We live in an age where entire camps (okay, one camp) have been set up in order to help adults unplug our devices and reconnect with the people and things around us. Crazy, right? But here are some facts that may just change your mind about the necessity of such a place….Shall we begin?
A survey by 1500 adults by One Poll recently found out that Britons spend 62 million hours a day on social media. Another study found that the average person checks their phone every six and a half minutes, averaging about one peek every 2 and a half minutes. And what about you-how much time are you spending on your phone every day? Well, there’s an app that will let you know exactly how many minutes a day you spend staring at that tiny screen in your hand.
Maybe that detox camp isn’t sounding so silly now?
We understand how hard it is to really disconnect these days, with many people using a computer all day at their office job, then spending the evenings and weekends (and breaks, and lunch and the train home….) connecting with friends-often via all the various forms of social media that are available to us. So here are a few tips for helping your office friends go cold turkey! Share the love, and disconnect with us. You’ll be all the healthier and happier for it!
1. Leave work at the office
Back in the good old days (we’re sounding a bit ancient now, but stick with us), no one was really expected to get back to a client phone call on a Saturday afternoon. But not much has changed now, honest, and it is often the pressure we place on ourselves to immediately respond to everything that provides this unwarranted stress. Place a moratorium on checking your work emails out of work hours, and go email free from Friday evening until Monday morning. Soak in all those good feelings. And if you get your whole office to do it, no one will be left feeling like the guilty odd one out.
2. Trim down the apps
If you spend a lot of your 9-5 on the computer, do you really need to have Facebook on your phone as well? Try taking Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, et al off your phone for a week. How does it feel? Are you really missing out on anything? Probably not. And you may even like it that way.
3. Take a night (or day) off
To gently ease into the world of digital detox, make your Wednesday night digital free. Sign up for a class at the local gym, or have friends round for board games and a few drinks and nibbles. Or maybe make sure your Sundays are a bit more quiet with no computers and no phones allowed. Go old school and read a book, head outdoors for a brisk walk, or check out a local museum for a different kind of visual and mental stimulation.
4. Unplug everything
This is where things get serious. Say you just don’t have the willpower not to instagram your dinner? Can’t ignore the newest notification on your phone? Turn it off! Unplug your router for a serious deterrent from hooking up to the WiFi, and see how long it takes you to relax. Put your phone in another room when you come home from work, and don’t look at it again until the morning. Deep breaths. You can do it.
5. Sleepytime for tech
Studies have shown that interacting with your iPhone and its soft blue light late into the night is having disturbing effects on sleep patterns due to its suppression of melanin production, making overuse potentially harmful to your health. Set a time when all electronics are put away and turned off for the evening. Preferably at least an hour before you hit the hay, if not longer. Then revel in truly uninterrupted sleep. Sweet dreams!
