Digital Detox - Make someone's day with a present in the post

 

I've touched on it a few times about how intense the 21st century can be on us, and just how switched on we actually are every single day of the week. Sometimes not being able to shut off and connect with life in a more personal way because of being addicted to smart phones and our online presence really can hinder our life in some unexpected ways. When did our online lives become more important than the ones we live in real life?

 

I had no idea about these facts, but every single minute over 65,000 pictures are posted on Instagram and more than 208,000 on Facebook. That's insane! I thought those numbers would have been high just for a full day's statistics, but hearing that those are every single minute is shocking.

 

That means within 24 hours, 1,560,000 images will have been published on Instagram... It kind of leaves me speechless. I know there are 7 billion people in the world, so 1.5 million is small in the grand scheme of things, but if you think about it, it's huge.

 

Every single minute over 65,000 pictures are posted on Instagram and more that 208,000 on Facebook.

I absolutely love Instagram and my social media, don't get me wrong, I can't be without it. It's an amazing way to connect with people overseas and find new friends, but I'm wondering just how much social media is too much? I'm not one for Facebook, but by constantly checking in and updating your status at every given opportunity and place, are you really enjoying your time at that place and being fully present in the situation? By being glued to social media at a meal out, are you engaging in the conversation at the table?

 

I was looking around the other day when I was at a coffee shop and every single person was either on a laptop, had headphones on, or on their phones. I don't really frequent coffee shops often, but I remember when I was a kid, it was a place full of conversation and chatting, but it seems like it's gone the complete opposite way now. I'm guilty of this myself at every given moment. If I'm uncomfortable in a situation or sat around people I don't know, I will use my phone as my life and people that I'm familiar with are right there inside the phone, so it's a huge safety net. However, when it starts impacting my life, I need to step back, which is why I'm excited to be collaborating with ipostparcels.com on their Post For A Post national day which is  18th September ! So let me tell you more about it.

 

Google searches for 'digital detox' have increased by almost 50% year on year, proving that people do actually want to switch off sometimes and step away from the stresses of the internet, going back to basics. Plus, with mass sharing of photos and having posting routines and strategic schedules to make our profiles look pretty, have we lost the emotion that comes with it? I think so, so ipostparcels want to bring the emotion back to posting!

 

Myself and ipostparcels want to encourage people to send a more meaningful form of communication in the form of a handwritten letter or surprise parcel instead of sending a text or posting a message via WhatsApp or social media. A care package, a sweet 'just because' present, a personal memento, a letter instead of an email etc. to a friend or family member that lives far away (or close by - receiving presents in the mail is always fun!) would be heartfelt and appreciated. I took a social media detox yesterday (as I'm sure you all noticed from my Instagram) and took the opportunity to mail a personal gift to someone while switching off from social media for the day. So, what's my story?

 

I'm not the only one that's going through some bad health concerns at the moment - my mum is too. It's sad to know that hers is a lot worse than mine as she has diverticulitis that keeps getting infected, so she needs to have an operation to remove the damaged parts of her bowel. This is not so straight forward though because of a blood clotting disorder which means having the operation in the first place is actually life threatening. There's a lot more to it, but in short, it's not a great 'either or' situation and it's been so stressful and worrying. I know stress can make everything worse because of the way it impacts our bodies, so I wanted to send a gift to my mum to make sure she's remembering to try and relax and calm down.

 

I chose this gorgeous vanilla scented Buddhist candle to send to her as I think it's the perfect reminder. I've been following the Buddhist way of life myself for a couple of years now and learning more about it every day, so learning to meditate and calm myself down is extremely important. Taking 'me time' and de-stressing is something we all need to do on a daily basis to make sure we function at our bests, and I fear my mum just doesn't do that enough because of everything going on. I thought the Buddhist candle would be a great relaxing idea for her to enjoy the sweet scent and remember to meditate, so she can calm down.

 

I think the wrapping of presents is just as important as the gift inside the packaging though, as it really shows your thoughts and personality in what you choose. You can either complement the gift with wrapping paper that reflects the present, or you can choose something that's unique to the personality of the receiver, or why not just go for something beautiful and unrelated?

 

 

I chose to go with some pretty purple floral paper as my mum loves bright colours, but as she's really into flamingos right now, I thought the flamingo present topper was a great final touch so she knows I've got her in mind. The green bow and the purple hang tag work perfectly with the print on the paper, and since all of these are not related to the gift in any way, I think it will be a complete surprise when she opens it! I'm just waiting for her to say she's got it!

 

For reasons of not wanting this delicate candle to get damaged and for it to be completely hidden, not giving anything away, I went with a brown cardboard box to pack it inside and wrap up...

 

Making sure I got it as neat as I possibly could! It's a present after all...

 

And voila! This is the final gift! The Buddhist candle was wrapped up safe inside with bubble wrap (a must have for delicate gifts like this) and I don't think the gift wrapping gives anything away at all! In actual fact, it couldn't be more opposite since it's bright and colourful, while the gift inside is relaxing and calm. It's been posted and I think my mum is going to love it! That's the reason I love the idea behind this campaign with ipostparcels. A random act of kindness is something we can all do and make someone's day. It's easy! 

 

Recent research has shown that half the UK (48%) says they’ve never sent a surprise parcel to someone they know - but, 84% of us say we’d be more excited to receive a surprise parcel in the post, than a text or DM on social media.

So, ipostparcels has launched an initiative to encourage more people to send physical forms of communication like handwritten letters, thank you cards and surprise parcels.

 

So, are you going to take the social media break for a day and send someone a surprise parcel? If so, I'd love to know what you're going to send them! 

 

Share a picture of what you posted and the story behind why you posted it with the hashtag #PostForAPost.

 

 

*Post created in collaboration with www.ipostparcels.com 

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