By John Joyce
Detox diets have been trendy for decades as people look to hit the reset button on their health and wellness.
A more recent detox trend that continues to gain momentum is digital detoxing. The concept is simple – you set a specific timeframe to put down the devices and reconnect with the physical environment surrounding you.
Digital detoxing is easy to do, yet so hard to do. Technology isn’t just woven into our lives… electronic devices control our lives. Our smartphones continuously beep or buzz with notifications as emails, texts, DMs and push alerts arrive. Phones are pocket computers that allow us to stay connected with work, friends, family and society. They are on 24/7 – and that’s part of the problem.
Much like a diet, the hardest part is getting started. So start small. Try to put down the phone for one hour before bedtime, like many doctors recommend. Blue light emitted from screens is scientifically proven to increase alertness, which you don’t want before trying to fall asleep. That last check of work emails could reveal an urgent message that sends your mind spinning and heart racing. That last video when scrolling social media could make you laugh, cry, or angry, none of which helps you fall asleep. The National Institutes of Health notes in a research summary that “restricting mobile phone use before bedtime for four weeks was effective in reducing sleep latency, increasing sleep duration, improving sleep quality, reducing pre-sleep arousal, and improving positive affect and working memory.”
Once you take that baby step, try it for longer periods on a weekend. One hour can become two hours; two hours can become four hours.
FOMO is a huge reason why digital detoxing is so difficult. A constant fear of missing out forces us to continuously check our phones. What if I miss an important call? What if I don’t see an urgent text right away? When we’re participating in an important business meeting, watching a movie at the theater, attending church services or flying on an airplane, we aren’t connected and everything is always fine.
Numerous research studies have explored the benefits of digital detoxing, and the list of positive outcomes is extensive: better sleep, enhanced mental health, reduced stress and anxiety, less eye strain, sharper focus, increased productivity and stronger personal relationships with the people in our lives. The last part is the clincher. There are people in our lives – spouses, children, parents, friends, neighbors and co-workers – who are being ignored because we fell into a rabbit hole as social media algorithms kept pushing videos into our feeds, and five minutes of scrolling quickly turned into one hour.
And while you’re digital detoxing, consider another cleansing tool – digital decluttering. Most Americans have a drawer or box full of old electronic devices that are collecting dust. Most smartphones, tablets, laptops and monitors can be recycled, and retailers and manufacturers often issue credits or rebates on trade-ins that can be applied to purchases of new technology.
Tech may be critical in our lives, but we can still control it.
About the Author
John Joyce is CEO of Fort Myers-based CRS Technology Consultants. For more information, please visit CRSTC.com or call 239-542-8450.
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