Open Thread: How Do You Disconnect?

Is it me, or does life seem to have a lot more ‘incoming” than most of us can absorb?

Every time I check my personal email box I get at least 20 messages. There’s more if I miss a day.

And forget about the mailbox attached to my cellphone.  I get breathless messages daily from Target, Amazon, a chocolate company, a financial tracking service, Staples, CVS, Home Depot…plus messages about upcoming medical appointments, reminders of birthdays, or sales. Click on a website once and I’ll get notices and emails or texts for life.

I’ve got a Fitbit that buzzes me when I get emails, when I walk enough, when I don’t walk enough, when I hit my zone minutes, when I need to hit my zone minutes.

Just now while I write this I’ve got the second of two spam calls just in the past hour –  and that’ just for the land line. (Where do they get my number from?)

Last week I had lunch with some high school friends, and the next day I got 28 text messages between 6:51 am and 10 am. Believe me, I love these gals, but give me a little breathing room.

I think that’s why the idea of a ‘digital detox” is so prevalent – and so appealing. Did you know there’s a National Day for Unplugging?  Or that you can go on a digital detox retreat?

It sounds really appealing but for those of us, like me, who can’t afford to go out in the woods and recharge, it might take a bit more than just putting down our phones and tablets for an hour or two.

YOUR TURN

What do you do when you need to disconnect from the wireless world? Do you have a favorite activity, place or retreat where you can digitally detox?  What happened? Share your experience in the comments!

Virge Randall is Senior Planet’s Managing Editor. She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog “Don’t Get Me Started” puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City. Send  Open Thread suggestions to editor@seniorplanet.org.