The Benefits of Disconnecting from the World

Jul 31, 2024

It was years ago when I was experimenting a lot – moving to another country, meditating, trying a new diet, and so on. Today, I’m going to share one of these experiments with you.

The Setup of The Experiment

I was living on the Isle of Man. I took a flight and landed at John Lennon Airport in Liverpool. From there, I caught a train to Hereford, Wales. This is where I found the meditation centre “Dhamma Dipa”. Here is a bird’s-eye view.

The centre has multiple buildings: a reception for guests, kitchen, canteen, bathrooms and toilets, meditation hall, guest rooms, and a park for walks.

Here is the meditation room.

and the park:

I won’t dive into details about the centre because the purpose of this article is not to advertise them, but rather to share what I experienced there.

Upon entering for the first time, a few things happen. The first thing is to sign a contract with them, including a disclaimer. They assign you a room and bed for the next ten days. Next, you surrender all of your belongings – phone, keys, bags, money, everything. The only things you can keep are a few clothes, toothpaste and toothbrush, and glasses if you have any.

Next, women and men are separated to reduce distractions over the next few days. Finally, you all go to the meditation room where the organisers share the rules:

• For the next 10 days, you are not allowed to talk with anyone, establish eye contact, or engage in any type of communication.
• All of your possessions are taken and the only things you have are you and your clothes. So, the rule for the next ten days is that you cannot use any digital device, write notes, or do any activity except being with yourself.
• You have two vegetarian meals a day – early in the morning and lunch. There is no dinner.
• You go to bed around 9 PM and wake up around 6 AM.
• Any sexual acts are strictly forbidden.
• Throughout the day, you stay in the meditation hall and meditate. You sit in one position and are not allowed to move – you just stay still, observe your body, and meditate.
• Every night around 8 PM, there is a lecture about life and the purpose of what we are doing, etc.

They warned us that unresolved issues from the past might start to surface around the sixth day. Some of us may experience mental pain, start crying, etc. Of course, if the situation becomes unbearable, there is a team of observers ready to ensure the smooth running of the entire process.

The Experience

When was the last time I was on my own, not talking to anyone for such a long period?” I asked myself. The answer was: never. Let me try to quickly describe the entire experience.

For the first three days, I felt like I was on vacation. I had food, a place to sleep, nobody bothering me, and I wasn’t working. It was great. Staying in the same position all day was a bit painful but still bearable.

Everyone in this world has things in their past to regret or unresolved issues. Metaphorically, let’s call them “demons”. My “demons” began to “knock on the door” on the fourth day.

Normally, there are plenty of distractions available. You could go for a jog, lift heavy weights at the gym, watch a movie, or go out and have a beer with friends. I’m sure you would find something to do to avoid thinking about these demons.

However, when you’re stripped down to just your clothes and the demon comes, you have only one option – to face it.

I suppose that’s one of the main reasons why people immerse themselves in various activities, leading to issues such as workaholism, alcoholism, an obsession over certain activities, a tendency to be overly talkative, an inability to stay alone for extended periods, and so on.

Anyway, let’s go back to my story…

When you face your demons, you have two more options. Option one, you could break down, jump over the fence of the meditation centre, run into the forest and head to the nearest bar to drown your sorrows. I’ve heard that one of the participants did exactly that.

Option two, you fight, conquer, and move ahead.

In my case – fortunately – I managed the second. I won’t go into details as it’s too personal, but my battle lasted three days.

If you ever try doing the same thing I did, I want to warn you that depending on what things you keep within yourself, the battle can be very painful. Literally on a mental and physical level (known as psychosomatic). I still encourage you to try it, however, I want you to know that I warned you!

I’m not a psychologist, but for me, that was the moment when I realised that these “demons” are unresolved issues within us, and they all live in a part of us that we could metaphorically call “hell”.

Some of us may have “demons” that torture us every day, and no matter how beautiful the world is, we perceive it as ugly. On the other hand, if we’ve faced our “demons”, we see the world as it truly is – a beautiful and extraordinary place to live.

These metaphors are not far from the truth, because we humans shape the world through our actions and words, reflecting how we see it. Looking back at history, we can see that humans are capable of creating a lot of suffering – because they revealed the “hell” that is inside. We hurt others because we have pain inside. Or, we love others because we have love to share.

So…

On the seventh morning when I woke up, I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my chest. Life felt fresh and new. I saw the joy of simple things like being able to walk, to watch the birds in the garden, eating an orange and so on.

The only pain I was experiencing was in my knees due to the meditation practices. However, in the last two days, your body gets adapted and you no longer even feel the physical pain. You can very easily stay in the same position with a clear mind and without complaining. You are still.

After The End of The Experiment

After the tenth day, I was allowed to talk, use my phone, and do whatever I decided.

You don’t realise it until the end of the program, but when you step back into your normal daily world, you notice that your normal state is one of abundant energy. You can sprint, you can talk for hours, your heart starts to beat the moment you hear a nice song and you can dance like crazy. You can read several books in a row. You can laugh, and your being shines so brightly that everyone notices. Your motivation is strong, and your desire to live is unstoppable. Every morning, you wake up and whatever you do, you still have energy and you don’t feel tired.

You realise that as a human being, you naturally have a lot of energy. However, our lifestyles and demons drain this energy. Eventually, you end up in a position where you can barely do even a small portion of what I described above, and even if you manage it, you do so with much less enjoyment. The pitiful part about this state is that you get used to it and start to think that this is the normal state of your being – which, is not true.

The Lesson

Let me put it this way.

In daily life, we do hundreds of things. We cook, we talk with people, we work, we make decisions, we go shopping, we plan for the next day, we take care of others, we absorb information from hundreds of sources, digest this information, experience and express feelings…

I’ve listed just a few random things, but you get the point. All the things we do consume our energy.

Now, imagine on top of all that you have your demons – regrets, sins, doubts, etc. – which don’t give you peace because they are next to you every morning you wake up.

Let’s stop for a moment.

Imagine you want to start a business or invest more time and effort into building a strong relationship with your spouse.

I can assure you that your motivation, vitality, and joy in doing these things will soar if you conquer your demons and stop wasting your energy. Not only that, but the people around you will notice it, and you will attract them. You’ll become charismatic, and doors will open for you.

Let me summarise because it is important.

• Conquer your demons
• Stop wasting your energy

Demons

Battling your demons can happen in many ways. You can attend a meditation retreat (similar to the one I described above), you can find a good psychotherapist, or you can find another way.

However, be aware that there are too many fake gurus out there. Be careful!

Energy

Energy, vitality, dopamine… choose the word you prefer to call it, but it boils down to three things:

• What you do
• What you don’t do
• The way you do what you do

It’s a broad topic and I can write a few articles about it, however, I will try to oversimplify it:

• Write down everything you do (i.e., work, call with colleague X, drink alcohol, sports, etc.).
• Label them as “gives energy” or “takes energy”.
• For the things that take energy and you cannot eliminate, think about whether there is a way to change your attitude towards them or do them differently so that they don’t consume as much energy.
• Stop doing all things – if possible – that drain your energy. Remember that addictive activities like watching series, drinking alcohol, smoking, scrolling on social networks, and so on, do not change you. They take from you.
• In general, reduce the number of things you do at once.
• Take moments of solitude. This is time just for you. No phones, no books, nothing. Just a casual walk, or meditation. This is the part of the day when you’re with yourself.