72 Hours Disconnected: What Three Days of Silence & Fasting Taught Me

“𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕?” “𝑾𝒐𝒘… 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔?” A small sample of the reactions to my birthday plans this year.

Three days of fasting. Prayer. Silence.

Completely disconnected and unavailable.

No conversations.

No entertainment.

No distractions.

I let people know in advance so no one would panic and call for a wellness check.

Laptop off. WiFi and data disconnected.

(Apple, we still need to talk about how my phone reconnected overnight. 🧐 )

Airplane mode on.

Why I did it is simple.

Boredom doesn't know my face.

With raising a now-teenage boy, work, travel, relationships, ideas, projects, ...

There’s always something happening.

I chose the opposite for a change and shut everything down on purpose.

The hardest part wasn’t the fasting.

It was the noise in my own head.

My mind is like a noisy bar. 🤯

Music in the background.

Screens flashing.

Other people's conversations bleeding in.

And the conversation(s) you’re actually part of.

I came prepared, though: Journals. Bible verses. Themes for each day. Frequency sounds.

Although I was most excited about listening to music again (even more than having anything other than water), days later, I’m still choosing not to invite outside noise back in. And I’m enjoying what’s unfolding in my own mind.

Would I do it again?

Absolutely. 10/10. Highly recommend.

Those three days gave me a kind of perspective I usually only associate with major life events.

Grateful to return to incredible friends, family, and colleagues who made this birthday another beautiful one.🤍