Camping might not be everyone’s idea of birthday weekend fun, but with only four days between my partner’s shifts (no time to go international as my heart is craving right now) Kananaskis was the next best choice.

I love the mountains. They are where I am happiest and where I love to be with my partner and my boys in all seasons. We’re a camping and hiking (and hopefully skiing/snowboarding 🤞) family and it’s been wonderful to see how being in nature helps our boys thrive. 

What I forgot is that south of Canmore there is limited reception. Not having access to technology for most of our holiday was fantastic and after you read this article, you might want to try taking a tech-free day, weekend, or holiday as well. 

With limited reception, the phone was used as a camera only (except for a few birthday messages while picking up milk in Canmore). There’s always so much to do and this time around, with an 18-month-old constantly on the go and curious about everything, there was never a dull moment.  

We were meeting up with my friend Alex from Australia while in Kananaskis, and forgetting there was limited reception made it difficult to connect to plan our hiking adventures. If I had remembered before we lost reception we would have been better prepared. 🤷‍♀️

The only other hiccough was on our hike to Edworthy Falls. Despite having the guidebook, making several attempts, and talking to other hikers, it remained hidden. A bit of a disappointment after hiking 10km (my stepson’s longest hike to date!) and it was only after we couldn’t find it that I regretted not having downloaded the trail map earlier… Lesson learned for next time!

We didn’t set out to have a tech-free holiday, but we’re so happy we did. 

Not only were we getting the benefits of spending time in nature, we were doubling up by powering down our devices for the weekend. 

One of the biggest benefits of unplugging from technology is connecting with your loved ones better. 

Shortly after my son was born I watched this powerful Ted Talk with 7-year-old Molly Wright. She doesn’t even mention taking a digital detox or unplugging from technology, but her point is clear: children need to connect, talk, and play with their parents and technology makes it harder to happen. 

In the city when I’m with my boys I am very conscious of using my phone. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen (I’m human!), but I do try to keep it to a minimum—no social media, no email, just quick checks to text or video call grandparents and Papa, to take photos, and sometimes to show photos (my toddler loves seeing pictures of himself). 

Sometimes it’s hard (I’m terrible at texting friends back, and I’m guilty of being on my phone when I should be working), but I want my sons to remember that I was present with them, that I played with them, that I had fun with them, instead of seeing me always on my phone. 

Want to connect better with your children, your partner, your friends, and your family? 

Try minimising your tech for some time, or try taking a tech-free break for a day, a weekend, or a holiday as we did. 

Some ways you can explore breaking free from technology for yourself:

• Turn off or minimise notifications from apps (do you really need them on?)

• Keep your phone on silent mode 

• Put your phone on airplane mode

• Have a technology-free hour every day (try the hour after waking and/or the hour before bed—you’ll thank me later!)

Some ways you can explore breaking free from technology for your family:

• Create boundaries for technology at mealtimes (no devices at the dinner table, or no devices at mealtimes)

• Set limits for screen time (the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends zero screen time for those under 2 and less than an hour a day for children aged 2-5)

• Enjoy a screen-free evening: play board games, go on a nature walk, create a scavenger hunt for the kids, read books, dive into imaginary play

• Take a tech-free weekend—challenge another family to do the same. What ideas come up? What becomes possible when we’re not on our devices?

In Burnout to Bliss, we’ll explore what a break from technology can look like so you can establish a healthier relationship with it. One that supports your goal of living a life you love. 

I’ll encourage you to be intentional about your use of technology. You get to decide how, when, and where you use it. You also get to decide how much time you spend on it. 

The average adult spends 4 hours and 37 minutes on their phone every day. 

4 hours and 37 minutes every day

That’s 32 hours and 19 minutes a week

129 hours and 16 minutes a month

1551 hours and 12 minutes a year

Yikes! And that’s the average adult…

And yet, many people complain about not having enough time to workout, to eat healthy, to do things they enjoy…

Lack of time isn’t the problem. Spending too much time on the phone is. 

How much time are you spending on your phone? 

Try a tech audit—over a day, track how much you’re using your phone. How much time are you spending on: 

• Social media? 

• Games?

• Online shopping?

• Work emails when you’re not supposed to be working?

Are you surprised by what you find? 

How do the results of the audit feel to you? 

Be honest with yourself—building awareness of how you spend your time is a key component in creating a life you desire. 

If you want to be more productive, set boundaries with your screen time.

If you want to be more creative, set boundaries with your screen time.

If you want to have more time for having fun, playing, and exploring (yes, be like a kid!), set boundaries on your screen time. 

If you want to improve your mental and physical health, set boundaries with your screen time. 

If you want to model healthy behaviour for your children and show them how to have a healthy relationship with technology, set boundaries on your screen time. 

If you want to live a life you love, set boundaries on your screen time. 

Taking a break from technology this weekend meant we were able to practise self-care with no distractions. 

We meal-planned ahead of time so we could eat healthy (and found a great recipe for peanut stew! DM me for a copy sent to your inbox!).

We were active every day, hiking to a couple of different waterfalls. We’re so grateful both boys love being outdoors—very few complaints even after a 10km hike to find a waterfall that remained hidden… they were troopers!

We grounded ourselves in nature. There’s nothing better for the soul than being in the mountains, enjoying the warm sun and the cool (glacial!) water, and watching the animals do their thing (groundhogs and mountain sheep were aplenty!)

We slept well, thanks to lots of daytime activity and minimum screen time (10 minutes of a downloaded Netflix movie before bed for the 7-year-old). 

Going on hikes provided opportunities to work on our mindset (we can do hard things!), especially for the eldest who occasionally needs reminding that he gets to choose how he feels and how he acts at any given time. 

We connected as a family, creating lots of fun memories together. So much love for these boys as they explore their world.

Going away for a weekend like this allows me to really bask in self-love. I now know I’m worthy of the life I’ve created for myself and that all my past experiences have led me to be here now. I’m proud of the life I’m choosing and I’m fully aware of how far I’ve come after years of being burnt out and wondering if that was all there was to life. 

If you’re feeling that way now (stuck in a burnout cycle, knowing you’re meant for more, that this can’t be it, but not knowing how to start making a change), you’re in the right place. 

I can help you. I’ve been there and I so get it. 

Living a life you love is possible. I am and so can you.