The Power of Presence: A Global Call to Digital Fasting

The 1111 Formula of World Digital Detox Day: A simple daily practice to restore the mind, strengthen relationships, and reclaim our humanity.

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For years, I’ve witnessed the same scene repeat itself across continents: families sitting together without looking at one another, professionals unable to unplug, children learning to self-soothe by swiping screens. The phone (once a tool) has quietly become a reflex, an emotional escape, a constant interruption between us and our own lives.

The data confirms it. According to DataReportal 2024, the average user spends more than 7 hours a day interacting with screens. A Harvard University study shows that screen overexposure disrupts emotional regulation, increases anxiety, and reduces sleep quality. The World Health Organization has also warned that excessive mobile usage is linked to chronic stress, social disconnection, and declining mental health in both teenagers and adults.

In response to this reality, World Digital Detox Day, celebrated every December 10, was created as an urgent reminder: we can reclaim control over our relationship with technology. And this global shift begins with one accessible, human-centered daily practice, The 1111 Formula.

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The 1111 Formula: Four steps to return to yourself

The 1111 Formula was designed to restore something most people have lost without realizing it: the natural rhythm of the mind. These four simple boundaries act as anchors, creating a protected space of up to 11 screen-free hours each day. This is not about rejecting technology, but about making conscious room for your life.

1. No phone during the first hour after waking
Neuroscience is clear: the first hour of the day sets the emotional tone. Checking your phone immediately activates the amygdala, triggers stress responses, and pushes the mind into reactive mode. Protecting this hour gives space for clarity, calm, and intention.

2. No phone during the last hour before sleep
Blue light, endless scrolling, and digital overstimulation suppress melatonin, disrupt circadian rhythms, and reduce sleep quality. By reclaiming the last hour of the night, we give our brain permission to rest and repair.

3. No phone during any meal
A meal without screens multiplies human connection. Research from the Journal of Child Development shows that screen-free meals improve emotional wellbeing, empathy, and communication. The table is a sacred space, and it deserves protection.

4. One full day each week without phones or social media
A weekly day without screens is not deprivation, it is reconnection. It heightens creativity, deepens presence, and recalibrates the nervous system. One day can transform your relationship with attention, time, and self-awareness.

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The Real Impact of Digital Fasting

Implementing the 1111 Formula not only improves emotional wellbeing, it reshapes habits, relationships, and health. Data from WDDD programs shows:

• Significant reduction in daily stress levels
• Sleep quality improvement of up to 32%
• Increased focus and productivity
• Strengthened family and relationship bonds
• More intentional use of time
• Lower compulsive phone-checking behaviors

Evidence is consistent: when we recover our attention, we recover our life.

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What We Truly Recover

We recover conversation.
We recover silence that soothes.
We recover the joy of play with our children.
We recover our ability to feel without distraction.
We recover purpose.

The 1111 Formula is simple, yes, but profoundly transformative. It teaches us to look into someone’s eyes again, to listen without interruption, and to remember who we are when we are not connected to everything except ourselves.

This December 10, I invite you to join this global movement. No matter your age, profession, or country, digital fasting is a universal practice of awareness and self-care.

Because a present life is a life that can be felt.
And a life that can be felt is a life worth living.