You wake up and your hand is already searching for your phone, even before you have properly opened your eyes. You scroll through news, emails and messages while the coffee machine still has to turn on. Recognisable? For most of us, the phone is the first thing we touch in the morning and the last thing we put away at night. We are always reachable, always ’on’. And that comes at a price.
A digital detox — consciously going offline for a few days — might sound like something for seasoned meditating types. But precisely the people who think they can't do it get the most out of it. Especially if you do it in a place where nature naturally takes over from your phone.
Why we find it so hard to let go
Your phone is not an accidental design. Apps are built to keep you coming back: a red dot, a vibration, an endless feed that gives you just enough to keep scrolling. On top of that, there's the always-available culture. Work seeps into your evenings, your weekend, your holiday. The boundary between being ‘on’ and truly resting has blurred.
The consequence is a kind of mild, constant restlessness. You are rarely completely present anywhere. While eating you quickly check something, during a walk you take a photo that you want to share immediately, and even when you have nothing to do, your hand automatically fills itself with the screen. That is precisely what a digital detox breaks.
What happens when you put your phone away
The first few hours are the hardest. You reach for a phone that isn't there, you feel restless, perhaps even a little guilty. But that fades faster than you think. And then something happens:
- You sleep better. No blue light and no stimuli right before bedtime means you fall asleep faster and rest more deeply.
- Your attention returns. Without the constant interruptions, you can once again stay focused on one thing for longer — a book, a conversation, a view — without the urge to click away.
- You really are in the thick of it. Food tastes stronger, conversations go deeper, and a walk is just a walk instead of a photo opportunity.
- Your head feels calmer. The stream of opinions, deadlines and updates falls silent, and with it a large part of the tension you didn't even consciously feel.
Why nature makes it so much easier
Going offline in your own living room is almost impossible. Your phone is still within arm's reach and your old routines keep pulling at you. In nature, it works differently. There is simply something else to give your attention to: the sound of wind in the trees, the light shifting across the hills, a bird you don't recognise.
Our attention restores itself in a natural environment in a way that simply isn't possible indoors, behind a screen. You don't have to perform, follow anything or answer anything. The calm comes to you naturally. It is not for nothing that people often experience a noticeable difference within a day of staying in nature, something we also see in the healing power of nature during retreats.
How to tackle a digital detox (without cold turkey stress)
You don't need to put your phone in a drawer for three days straight away. Build it up gradually so you can actually stick to it:
- Set your boundaries in advance. Agree with each other (and your family or group) when phones are truly put away and whether there is one moment a day to quickly check something.
- Let everyone know. A short automated response or a quick heads-up message removes the pressure to be available.
- Give your hands something else to do. A book, a walk, cooking, a game — the urge to scroll disappears faster when something takes its place.
- Start with the morning. Do not touch your phone for the first hour after waking up. Starting just one morning like that often sets the tone for the whole day.
Top tip: On the first evening, put all the phones together in one fixed place, out of sight. That single gesture makes it easier for the whole group; no-one wants to be the first to pick theirs up again.
A place that makes things easy for you
The easiest way to truly go offline is to go to a place where the surroundings do it for you. Mas Corazón is tucked away in the Catalan hills, surrounded by olive trees, cork oaks and silence. Here you don't have to force yourself to let go, the place naturally invites you to do so.
It is the masía of Dorien van Nieukerken, who has been guiding people towards peace, space and personal growth with her Heart to Heart since 1994. Whether you are relaxing for a few days with your family, coming with a group, or taking part in one of the retreatsthe combination of nature, space and attention makes going offline effortless. If you want to go a step further, a silent retreat you experience how much a few days of actual rest can do.
A few days without a screen, surrounded by nothing but nature, sounds like a small experiment, but for most people it feels afterwards like a reset that they have put off for far too long.
Check out the possibilities and plan your digital detox at Mas Corazón →
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