January 26, 2014 - Written by: Lauren Williams

The Art of Unplugging

I’ve got this thing where I just can’t say no to anything – especially a night out with my favourite people. Scrap that, even a night out with a group of people I’ve only just met. I hate missing out. What if it’s the best night of the year? What if my friend does something so funny that nobody stops talking about it for weeks and I don’t get it because I wasn’t there? What about all those in-jokes and one-liners I’ll miss out on – you know, In. Out. Bye bye. and instant regret. You see – you only get it if you were there.

But fighting the dreaded fear of missing out is something I need to learn to do, for the sake of my bank balance and my liver. It’s just so difficult when a message comes through that just says, “Beer pong party. My house. 8.30.” Like I’m gonna say no?

But it’s not just about going out to every party, gig and social event. Our culture of oversharing has morphed FOMO into an online-fear-of-missing-everything. Always connected to Twitter, to Facebook and to the news. On your phone and laptop, TV and digital radio. It’s branded as being connected, when in fact, it’s just distracting us from the now.

Unplugging is one of my all-time favourite things. No phone, no internet and no TV. Just getting outside and enjoying what’s around me – without sending a SnapChat to everyone in my address book. There is something glorious about nobody being able to get hold of you, about just sitting and watching or doing and being. Immersing yourself in being with the people you love – whether that’s sitting around and playing cards together or grabbing a tent and a sleeping bag and heading to the cliffs for a weekend.

Switching the phone off is so unbelievably refreshing – remember back when we didn’t even know what Twitter was? And Facebook didn’t exist? The word blog wasn’t in our vocabulary and Instagram, who? This may sound a little bit rich from someone who works in social media and is currently writing on a blog, but that’s precisely why getting away from the screen is important. I mean, there’s a whole world out there other than at your finger tips or in a screen.

So go on, I dare you! Disconnect yourself from the online world and travel to corners of the earth where digital can’t find you. Connect with the people in the same room as you by making eye contact and speaking and laughing, not just hashtagging @ people. Because well, it’s #lame.