Every day, we "like" hundreds of photos, send thousands of texts, and process millions of things we see off of our phones. But within those many things, we miss even more of the world because we're looking down and staring intently into a small screen. I learned the true importance of putting technology down this weekend, as I spent the past two and a half days phone-less in the wilderness with some of my best friends. I honestly have never felt so free, and I noticed nature more with my own eyes than I would've through a photograph. In honor of this experience, here are the top 5 reasons why being tech-less in the wilderness is the most freeing experience of a lifetime.
1. Out of sight, Out of mind
When things aren't right in front of you, you're very likely to forget about them. The same goes with your phone, laptop, whatever. When it's not at your fingertips, you're not concerned about looking at it. Those emails don't matter. Those texts can wait. And the pictures mean more in your mind than they do on your Snapchat story.
2. Looking as natural as the environment
For many people, worries about physical appearance can be an incredible burden. In fact, many of us edit our pictures to perfection to "filter" out our flaws. But when your phone's away, you're not pressured by social media, so you're less concerned about the way you look in every post and more concerned about how the world looks around you.
3. Memories are timeless
Time is a huge burden on our everyday life. Everything we do depends on that little ticking second hand as we rush around basing every action off the clock. In the wilderness, however, losing track of the time allows you to savor one of life's simple pleasures that our hectic schedules constantly derive us of - living in the moment. Without our phones, we are not only able to lose track of the time, but keep our memories to ourselves for once instead of feeling pressured to share them with the world around us.
4. Making Connections
You re-learn how to actually communicate face to face, which allows you to see things you wouldn't have seen if you were looking down at your phone screen to communicate with someone else who wasn't even in the room.
5. Real-Life Reminiscence
Being without your phone in such a beautiful palace of nature promotes living in the moment instead of trying to record it in a video you'd honestly probably never watch again.
Overall, without your eyes entangled that small digital prison within your hands, you're much more likely to be more in touch with reality. You not only notice the actions of others more, but your own actions as well. I personally am more likely to both overeat and under-appreciate the environment when I'm staring at my phone. Why make a memory that only lasts on video when you can make a memory that lasts forever within your heart?
