Spending a Day Without Digital Devices

Have you ever tried going without the digital world for an entire day?

I did, and I’ve come here to share my experience. After spending 24 hours on a digital detox, I will share what I felt and the realizations I gained.

In my previous article, we discussed the presence of many stimuli around us and focused on the concept of time. Now, I cut off my interaction with the primary among these environmental stimuli—the digital ones—and saw what happened.

At the start of the day, I did not pick up my phone or check social media, which had become a morning routine. I only then noticed that I had been looking at my phone for the time and date, because there was no wall clock in the room I was in. I realized how dependent I had become on my phone—and how much I needed a digital detox.

To be honest, I rediscovered and felt a feeling inside me that I had long missed and could not describe. It was as if peace and hope filled me. My mind, worn out by the rush of life, let out a sigh. I gave myself time.

I returned to myself, turned inward. There, amid all the chaos, I had overlooked, ignored, and postponed something—and during my digital detox, I finally listened to that quiet voice.

The day stretched and deepened. Of course, my eyes occasionally searched for my phone, as I had not been away from the digital world for so long. But after a while, I grew accustomed to living without it. I realized that trying to fit life into the digital realm is a mistake—it simply cannot contain it.

My new goal is to practice a digital detox regularly, one day a week.

I realized that while we say we should make time for everyone and everything, we have neglected those closest to us, ourselves, our souls, and our bodies. We thought that constantly rushing, always striving to reach somewhere, and being in a hurry was the right way. I slowed down for a while, returned to myself, and tasted that indescribable feeling.

I recommend a digital detox to everyone. When you try it, you will see that life is far more beautiful than the phone screens we have unknowingly become enslaved to. While we tried to squeeze life into the digital world, we left our souls and emotions behind. But can a being without a soul or emotions truly be called human?

Feeling alive and putting in effort are beautiful experiences. It is not beautiful to merely sit as an observer in front of screens; it is beautiful to be fully present in life, to feel and to live it.