Carlos Whittaker's journey to better mental health through limiting screen time

A notification on his phone prompted Carlos Whittaker to embark on a seven-week screen-free journey that would change his life.

Whittaker, a Nashville resident living on a "suburban farm" with his wife, three children, and dog, realized he used his phone excessively only after calculating his usage.

If Whittaker continued to spend an average of seven hours and 23 minutes on his phone each day, he would spend more than a decade of his remaining life on the device.

In the summer of 2022, Whittaker undertook a seven-week trip across the US while abstaining from screens.

In his latest book, "Reconnected: How Seven Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human," he documented the mission that was published on Sept. 10.

"In a Zoom interview with Planet Chronicle Digital, Whittaker stated, "I lived with monks and the Amish, and it completely transformed my life.""

The author spent a total of eight weeks away from screens, first at a monastery for two weeks, then with the Amish for two weeks, and finally with his family for three weeks.

"I lived with these monks and the Amish, and it absolutely changed my life."

Whittaker's neurologists scanned and analyzed his brain before and after the experiment, which he details in his book.

St. Andrew's Abbey, a Catholic, Benedictine monastery in California, provided Whittaker with a guest cabin for the initial part of his journey, despite his self-description as an evangelical Christian.

Digital detox

Whittaker almost quit the experiment at the very beginning.

He stated that when he couldn't escape his thoughts by using his phone to scroll through TikTok or other platforms, and he was stuck in his own mind, it was something unfamiliar to both of them, and he, in particular, was not accustomed to it.

He reported experiencing "panic attacks, night sweats, heart palpitations, and jitters" for "four days" after undergoing a sudden digital detox.

Not having his phone felt like being "detoxed from the high of knowledge and the high of control," Whittaker stated.

But on day five of the experiment, something changed.

"I could breathe again after it felt like an elephant stepped off my chest," he said. "Those first four days were the crazy ones."

Benedictine monks' prayer routine, which involves the Liturgy of the Hours, initially made Whittaker feel uncomfortable and uninterested.

"I was bored out of my mind for the first two days," he admitted. "We were praying five or six times a day."

"When you lower the volume of life, the volume of God goes up."

He kept up the practice of praying the Liturgy of the Hours even after leaving the monastery, eventually saying, "I got it."

""I missed it so much. It gave some stability to some parts of my faith that maybe were unstable," he said."

He stated that the monks taught him that daily, he had numerous chances to decrease the intensity of life and slow it down, and when one reduces the intensity of life, the intensity of God increases.

Whittaker resided with an Amish family in the Midwest for two weeks following his time at the monastery. The Amish are a religious community that shuns much of modern technology.

Obtaining permission to reside among the Amish proved to be a difficult task for Whittaker. Despite reaching out to numerous individuals, he was met with skepticism and reluctance from those who were hesitant to welcome an outsider into their community temporarily.

"After finding a sheep-farming family who welcomed me with open arms, I was able to immerse myself in Amish culture in just 14 days."

During his seven weeks without screens, Whittaker documented his experiences daily using a small, non-screen camera.

A documentary titled "Reconnected" featuring compiled videos will be released on Oct. 25, he stated.

New habits

Whittaker has made changes that he says have improved his life, including the use of a smartphone, despite largely returning to life as it was before his experiment.

He informed Planet Chronicle Digital that the book isn't focused on the negative aspects of phones, but rather on the beauty of the other side of the phone.

"This book isn't about how bad phones are. This book is about how beautiful it is on the other side of the phone."

"Instead of establishing strict rules and limitations for my screen time, I discovered that by embracing curiosity, mindfulness, and slow eating, I naturally reduced my phone usage."

Whittaker now uses his phone for 3-½ hours a day, which is 4 hours less than his previous usage.

"I've regained half of the years I was losing before."

4 tips to cut down on screen time

Whittaker gave some advice on reducing daily screen usage.

1. Charge your phone outside the bedroom

He advised that the initial step is to cease charging your phone in the bedroom and instead charge it in a different room.

"Purchase an alarm clock, despite its outdated and unusual appearance, it will only serve the purpose of waking you up."

2. Don't pick up your phone right away

Whittaker advised against checking phones for at least 30 minutes in the morning.

"Savoring your coffee is what makes it taste so much better," he said.

3. Subscribe to print media

Whittaker prefers to read a physical newspaper instead of frequently checking a smartphone app.

4. Use the 'do not disturb' feature

He informed Planet Chronicle Digital that he had permanently set his smartphone to "do not disturb," which means he never receives a "ding."

Whittaker has configured his phone to allow only his assistant and family to instantly contact him.

"I never receive notifications or feel a buzz," he stated.