We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
IT IS REGULAR criticism of modern life that we are stuck on our phones for 16 hours of the day.
Addiction to electronic devices is such a problem that it has its own WebMd page.
Switching off can be a challenge, and this month Harvey’s Point hotel in Donegal is looking to address this by hosting a ‘Digital Detox’ weekend.
Over the course of the two days guests will surrender their devices at the door and take part in healthy eating and mindfulness activities.
The area near to where the weekend will be happening
The idea was thought up by owner Marc Gysling, and has been organised by member of the sales team at the hotel Roger Kündig, who explains: "It’s a tour back to the past of maybe 15 years ago when we didn’t have so much social media and phones.
We’ve gotten a great feedback... It is only 13 rooms, so we hope to fill the lodge this time.
But would it not be easier simply to close over the laptop screen and put the devices in a drawer?
"When you’re on your own you’ll find 100 different things rather than sitting down and practicing mindfulness. So often a group can inspire people as well," says Keith Corcoran, a meditation instructor from the area who will be leading activities during the weekend.
"Our minds are going always from morning until night," the 38-year-old explains, "thinking about the past and the present and the future. I’ve noticed myself over the years that your mind is not really switching off.
You take your mind on this kind of incessant thinking.
The weekend will also feature mindfulness walking, which apparently is different to regular walking.
Through a few pretty basic techniques that I impart, you can kind of slow down your thoughts and really, really appreciate the walk. People might say afterwards that I never saw a bird singing like that, or felt the breeze on my face or saw leaves falling in Autumn.
While this might sound a bit new-agey for some people's tastes, Corcoran is quick to clarify that the focus is on learning techniques, and that he's "no guru when it comes to this".
"I just find these techniques myself beneficial. I am just an instructor, I just instruct people. Definitely there are benefits to be taken away from a weekend like this. Tools that we impart to do with breathing and mindfulness," he says.
The weekend will be taking place from 22 to 24 January and anyone interested in it can find further information at Harvey's Point Hotel's website.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Wait till ya see. Some clown will have live twitter updates every hour for the weekend
Without a doubt the mobile phone must be the most unsociable device ever invented.
Very true, I saw a young couple in a restaurant over Xmas both spend the entire meal scrolling down their phones and ignoring each other.
Maybe be they were secretly whatsapping each other…
Wtf is a “medication instructor”?
You probably not need to surrender your phone at the door. Chances are there’s no 4g or even 3g signal like in most parts of rural Ireland
Yes – Many’s an hour I spent in the 90s honing my sensible soccer skills on the megadrive, a gift from my uncle whose wife left him in 1988 due to his super mario addiction on the NES. His father in law was addicted to a tennis game using a square ball in the 1970s on the TV and also he had a CB radio that he was always chatting on. This has been going on for decades.
Absolutely. I curl up by an open fire and put on a record, audio tape or a black and white film in a v.h.s. player. The only ‘ phone there is a rotary wall mounted model and that hasn’t rung since 2002.
Why go to donegal when you can just turn off your phone. Easy
15 years ago, I was already wasting time with a computer with the Internet, hundreds of TV channels I could watch, handheld and console video games, and a CD boombox. All the intervening years have just made it easier, since one device can now do all of those things.
Darn – i replied to you agreeing to your points on another comment. Losing it. Maybe i should detox myself.
@Chewey – It happens to the best of us. Makes the case for giving people a grace period where they can edit or delete their comments before setting them in concrete.
But yeah, if we’re going back to 2001, it’s going to be a PS2, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, Game Boy, and Windows 98 gaming tribute party.
I can digitally detox every day at home. No broadband and no mobile phone signal. And I’m only 30 minutes from Dublin city centre. While it can be good for a break, you can’t go on line to pay bills, do your banking, check in for flights, check your emails etc. Surely basic phone and broadband signal should be available for the whole country.
10 minutes outside Galway city can’t get broadband or mobile signal…il set up a few tents in the summer get people over for a detox :-)
Saw a chap I know having lunch with his grandson, the kid was on his ipad with headphones while the guy was on his phone for the entire time, priceless time waste.
They should try Meteor internet outside of Dublin. Same deal!
The Nokia 3310 came out about 16 years ago, can I bring one of those? Maybe a Diskman too. Afterwards I can go home and play FIFA 2000 on my Playstation 2…each to their own and all but I just don’t get the point of this or why so many people have a thing against technology. Maybe people complained about the wheel or writing when they were first invented too but look how much better off we are because of them.
You are right ! Into the Tribe is the online travel agency that offers amazing digital detox trips in Europe. Subscribe to our newsletter on http://www.intothetribe.com, and get ready for upcoming trips in spring 2016!
The future might be like this, now that is a thought?
A solar flare or bell bottoms lol.
have your say