First up - The Digital Detox - why should we consider this? How do we know we need one?As many of you have seen, I have came off social media recently. It wasn't easy to do at first - removing what had become a part of my daily routine for a long time! However, after I had done it I actually felt a sort of relief! In order to get yourself into the frame of mind to do a digital detox, think about the potential negative impacts digital use may have on your life. What constitutes ‘too much’ [digital usage] will always be up to the individual to assess and determine. Some examples are: Comparison syndrome (you feel you’re not as good as others), depression, stress, anxiety and fear of missing out (FOMO); Inability to focus; Lack of connection or intimacy with people in your real-life relationships; Eye strain, dry eye, back and neck strain, repetitive stress injuries Sleep disturbances or insomnia, which can be caused by the blue light emitted from screened devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablets.
We are available 24/7, and are expected to be responsive 24/7 - the more apps we have, the more frazzling notifications demand our response and reactions. The world is at our fingertips via that precious small rectangle we keep in our pockets constantly. We can have same day delivery on anything we want, access to endless entertainment - so why are stress levels, anxiety, and sleep dysfunction at an all time high? Why are we now, as a society, more unhappy than we ever have been? Have you ever thought about something that you wanted to research, picked up your phone, and ended up watching a cat play a xylophone and completely forgot what you had wanted to search for? You're not alone! Focus is fast becoming a golden skill, thanks to endless sensory stimulation, distractions, constant entertainment, countless apps and channels all fighting for our attention. Not only is it extremely addictive, but we are made to believe this connection to the world wide web is essential, our lives are richer, better, fuller and more informed. (Is this true when we go back to the stats which show us as more stressed out and exhausted than ever?) The thing is, many of us agree we are actually more disconnected than ever, and studies have backed up this collective feeling. I did have the "Fear of missing out", but when it came to it, I feel like I have gained more time for myself, loved ones, podcasts and books, and more time even for boredom (which is a good thing, time to daydream is extremely relaxing, and important for checking in with our desires, hopes and dreams!). Shares of days out, food, opinions and more cats on xylophones are all I seem to have missed. My time spent with friends and family feels more valuable when i haven’t already known their news via a daily scroll. I have popped a couple of links to Youtube videos which discuss these points brilliantly, the Max Strom one is only 18 minutes and highlights some excellent and important points, which can help pull us closer to healthy balanced anchors, paving foundations for more peaceful and naturally balanced ways. I have watched it a few times and got so much from it, I recommend a watch highly! To slow down, pause, and take your attention away from external distractions, is very calming and healing. Machines and computers are designed to be perfect, constant, always charged and ready to go no matter what! Although we use these in our lives, it's important to remember we humans are not built to behave in such ways. Putting down our perfect intelligent devices, reminds us we are in fact human, and unlike machines are cyclic and flourish so much better when we respect our nature and need for rest, respite, and ebbs and flows of energies and states. Some days you will feel like a Duracell bunny! Others your body feels heavier, energy lower, and you should allow more rest, and practice not only accepting these natural ebbs and flows, but embrace them. No one tells the trees they are failures for not being in bloom 100% of the year, so why should be under such pressure to be "in bloom" all year round? It is no wonder stress and sleep dysfunctions are at a record peak - Netflix admitted their biggest rival is sleep! Be kind to your human nature and move away from the machine-like patterns of daily life. This journey towards Essential Balance is continuous. Like nature, we ebb and flow, adapt and change constantly, and to maintain health and wellness we must tune in and nurture our finite and beautiful selves. Choose where your precious energy and attention goes, and try to make space for moments of quiet, peace, and being device free. Then build to longer minutes, hours and who knows, if it feels good for you even days or removal of some apps permanently! Don't feel like you must achieve these things, simply welcome device free time back into your life with enjoyment. Our devices can be amazing, and I am aware of how much I need mine for running a small business. However to be more conscious of our usage helps us find and enjoy more meaning with our time. I promise it feels good, pay attention to yourself instead of notifications this evening. It can even be quite liberating :) “If something is free, you are the product” - Wise person talking about apps. __________________________________________________________ A digital detox could look like this:• Not checking your phone until 10 in the morning
and turning it off after 7 in the evening. • Set and publicize specific business hours and only
reply to business messages during those hours. • Put your devices in “jail” — put them away in a
drawer, storage container or other location where you don’t have easy access
for whatever period of time you designate as the no-device usage period. • Select a specific slice of your digital life to
detox from. Maybe one week you want to restrict or not use at all your gaming
system and another week you do the same for your smartphone. • Designate digital-free time, such as you won’t use
digital devices or social media for one entire hour each day or for an entire
weekend or one day a week or at the dinner table during family meal times.
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