Newspapers around the world shed light on technology influence concerning mental and physical health. Not only staring at a near focal point for long periods of time is detrimental for eyesight, but certain behaviors such as watching short videos can reduce attention span (and already did). Social media sets unachievable beauty standards for women, causing other health problems such as body image issues and eating disorders.
Nowadays, a so-called technology fasting is recommended from time to time. On this blog post, we will cover some of the benefits and a very good method to adopt for technology withdrawal.
Index
Benefits
Better sleep
Several studies prove the negative impact of devices usage before bed or late at night, as blue light can disrupt sleep induction and pattern. Avoiding this nocturnal behavior can dramatically improve quality of rest after some time.
The less amount of light exposure at night, the better. Activities of listening to music or watching videos can dramatically influence sleep, it prevents melatonin from building up, causing the person to feel very awake.
Anxiety-free
Mental wellness is impacted by the use of technology, primarily social media. Every time a phone's notification is heard, anxiety comes up to inform of a new message or social media information. And shutting this feature off is not enough to avoid the urge to check; so a temporary disconnection can help, even if in the beginning it seems to increase before actually diminishing.
Self-esteem recover
Models and influencers lifestyles are often overrated, and that is due to the image they seem to show. After all, they are human beings as well and should be perceived as such. Little by little, more awareness is being raised concerning this aspect, and followers expect genuineness over utopia.
Teenagers and young women should be particularly careful with this phenomenon, taking quality time away from devices. Healthy habits, spending time with family and friends helps to reduce these nefarious effects in a long term.
More time
On the twenty-first century, time is more precious and valuable than ever before as life rhythm goes by in a much quicker pace. A sad reality is to spend hours scrolling quick videos or posts almost endlessly, which has happened to anyone owning a social media account; a lot of wasted time, unproductively.
Distractions removal and taking real advantage of time are essential to combat it, having a well thought method along with a little bit of discipline and will power, can dramatically change this scenario. We prepared a set of steps below to help you spend your time more wisely.
Screen-free method
Change can be scary and difficult to get used to, however it enables humans to improve their habits, routines and overall lives.
To help you in this offline journey, we have established a few guidelines to implement in your routine in order to distance yourself from technology, one day at the time.
Focal points:
Set a goal: what is your main goal(s) for this tech pause? Establishing a goal will help you prepare the best plan, suitable to your routine and needs.
Examples: learn a new skill or language; spend more time with friends, family or by yourself; do your favorite hobby; start building that dream company, etc.
Find alternative activities: it will depend on the goal you have set, it can be leisure related, learning based or work focused.
Create a tech-free space: equipping yourself with other activities and a safe, quiet place to spend time in, will determine your level of success.
Determine the time frame: how long do you intend to be offline, and what does your daily schedule looks like? If you think that a few days without looking at a screen feels too overwhelming, start small, a few minutes per day. On the other hand, if you want to finish a project and need that time to let those creative juices flowing, then you will have to reconsider the time period.
Notifications vs power: here comes the most important decision, are you going to turn off your notifications only or your phone completely during the detox? Weighting the pros and cons of this decision is very important, do it cautiously.
Screens off: the time before bed should be saved to disconnect. Start a habit of turning off your devices before going to sleep and enjoy the health benefits.
After pondering about this matter, it is important to remind the importance of technology withdrawal; lower stress and anxiety levels are thrilling news, mainly among workers with demanding jobs. Sleep can also improve dramatically, if there is an early disconnection before bed. When taking action, remember the main goal, avoid spaces highly equipped with technology to escape the temptation, prefer parks and other nature rich places, set up your time and make sure you are ready for it.
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