How to take digital breaks and why they have become a societal necessity

Sliding away periodically from anything considered normal in everyday existence can add zing to an individual's thought machine. Even if just for a few hours, in today's world, this means not only being far away from the madding crowd but also being away from the digital world.

Going for a digital break becomes a societal necessity when one encounters a 3-year-old child, sitting cross-legged for hours, fixated on reels on a smartphone. Smartphones have truly blurred the lines and made everyone - adults, the elderly and children - alike.

But what is the best way to take digital breaks? Simple, just visit a neighbourhood public park without any handset and observe people of all ages strolling, running, jumping, playing, swinging, chatting, loitering, belly laughing, boasting, and more. Moreover, if people are lucky enough to catch some gossip, it will lift their spirits. This kind of break won't cost a penny. Here too, one or two individuals might be seen staring at screens, and that is a matter of concern.


Like a coin, every mobile screen has two faces: One that provides knowledge and the other that generates an addict. Someone might argue that there is a middle path, too. The choice is purely up to the user.

In any case, most of us are quite familiar with what Mahatma Gandhi's Three Monkeys symbolise. If applied to a handset, the visual maxim might mean that, at the very least, during some part of each day in idle moments, a person would refrain from looking at, listening to, or conversing on a mobile phone.

What to do, then? Just stare blankly at the wall, at the sky, at your surroundings. Live in your universe, not in that of others. Let the mind do nothing.