As soon as you arrive at Miraval, we give you a cell phone sleeping bag and ask you to keep your phone tucked away in it while you’re on property. By the looks that we get, this is clearly a very scary request.

And we understand – our phones are often an extension of ourselves, a safety blanket of sorts. But our hope is that after some time, you’ll find that giving yourself permission to unplug can be very liberating. By unplugging, you’re able to be present and live in the moment.

We understand that it is next to impossible to unplug in day to day life. And this is made only more difficult right now with remote work, virtual schooling and an ever-evolving crisis on the news. That said, you can take small steps right now to be more mindful of how you use your devices.

These tips from Miraval Arizona’s wellness counselor Anne Parker will help you be more conscious of how you use your devices at home. And don’t worry, they don’t involve putting your phone in a sleeping bag!

• Disable notifications. Reaching for your phone can be a reflex and not always a conscious choice. By turning off your notifications or turning on ‘airplane mode,’ you can practice being present in the moment.
• Pause for three. Before grabbing your phone, pause for three seconds and reflect internally on
  your intentions. Do you feel tension or anxiety about what you might be missing? After three
  seconds, the need to look at your phone may pass.
• Go old school. Instead of relying on your phone for taking down notes and recording to-dos, keep a small notebook and pen nearby or in your purse, and use it to get things out of your mind. Instead of Instagramming every moment, try to record an experience by taking a mental picture in your mind—or, if you love photography, try bringing an old-fashioned camera on your walks outside to capture the beautiful spring blooms.
• Leave your chargers at home. If you know your battery life is limited, you’ll be more mindful about how you spend your time on your phone—which is important, given that your time in life itself is limited, too!
• If you’d like to take your digital mindfulness practice a step further, our friend Catherine Price, Miraval’s new digital wellness advisor, is here to help. As the founder of Screen/Life Balance and the author of How to Break Up With Your Phone, she’s offering sanity-saving suggestions, resources, live webinars and Q&As, all designed to help you create balance between your on- and offline existence during a time when much of life has shifted onto screens.