How to Practice Digital Detox and Reconnect with Yourself
The digital world is so overwhelming; the moment you enter it, there’s loads of content to consume. Be it a piece of news, an update from a friend, notification about a work meeting, a celebrity on social media, a movie, a music video, a controversial blog post, an entertaining podcast or a funny reel; the digital world can keep you glued for hours without you even realizing it!
If you do not take a deliberate pause, you may stay up all night or spend the whole day in front of the screen and still not get over it. However, although this kind of content consumption seems pleasurable, it is dangerously addictive. That’s the very reason, you should practice digital detox, which means consciously taking a break from the screen, to disconnect from the online world and reconnect with yourself.
While ‘staying connected all the time’ seems fun, as you can stay updated about what’s going on in every other person’s life, this behavior takes a toll on your overall health. Eye strain, disturbed sleep, increased stress, and no time with self, are some of the hazards of excessive screen time. Here we tell you how to practice digital detox and establish communication with yourself, as that is more rewarding, and helps you find inner peace amid the chaos around.
Tips to Practice Digital Detox
Know Why: Each time you pick up the phone or turn on the TV or computer screen, take a moment to understand why. Is it just because you think you are missing updates? Is it because you want to communicate with someone? Is it for entertainment, information gathering, or just out of boredom? Before you sleep, analyse if the content you consumed throughout the day was really useful to you. How many times did you use the devices for real work and how often did you use them for recreation? Understand for yourself if the screen time gave you joy or strained your eyes and brain. You will find that most of your screen time has actually drained your energy and forget recreation, the screen has actually given you stress. As the first step, find a reason to cut back on screen time and set it as your goal; it could be to get better sleep, or be able to spend more time with your family, or to reduce stress and feel calm.
Say No: Once you know that you are spending excessive time glued to electronic devices, learn to say no. A few times in the day, overcome that urge to pick up the phone. Once every sometime, take a break from the screen. When you feel like checking status updates on social media, deliberately stop and divert your mind elsewhere. Cut back on screen time by saying a strict no to yourself.
Schedule Breaks: If you are looking at the phone every 5 minutes, lengthen the gap to (say) 15 minutes, and gradually get into the practice of checking the phone only a few times in the day. If you are spending a certain number of hours before the screen daily, reduce those hours by taking intermittent breaks. If you are sitting in front of your computer for 8 hours at a stretch, every 2 hours, take a 10-minute break.
Set Zero-Screen Slots: Decide certain times of the day when you won’t grip any electronic device and none of the screens will be switched on. Decide to stay away from the computer or phone during mealtimes. Decide to use no electronic device while working out. As a basic step, at least do not use the phone while talking to someone. No multitasking, no watching TV or using the computer while also engaging in some other activity, like cooking, talking to a family member, playing with your kids or eating. At least, do not watch TV or consume social media content while sleeping. Better yet, keep some rooms of the house as screen-free or phone-free rooms, say, the dining room or bedroom, which means once you enter that space, you won’t use the TV or phone.
Ditch Digital, Embrace Real: Search for a real option to its digital version. For example, if you are tempted to see the status updates of your friends, get over it and see if you can meet a friend in person instead and spend time talking with them. Rather than using the phone to write your to-do list or grocery list, at least once in a while, use pen and paper. If you wish to read something, rather than browsing the internet, pick up a book or a newspaper. Instead of spending time looking at beautiful pictures of nature on your phone, go out for a walk in nature.
Allot Detox Days: Similar to how you follow a diet or reserve a certain day of the week for only-healthy food or only juices, or even better, similar to how you fast on certain days, go on a digital detox. What staying away from junk food is for the body, staying away from the digital world, is for the mind. The way fasting detoxes your body, not using the screen detoxes your mind. So, allot some time daily and few days in a month or 1 day in a week when you won’t use social media and when you won’t spend any time seeing the screen.
Declutter Your Devices, Organize Their Usage: During your digital detox period, log out of social media, or uninstall social media apps and other applications that keep you glued to the device. Turn off all unnecessary notifications. Keep track of your mobile phone usage. Set a time limit for the use of applications on which you tend to spend more time. Decide to switch off all electronic devices by a certain time and follow the rule strictly. You could use digital tools to block access to certain notifications or websites, so that your screen time is reduced. You could even decide certain days of the week when you won’t use certain apps, or restrict the use of some addictive apps to only once or twice in a week.
Downgrade Your Devices: If you are compulsively checking your phone or tab, or not being able to cut down your screen time, downgrade your device so that it is less alluring. You could change from a smart phone to an older version, so that you have less or no access to certain apps. If you cannot change your phone altogether, at least change the screen setting to a grey-scale so that the screen is less colourful and thereby less attractive.
Detox Together: Find a friend who wants to reduce his/her screen time. Find a buddy for your digital detox practice and follow some rules together. You could ask your partner or a family member to practice digital detox with you, so that you can keep each other motivated. It would be even better for the whole family to practice digital detox, so that there are certain no-tech zones created in the house, and timings for screen use and no-screen are fixed for the entire family. This will serve a dual purpose of each person finding his me-time as well as finding the time to bond as a family. So, unplug yourself from those devices, at least for a while, and experience the change it can bring about in your life. Practicing digital detox will improve the quality of your life, give you some time with yourself and your dear ones, and enhance your physical and emotional well-being. Away from the screen, you will be able to reflect on your life, find time for self-talk, reconnect with yourself and eventually, it will help you achieve inner peace.