[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are surrounded by technology. Many of us spend quite some hours a day in front of the computer. If we add to that the use of the mobile phone and watching television, it means many hours in front of a screen.
Do you know the negative effects of an overexposure to technology? Find out what they are, if you need a digital detox and how to do it.
Signs that you need a digital detox
Different researches have determined that too much use of digital screens leads to changes in our brain. It affects the processing of emotions, the attention span and decision-making as well as cognitive control. When we use the computer, mobile or tablet and its applications or internet too much, our senses are overloaded and our attention span and ability to concentrate reduce.
These are the signs that you need a digital detox:
- Feeling of constant fatigue.
- Trouble sleeping or tiredness despite sleeping enough hours.
- Mood swings and irritability.
- Feeling of loneliness.
- Anxiety if you cannot use your mobile (nomophobia).
- Anxiety and need to immediately check app or email notifications (FOMO syndrome).
- You confuse followers in social networks with friends.
- To know how your friends are, you look on Facebook or Instagram instead of asking them.
- You compare yourself with the image that others project on social media which negatively affects your self-esteem.
- Eye fatigue.
- Muscle fatigue in hands or arms.
- Digestive problems and weight problems.
- Low productivity and procrastination.
- You feel stressed out.
- Decreased ability to make decisions.
- You fall sick more easily.
- Problems in your relationships.
Do you know the negative effects of spending too much time with electronic devices & in the digital world? Do you need a #digitaldetox? Click To Tweet
How to do a digital detox
If you have recognised yourself in several of the previous points, the time has come to detoxify. Today we are surrounded by technology which means this is not easy. But let us see what you can do to find a healthier way to relate to the digital world.
Why do you want to do a digital detox?
First of all, I recommend you find a good reason to want to detoxify yourself. It should be convincing enough to avoid faltering when temptation knocks on the door.
Do you think you need a #digitaldetox? How to avoid the temptation to return to the old habits. Click To Tweet
What use do you make of technology?
Not using technology at all for a while can be an utopian goal. If you work with a computer and you are not on holidays, it will be difficult to stop using it. But what I want is for you to think about the different devices you use throughout the day.
Which applications do you use and for what? How do you use the internet? How often do you check your mobile phone? Become aware of how often and how long you use technology. How much do you use it non-productively, that is to distract yourself, because are you bored or because you are anxious to know if there are news on social media?
Ideas for a digital detox
Let us see everything you can do to stop using your mobile phone or computer as a mere distraction and reduce the time you spend connected.
Disable all dispensable notifications
Remember that notifications are designed to tempt you to check your mobile phone. So disable them to the maximum. Maybe at first you feel afraid of missing something. But you will realise that it is really liberating not to hear your phone ringing every two minutes or seeing it full of unread notifications.
Unsubscribe from subscriptions
Choose the newsletters that really interest, help, inspire and motivate you. There will be newsletters that in the past where helpful but you have already learned everything they could teach you. There will be others that are only advertising and want to sell you something or tempt you continually with offers and discounts.
Unsubscribe without fear from anything that does not contribute to your well-being and personal growth. If you miss something in the future, you can always subscribe again. But that way you will significantly reduce the volume of emails you receive.
Uninstall useless applications
I also suggest that you uninstall all the applications that you no longer use. We usually have our mobile phone full of diverse applications, all trying to claim our attention. Well, the time has come to declutter.
Then consider which of the applications you use are a permanent distraction and temptation. What do they really provide you? Do you like to use them or do you need them? They may simply increase your temptation to see what others are doing, to compare yourself with them or get an external reaffirmation of how cool you are. Consider whether they contribute to your well-being or rather contribute to your anxiety and to undermining your self-esteem.
Is your mobile phone a constant #distraction? How to manage that it stops tempting you. #Nomophobia #FOMO #DigitalDetox Click To Tweet
Leave groups
How many WhatsApp or Facebook groups are you in? What do they really do for you? Do you use them to keep in contact with friends or to organise meetings? Do they inspire and motivate you or help your personal or professional growth? Or are they just a distraction? I suggest that you choose the groups that provide you something positive and useful and abandon the rest.
Stop following those who do not contribute to your well-being
Are you envious of the supposedly happy life of others? Does it make you feel like you are not enough, that your life is not as pretty? Do you follow or are you connected with people on social media that actually make you feel bad or inferior? They may dedicate themselves to ranting or saying offensive or depressing things. They may simply make you feel bad because of all the images of their supposedly perfect life (remember that not everything that glitters is gold).
Then stop following them on social media or block them. You may think: but they are my friends. However, not being connected on Facebook does not mean losing contact outside the internet, if you do not want to. As well, it can be an opportunity to reflect on the type of friendship that unites you.
