

During this week, I wrote an entry in my journal about a subject that I thought about a lot during my life, something that is very sensitive for me and that brings me a lot of frustration, and sometimes sadness. This week, I finally put it in writing, and it didn’t feel as daunting as I thought it would. I never wanted to write about it because I felt like it was something that made me abnormal. But now I feel more at peace with it, I understand that it does not define my worth, that it is something that I just have to accept and move on from in order to evolve.

Without any distractions, I could only be with myself during those 7 days, and as a result, I did a lot of introspection. Disconnecting from outside influence is one of the only ways you can truly learn about yourself, who you are, what you want, and what you need. This week, as I said, I was bored often, and I think that it was necessary for me to realise that, even though looking for a job and starting at a new workplace makes me extremely anxious and fills me with self-doubt, it is inevitable and out of my control. Maybe I could actually look forward to it in the right conditions. 

My previous bad experiences are all linked to the same sector : business (which is also the subject of my degrees). And yet, in the last two years, I have studied and looked for jobs in the digital/web sector. Why ? Remote working, freedom to move, good salary. But then, every time I looked at job opportunities, the ball of anxiety in my stomach was loud! The message was clear in retrospective : it was my body’s way, my intuition, telling me that I was not looking in the right place. I’ll not go into details here because it is not the subject of this article.

Final words

This week ended up making me realise things about myself, and it is exactly what researchers tell you will happen if you disconnect from external stimuli even for a short amount of time. So I am happy to say say that I consider this week a definite success! 

There’s always more I could do to improve this experience, like setting goals to achieve. It could be to create two sewing projects. I think it would also be very interesting to define three things that I don’t enjoy in my life, for example, and having to deeply analyse them; Why don’t I like that ? Where does it come from ? Can I do something about it ? What needs to change? And in parallel, do the same with three things that I enjoy in my life and how to build on them.

I am quite looking forward to the next time I get to quit the internet to see what answers I can find. It won’t be long before I challenge myself once more !

I invite you to try this challenge for yourself.

Who knows what you may learn during this experiment ?

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