Do you check your phone before sleeping and as you wake up in the morning? Are you hooked over your laptop the entire Day? Do you keep checking your phone every hour? Do you get glued to iPad during your travel? If yes, you seriously need a digital detox cation!
Our lives have become full of screens. We wake up to them, we come home to them, and we carry them all the day in our pockets or bags and do not even miss a single notification. However, experts warn that this constant exposure could be damaging our health.
Technology surely is useful and educational and it allows us to connect with one another. It is one of the sources of education, creativity, and enjoyment. I myself can’t think of disconnecting with these gadgets even for a moment.
But if it begins to distract you, your job, and education or negatively affect your relationships, it becomes dangerous. So, it is fine to periodically unplug yourself from these at times. It might sting a bit at first, but to keep your mind and soul at peace, you will need to make that extra effort. Willing to give it a twirl?
However, it is not easy to stick to a much-needed digital detox. To avoid becoming a slave to your smartphone, or any gadget you need a level of self-discipline, self-control, and a digital break.
Here, we have listed a few tips that you could adhere if you seriously want to try digital detox cation.
1. Give yourself an allowance
You can set your time limit or restrict the time you spend using technology; cut down to a little so that you can focus on the “real world” and “real experience”. This way you will be encouraged to enjoy social life in person rather than through a digital screen.
2. Ensure to get enough sleep
Do not keep your phone beside you while you sleep, if you need an alarm to wake up in the morning, keep an alarm clock instead of setting up on your phone. You can read a book or any magazine before you sleep rather than using any gadget.
So, make sure you turn off all your gadgets at least an hour before you go to sleep. This way you will definitely spend some quality time with your family and spouse.
3. Leave your gadgets at home
Try leaving gadgets at home, or just going out without headphone or iPod or iPad once in a while. Rather than thinking life without gadgets is boring, listen to the chirping of birds when you go for a morning walk or jogging, have conversation with other people when traveling rather than indulging with your phone or iPad.
You might think you will miss a lot of things but no, if you don’t do this, you are actually missing out a lot in reality. Do not watch everything through a screen!
4. Turn off push notifications
To reduce digital dependency, you need to turn off your phone’s push notifications for social media apps, be it, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any app that sends you a notification if someone likes or comments on the post. You don’t have to completely switch off from your social media, rather what you can do is: set a specific time and duration to scroll through these apps. Fix it! This way you are not going completely offline rather choosing when to access your social media and networks. Isn’t it great to have a set routine?
5. Switch to Airplane Mode while working out
Many people use their phones to listen to their playlist while working out as listening music and working out go together and it’s pretty much fun. But stopping in the mid-interval to check your Instagram notification or liking someone’s post isn’t the most prolific way to burn calories. Before you head to your gym, make sure to switch your phone to airplane mode, this way you will surely sculpt a better body and peaceful mind. And you will focus more on your workout, not on social networks.
6. Do not use the phone while having meals
Do you often check your phone while having lunch or dinner at the dining table or when you are out with family or friends? Remember, dining while distracted by your phone undermines the whole experience. When we use our phones while we are spending time with our family or friends, apart from offending them, we experience less of everything. To enjoy the full experience, have a rule: if you are going out with anyone, do not use the phone much, just answer important calls. Ensure you spend some good time with them.
7. Rediscover Paper
You might have noticed reading a book feels more satisfying than reading a tablet. And it’s true! Books do not distract you much and according to research, when we read on paper, our mind process abstract information more effectively. So, get a newspaper or a book and read it!
Usage of a phone may be contagious. People are more likely to use their phones when others around them are also using the phones. It is a kind of domino effect. By using less of your phone or putting it away, you might be creating a positive domino effect.
So, why not start digital detox cation right now?
References:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/better/technology/9-ways-to-start-and-stick-to-a-digital-detox/
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18039/11-tips-for-your-next-digital-detox.html