Could you be hooked on social media? What does it do for your #wellbeing and #selfesteem? #FOMO #DigitalDetox Click To Tweet
Establish rules
Also set up rules and schedules for the use of computer, mobile phone and television.
- Start by deciding the hours for using your phone or computer. Before or after that time you will leave the technology alone. For example until after breakfast and before dinner.
- I also recommend that you do not bring your smartphone to the table during the different meals.
- Do not take your mobile phone to the bedroom. Rather use a traditional alarm clock. This will improve your nighttime rest and help you avoid the temptation to use your mobile phone just before going to sleep or right after waking up.
- If you know that you watch too much television, start to consciously choose the programs you want to watch instead of zapping around mindlessly. I also suggest that you stop watching TV during meals. That way you will also pay more attention to what you eat and the chewing process and thus improve your digestion.
- Decide a maximum number per day to check social media. This point will depend on whether you use social media only on a personal basis or also for work. If it is only personal use, you should be more radical.
Find yourself offline entertainment
Remember your interests and hobbies that do not require the use of technology. You might like to draw, do crafts, garden, cook or play an instrument. If you like reading or doing crosswords, choose paper books and magazines. Go for a walk, running or practice another sport.
Make plans like going to a museum, to the theatre, to the amusement park. Organise a trip to the countryside. Put order in your home. There are endless activities for which you might not have found time due to being too busy surfing the internet and social networks.
Reconnect with people
Instead of sending a message, call this friend with whom you have not spoken for a long time. Meet with someone and enjoy their company without technology separating you. Maybe you can organise a lunch or dinner or an afternoon of board games at home.
You can even challenge yourself and your friends not to use the mobile phone during your hangout. The first one to take it has to wash the dishes alone or pay for the food (if you have met at a restaurant) or whatever comes to mind as punishment.
Train your willpower
Keep in mind that whoever is sending you a WhatsApp message does not know your agenda, if you are in meeting or what you are doing at the moment. So try not to succumb to the temptation to look at your phone every two seconds or to answer everything right away. Do you really think you are going to miss something life-changing if you do not look at the latest WhatsApp message right away?
As you train your willpower and you lose the habit of checking emails and notifications every other minute, you will also feel less of a need to do so.
Do you spend much time online? How to manage to use technology in a responsible & healthy way. #Nomophobia #DigitalDetox Click To Tweet
Disconnect completely
You may spend your life surrounded by technology. Maybe you use it for your work in addition to the personal use you make of computer and mobile phone. Perhaps you only use it on personal level but you have become hooked to the extent that your smartphone seems an extension of your body.
So then limiting the hours of use may not be enough. Thence take advantage of the next days off to give yourself a shock treatment. Whether you go away or not, organise only activities in which you do not need your mobile phone. If necessary, inform close people that you will be disconnected and how to locate you in case of an emergency.
Once you return from holidays and in order not to fall into the same old routine, I suggest that you consider choosing at least one day a month, if possible once a week, to spend it completely offline.
Keep calm
You may get nervous at first with all these changes. But resist temptation and you will overcome the craving. The more you reduce the use of technology, the less you will feel the need to use it. You will use it more responsibly and productively instead of simply to distract yourself or because you are bored.
Benefits of a digital detox
Detoxifying yourself from the digital world can improve all of the symptoms mentioned earlier. To stress a few points:
Stress relief
Detox will help you reduce the fear of missing out (FOMO) and nomophobia, which will relieve stress and anxiety. This will also improve your mood. You will feel calmer and more peace of mind.
Increased well-being
In addition you will suffer less from eye or muscle fatigue, digestive problems or other health problems. You will also notice greater confidence in yourself when you stop comparing yourself so much to others. You will enjoy your plans and experiences more when you are less busy sharing them on social media than actually living them.
Higher productivity
Distractions harm our productivity. If you keep an eye on the notifications you receive, you will not really focus on your work. In addition, information overload impairs your ability to retain information. When detoxifying yourself, you will improve that ability as well as your creativity. Because when do you usually have your best ideas? While surfing dumbly on the internet or rather after getting up in the morning, in the shower or when taking a walk?
Improved relationships
When did you last have a good conversation without keeping an eye on your mobile phone? Are you used to being with friends and everyone being busier with their smartphones than enjoying the mutual company? Digital detox will help you recover the art of conversation and reconnect to your family and friends.
Doing a #DigitalDetox in order to use internet, apps and social media in a reasonable way has a series of benefits. Find out which Click To Tweet
Do you need a digital detox?
How do you relate to technology? Do you think you spend too much time in front of the screens of different devices?
Are you ready for a digital detox? What do you think will be most difficult for you?
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