Smartphones are ubiquitous and give us no respite: We quickly check our email on the go, search for a suitable restaurant before leaving the house, read messages online, chat on WhatsApp, post the important and the unimportant on Instagram – most people nowadays live digitally nearly all the time. However, a countermovement to the everything-digital faction has emerged: The keyword is digital detox, referring to relinquishing of digital devices and returning to the analog world.

Digital detox has the effect of a medial detoxification from the permanent stress we face through the flood of information that pours in via email, the internet, and our smartphones. Aspects such as mindfulness, appreciation, and inner reflection come into effect here and are very consciously rediscovered by people, particularly those who are online non-stop, either professionally or privately. Time to finally take a breather and simply let things happen without immediately sharing them on various apps. For some, this isn’t so easy. One thing that helps is to return to analog writing: Diary notes, letters, sketched mind maps, to-do lists – there is an analog alternative to the digital bombardment for nearly everything. And those who write things down by hand give the things jotted down a completely different kind of attention.

A holiday from your smartphone – a truly relaxing affair. Even if it feels odd at first, a sense of liberation quickly sets in. If this idea appeals to you, try simply turning off your phone on the weekend and enjoy your new-found peace and quiet. It will definitely be worth it.