I spent a weekend without my phone: here’s what happened
Like many others, I am addicted to my phone, to distracting myself with content, staying in the loop with group chats, scrolling myself to sleep. Our phones have become a necessity. We use them to pay, present tickets, take photos and even learn languages. They are our main source of entertainment, news and banking.
Modern life has become a collection of screens. We work from them, relax with them, and even fall in love through them. But what impact does our screen usage have on our wellbeing?. I set out to test if I could separate myself from my phone, and all technological entertainment, for just one weekend.
I joined the second Unplugged Weekend Retreat in the Troodos mountains, meeting a small group near Saittas village, an initiative organised by Unplugged Cyprus, which hosts phone-free social spaces, events and retreats.
Driving up to Pine View Boutique Hotel, I was worried. Would I be able to hand over my phone, stay out of touch with the world and hang out with people I had never met before? Would I be bored or lonely? How would time pass? I took my trusted journal, a book, a sketch book and some crayons. That ought to do it.
The mountains in front of the hotel greeted me, there was a stillness in the air, the sound of running water and a fireplace quietly burning. Most of the group were already there, chatting. After a few nervous laughs, it was time to hand over our phones. I had sent out my ‘I’ll be away’ messages and told relatives how to reach me in an emergency, so dropped my phone into a velvet bag host Egli pulled out. Bye-bye outside world.
The aim of the retreat was to spend a screen-free weekend designed for real rest and connection. Nestled in the hotel’s cosy grounds, it was an opportunity to slow down, enjoy nature, maybe a cold plunge or the sauna and ultimately, be fully present.
Unplugged Cyprus’ events since launching in the summer have included brunches, dinners and family gatherings, welcoming toddlers, teens, and adults.
“My heart genuinely breaks sometimes,” says Egli as she shares why she launched the initiative. “I’ll be sitting in a restaurant and see couples, friends, whole families together, but each person is holding a phone instead of each other’s attention. The other day, I even saw a one-year-old in a pram, out for a stroll, her eyes glued to a phone. We are slowly losing touch with what is real, what is true.
“I’m also a parent of two teenagers, and I’ve been in education for almost 30 years,” she says. “I see the impact firsthand. Technology absolutely has its place. I am not anti-tech. But I deeply believe we need to restore balance, so that technology serves us, rather than us becoming puppets to algorithms and notifications. Unplugged Cyprus was my way of doing something practical instead of just worrying. Creating small spaces where we can go offline, slow down and reconnect with ourselves and others.”
The retreat’s agenda was rather loose. A nature walk, reading or journaling, a coaching session with Egli, enjoying the hotel’s amenities or a visit to the village. Much of the time was spent at the hotel’s restaurant, devouring large portions of deliciously-cooked Cypriot dishes and talking.
Conversation flowed easily. We talked about books, our worries about leaving our phones behind and when our dependency began. The first night was spent by the fireplace, endlessly talking.
A stack of board games sat on the table, but we were too engulfed in conversation to notice. None of us missed checking our phones, but we did notice some rather simple tasks we wanted to turn to our phones for; showing a picture of something we were talking about, noting down a book recommendation or a restaurant name.
Most of us were anxious though at the thought of going to bed without our phones, no chance to check Instagram, play music, set an alarm or follow a YouTube meditation. Just our thoughts. The day wiped me out, so after a few pages of my book, I fell asleep. Surprisingly, it was easier than expected.
The next day, we realised how many routine actions are accompanied by screens; listening to podcasts while washing dishes, watching videos during skincare or checking notifications at traffic lights.
24 hours into the detox, my thoughts had slowed down. For my overactive, analytical brain, this pause from constant input felt like a rewire.
Another participant, Egle Padeginskaite, agreed. “I realised how clear my thoughts became and that felt big. Like life made more sense, weirdly. I think not having my mind bombarded with constant distractions, notifications, or reels made my thought process a bit clearer.”
“Our nervous systems are tired,” explains Egli. “We are constantly stimulated, constantly reachable, constantly comparing. There is very little space for silence or undistracted presence anymore. That genuinely concerns me. I think we need spaces that gently remind us who we are without the noise.”
The weekend offered a protective rest bubble and a chance to finally take a breather. The real challenge came afterwards.
When we finally switched our phones back on, the outside world rushed back in. Messages, notifications and headlines about war piled up. I wanted to hold on to that slower pace, social media felt loud and intrusive.
The weekend showed me just how easily we reach for our phones and how that affects our psyche. Do we always need them? Not really, it’s just a deeply-engrained habit.
“Learning about the world news was a bit shocking to the system,” adds Egle. “We went from Zen to a bit of a shock, but besides that, after I turned my phone on, I went back to my business. I am happy to report that since the retreat, my phone has kind of taken a back seat.”
Two weeks later, my doom-scrolling has decreased. I still feel the urge, but now I notice when it happens. I anticipate the addiction cycles. And at that point I can head back to Unplugged Cyprus’ events, and perhaps the more we remember of analogue life, the less we will scroll our time away.
Find Unplugged Cyprus on Instagram at @unpluggedcyprus