I didn't realise how tethered to my devices I have become until one faithful day. I had no way to charge them, and my day was completely different. I felt like a different person. Take a way my laptop and phone, then I'm not really sure what that entire day would look like.
The most probable reason I would not be using my devices for a very long time is if there's been no electricity for a while and my backups are out. And that was exactly the case that day.
I woke for the first time, and I had no way of checking the time. No, I didn't have a wrist watch with me or something. I usually would go spend my morning being busy on my laptop or phone, trying to be productive, or just chilling around social spaces or watching films. So after doing all I needed to do for the morning, hours had passed and then I began to feel it.
I still had all my devices flat on battery, so I opted for things I don't normally do. "Olujay wants to play football today. Wow. Wonders shall never end." My friends said to me. On a normal day, I would pass by them with earphones in my ears, off to use my phone under a tree or something.
For the first time in a very long time, I picked up a book and read that day. Read so much that I even surprised myself. Cooked more than usual. Slept like I hadn't slept for weeks. Even hung out a little more with people.
When power was finally restored the next day, I realised just how unhealthy my relationship was with my phone. And so I made a new routine. I picked one day every week to be completely offline and off my devices. It felt hard at first, but I managed for a while until I went back to status quo.
Such a blackout still happens sometimes, but I got really frustrated one time and decided to build my own solar energy system. I didn't know how to, but I learnt somehow and procured the components myself. I ended up doing a lot of research and explorations and became very knowledgeable in it that even surprised myself more than I did those around me.
While it may seem like a really challenging thing to have to deal with this kind of situation, I'd say I probably wouldn't have done many of the things that I have done now to help keep myself online.
The big realisation, however, is that I had to learn to find a really good balance with my devices and spend more time doing other things offline. If the internet broke today, what would many of us be doing? I enjoy chess, working out, driving, and playing guitar, but I hardly do them when I spend too much time with my devices.
What happens when I unplug is that I experience an unconfortable feeling because what I am used to is being in digital spaces all day. It's pretty much my lifestyle, yes, but moderation is key, you know.
All images are mine
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