Digital Detox: Because Even Your Smartphone Needs a Break from You
Isn’t it ironic that to do digital detox you have to use your gadgets to find out how you can do it? Thinking about not being able to use our smartphone for a few hours or even minutes is enough to give us withdrawal symptoms. However: you can do it! There are numerous benefits to doing so: some of them include winning $10,000.00 for ditching your phone for 30 days.
What is Digital Detox?
Digital detox is stepping away from screens—laptops, tablets, phones, and televisions to regain control of focus, time and attention span. It’s about controlling the urge to use your gadget when you feel even the tiniest bit of boredom, instead of connecting and engaging with the world and people around you.
Social media is one of the major culprits of dividing our attention and affecting our mental health. How many times have you felt disappointed that your recent post only got several likes and one of your closest friends did not even comment? Studies have shown that high levels of screen time can make us depressed and anxious, decrease our productivity, and even strain some of our relationships. Temporarily unplugging can reset our mental state and reclaim our time (for the record, we’re recommending a break from social media and constant phone use, not unplug your laptop or computer—you still need to work, those bills aren’t gonna pay themselves!)
Reconnecting Relationships
One of the aspects of our lives that suffer because of screen time is our relationships (and no, sending countless memes and reels to your friends does not count as “quality time”). When we are glued to our screens, our interactions with others are shallow and superficial. Thinking that liking a friend’s post or commenting with emojis is enough to show them we care is one of the perils of being constantly online.
Reconnecting with the people close to us by doing a digital detox is tough, especially since most of us require us to be online for our work. But by doing so, we can benefit from:
Quality Time with Loved Ones: A digital detox encourages us to play creatively with our kids or to have deep and meaningful face-to-face conversations with our friends and family. Without the distraction of notifications that someone “loved” your profile picture, you can give your undivided attention in conversations.
Reduced Distractions: Have you ever been to a party or a dinner with friends, but everyone else is bowing down, not because they’re praying but because they’re busy scrolling? By unplugging, you make room for more genuine interactions, and people will also see you as welcoming and open instead of unapproachable because you are glued to your phone.
New Memories: Being present in the moment, you’re more likely to participate in activities that create new memories. Whether it’s enjoying a meal together without pings and dings or gossiping about your vile relatives while drinking Chardonnay, these experiences strengthen your relationships.
Boosting Productivity
Beyond enriching your relationships, a digital detox can also help boost your productivity by:
Improving Your Focus: Multitasking or constantly stopping to check your phone can impair your ability to concentrate, especially if you’re working on an important project. By taking a break from your phone, you’re training your brain to focus on one task at a time, enabling you to complete your project more efficiently and accurately.
Enhancing Your Creativity: The digital world can overwhelm us with information and distractions; sometimes, it prevents us from being creative. A digital detox can provide a clear mental space that lets our imagination soar. With a quiet mind, we can think of fresh ideas and more creative breakthroughs.
Boosting Better Sleep: Children and toddlers get cranky when they don’t sleep enough. Since we can’t throw a temper tantrum because we only slept a few hours last night, we become less productive. By steering away from blue light emitted by screens, our sleep patterns can significantly improve. It may be a good idea to charge your phone in a different room than you sleep in, so you’re not tempted to grab it if you wake up in the middle of the night.
Key takeaway
Doing a digital detox is more than just avoiding excessive use of gadgets; it is also taking the time to reflect and rediscover offline activities. Remember, the goal isn’t to ditch your gadgets entirely but to learn how to use them more consciously and intentionally.
