What I Learned From Not Using My Phone
Once a week, I disconnect. No technology, no social media, no Netflix. I also refrain from driving and spending money. It is my absolute favorite day of the week. So, what exactly do I do on that day? And why do I do this?
Curiosity Made Me Do It
Let me address the why first as I believe it is always important to be connected to our “why.” I grew up Jewish and took part in many cultural traditions like celebrating holidays, eating certain foods and learning the Hebrew alphabet. I did these things because it was part of who I was, part of who my family was, and they passed it down to me. But deep down, I couldn’t have told you the “why” behind these traditions.
As a teenager, I became very curious about my Jewish traditions and what they meant. They were different from everyone else’s and I often found myself as spokesperson for my entire religion. A very, very unprepared spokesperson. So, I began my journey of learning my own culture, my own heritage, my own religion.
Shabbat: A Day of Rest
A few years later, I thought I would take my newfound knowledge of Judaism further by applying it in my life. Naturally, I started with keeping Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. There are 39 forms of “work” that are prohibited on Shabbat, including painting, cooking, writing and building, to name just a few. A better translation for these activities is “creating.” It is prohibited to create anything new on Shabbat, but rather we rest and enjoy what we have already created in our lives.
The modern day application of the prohibited activities includes the use of electronics, phones, cars, etc. I am always up for a challenge so I decided I would try not using my phone one Shabbat. Shabbat is from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.
It was really hard. I watched TV to pass the time. I got bored. The day went by very slowly. A couple weekends passed like that, then I decided to stop watching TV and driving too. If I was going to do this, I wanted to give it my all. This was where the magic started to happen. I would walk to dinner on Friday night at the Rabbi’s house, socialize with friends, eat good food and be totally and completely present. There was nowhere else for me to be. No phone to distract me.
Practicing Gratitude
In the moments I had to myself on Shabbat I started to develop deep gratitude and peacefulness. I sat on my balcony on the twenty-second floor and watched cars zoom by on the highway, saw specs of people walking by and heard kids playing in the park. It was non-stop motion. Always somewhere to go, somewhere to be, something to do. But not for me. I was still. I was in the moment, observing the world around me, taking it all in. I had nowhere to be but in that moment.
I became grateful for the sun, the grass, the air around me. I started to notice things that I had never paid much attention to before. I walked outside in the park just for the sake of walking. I saw things in a way I had never seen them before. Despite all the action around me, I felt a complete sense of peace inside.
I started to enjoy this experience so much that I dreaded turning my phone back on Saturday night after Shabbat was over. I knew I would have notifications waiting for me, social media ready and eager to pull me back in. I wasn’t ready to leave my personal oasis. But, when I did re-enter into “reality”, I took some of the magic with me. I found that I was able to cultivate a greater sense of presence and gratitude in my daily life. I felt happier, lighter. And the beautiful thing is that Shabbat waits for me every week. It’s always there, and I am always ready to jump back in. And each time, I am able to bring a little more of that spirit into my daily life.
Whether you are observant or not, I urge you to pick a day to disconnect. Create a time and space for your own personal oasis. If you are Jewish, I invite you to try this on Shabbat to connect to the spiritual energy of that day. Whether you put your phone away for one hour or one day, notice what happens during that time. Allow your senses to come alive as you observe the world around you and within you.