Discovering the Joy of a Modern Sabbath

Do you practice Sabbath on Saturdays? When I first heard about the idea of Sabbath in the Jewish religion, I was quite fascinated. Initially, I wondered how on earth anyone could live without technology for a whole day. What do you even do??

At first, it seemed really old-fashioned to me. But now, 20 years later and hopefully a bit wiser, I've realized it's a great rule—to just disconnect from everyone else for a day, to spend time with family and yourself. When I can, I dedicate a whole day to not looking at my phone. Of course, there are weekends where I have to stay connected because things are happening and I need to check my phone.

On weekends where I don't have to check, I immerse myself in a book instead of watching something. Our family activity would be to go out to the park instead of heading to the cinema.

I strongly suggest regularly practicing Sabbath or trying a digital detox. You can start small, maybe once a year, perhaps during Christmas when everyone's with their family and you won't miss much. Then try once a quarter, once a month, and eventually maybe once a week if you can.

I highly recommend it. You don't have to follow an entire religion to benefit from one of its practices. It's about taking what's valuable for you.