Celebrate National Day of Unplugging The First Friday in March
The 1st Fri. in March starts National Day of Unplugging
National Day of Unplugging offers you a full 24 hours to step away from the electronics. You get a chance to reconnect with real people, nature, and basically the real world all around you.
And that’s something that seems to get more rare with each passing day. In our always-connected world it seems we’re tied to our phones, laptops, tablets, etc.
And that may not be so good, either for your health or your relationships. If you’re constantly sitting in front of a computer (or even walking and staring at your phone), you’re not getting much exercise.
And you’re likely ignoring family and friends. Yes, you keep in touch via text. But what about when you actually get together in the same room? Are you texting other people, or are you actually paying attention to the person you’re with?
Researchers are actually studying how all these devices really affect our lives. We suspect it’ll be a mixture of good and bad effects.
The day was created by the Sabbath Manifesto (part of a nonprofit Jewish community called Reboot), and the first one was held in 2010.
It’s held from sundown on a Friday in March (historically the 1st Friday, but not always) until sundown the next day, Saturday.
The day is actually based on the Jewish Sabbath, held from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. But you don’t need to be Jewish, or any religion at all, to take part in National Unplugging Day.
You just need to want to take a break from the technology that seems to be taking over our lives.
Hopefully you’re reading this before sunset on Friday, so you can take full advantage of going unplugged.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this relaxing unofficial holiday.
How to Celebrate National Day of Unplugging
Unplug!
Try to make it the full 24 hours. But if you can’t, do what you can.
Surely we can all manage to put down the electronics for at least an hour or two on Friday night. And maybe another hour or two sometime Saturday?
Consider hosting an electronics-free party Friday night. All phones (and tablets, etc!) must be surrendered at the door. Now everybody will actually have to talk to each other.
It might be a good idea to have a few conversation starters planned ;)
Spend Saturday outside. Take a walk. Run. Watch people. Commune with nature. It’s your choice. Just do something that’s screen-free. Leave the phone at home!
Take friends or family members along to keep you company. You’ll all benefit from getting some fresh air and enjoying each other.
While you’re at home, try to keep computers, tablets, phones, etc. out of site. If you can’t see them, you’re less likely to want to use them.
Try reading an actual paper book. Or a real newspaper. Play board games instead of computer games. Or card games.
It might feel strange at first, but it really is possible to have a great time completely unplugged!
The National Day of Unplugging website has more ideas for unplugging with your family, community & company.
You can learn more about the day and connect with others planning to celebrate on the Sabbath Manifesto Facebook page. Just try to visit before the unplugging begins!
Hopefully you enjoy your unplugged day (or hours, if that’s all you can manage) enough that you plan to do it more often.
[…] National Day of Unplugging: Can you unplug for a full 24 hours? It starts at sundown March 9 and runs until sundown March 10. Even if you can’t do the full 24 hours, try for at least a few hours! (the hours while you’re asleep don’t really count). […]