WHAT’S A DIGITAL DETOX REALLY LIKE?
Is your smartphone running your life? With increasing numbers of us feeling stressed about the amount of time we spend plugged in, three women went tech-free – and told healthy they felt all the better for it
WORDS KATREEN HARDT
“I wanted a simpler, calmer family life”
Jane Vanroe, 35, is a luxury compact mirror designer, from Bradford, West Yorkshire
‘My husband Alistair and I had been wanting to create a more peaceful home environment for our children, Billy, six, Joey, five, and Callum, two. We read the book Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne (Ballantine, £11.99), and decided that the answer was to reduce the amount of technology in our home. We stopped turning on the radio, got rid of the TV and desktop computer, and began reading more books to the boys. Almost immediately, we noticed how much calmer they were and the older boys’ reading levels soared.
‘It was a change for the better, not having a constant stream of news, adverts and music blaring – even I began to feel less anxious! Then in May, my iPhone broke and I replaced it with my old Nokia handset. It meant that I couldn’t use my usual apps, which took some getting used to. Previously, I was addicted to eBay and would often spend hours browsing for clothes and home goods. Before I knew it, I’d wasted chunks of time without having anything to show for it.