Berlin Bliss and My Digital Detox… Achtung, Baby!

Thank you all for your kind reactions about my last post.  It means so much to me that so many of you reached out, and some of you were even planning to connect with a long lost friend because of that post! Reading all your comments really made my day!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I just came back from an incredible time in my third spiritual home, Berlin. (My fourth one is Bali, my first one is Brooklyn, and my second one is Brabant. I guess there’s something about the letter B that makes me feel at home right away!) I was in Berlin for my annual series of Masterclasses at the University of Pop Culture and it’s one of the highlights of my year. I always make it into a vacation, spending time with good friends and returning to my favorite cafes and shops, all within walking distance of where I’m staying in Mitte. (If you are ever in Berlin, run, don’t walk to Five Elephant Coffee and Cake and grab a slice of their cheesecake. This is not a mere suggestion. Their cheesecake just might bring a tear of joy to your eye. Not a joke. You can thank me later. The fact that I always stay directly across the street and seeing their window the minute I opened the curtains did bring a huge smile to my face every morning.

But I think the most incredible thing about my time in Berlin was my social media detox. I did a ‘Farewell, World’ post on all my channels and then deleted all of my social media apps on my phone and solemnly swore not to use them on my laptop. As someone who reaches thousands a day via social media and uses it for her business, for teaching, for coaching and for connecting, this was a huge and scary step for me. However, I realised that my head needed a break. I was falling deep and often into a scroll hole – aimlessly and constantly scrolling through random posts on all the networks – liking, commenting, and reacting, often emotionally and extremely quickly. I decided to make a clean break in Berlin and totally go off the radar completely. And I did. When I wasn’t teaching at University, I set up my office in Soho House and coached, wrote, read, ate and walked and talked and observed and connected. I kept my mail and my what’s app on in case anyone needed me desperately, but my phone was on Do Not Disturb and I only checked mail a couple of times a day.

Here are the concrete results of my Digital Detox:

* I read over 600 pages by starting and finishing 3 books and read 4 magazines cover to glorious cover

* I wrote over 50 pages

* I actually started writing poetry again as I spent a lot of time just OBSERVING – this is something I realize now I had not done for a very, very long time.

* I woke up with more energy

*I slept better and deeper

*I had a longer span of concentration and was able to focus completely on the person or activity without any need for distraction whatsoever

*I had deep and very meaningful conversations with friends but also with strangers

*I created a clear business strategy through the end of 2019 and gained new insights and clarity on a new coaching program I’m launching very soon which makes me 300% more excited now

*When I saw something cool, instead of capturing an image of it, filtering that image, and sharing it with the world, I made a mental picture of it and wrote about it in my journal or told my friends about it. (I did take a few snaps, and the one in this blog is one of my favorites, taken by my dear friend Eveline during one of our morning walks before we both went to work).

*I did not know what a lot of people were up to, nor did I hear their complaints, issues or problems (or their good news, for that matter), and not being kept in the loop was really wonderful for me. Ignorance truly is bliss.

I could go on and on.

I feel reborn and refreshed, and totally relaxed and ready to rock.

And this is just after 5 days.

Just before I deleted all those apps, I literally had a stomach ache because I was so nervous to do it.
Now, the thought of putting them back on my phone gives me a stomach ache. I honestly don’t think I will. I love where I’m at and want to stay here for as long as possible.

(I might put IG back on, though, to do my lessons via Stories…but the rest I will post only once a day from my laptop I think.)

Sometimes letting go means letting in.
What have you let go lately, and what did it bring you?

Curious!
Love,
Buffi