Should You Do A Digital Detox? The Good & The Bad…
What exactly is a digital detox and should you go on one?
This is what an online dictionary describes as a digital detox:-
noun: digital detox; plural noun: digital detoxes
A period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.
I tried one a couple of weekends ago, and whilst I’m fully aware of the irony of you reading this right now on your mobile or iPad, it was a good experience, and one I will force myself to do every couple of months.
These are my findings….
Cold Turkey. For the first few hours I was subconsciously reaching for my phone and it dawned on me just how much Apple owns my ass.
Time. So much time was made available to me! I wrote a to-do list with old-fashioned pen and paper and I actually worked through it. Striking a line through a long outstanding job with my fancy pink Artline pen never felt so good!
Focus. I didn’t draft three things and leave them. I didn’t answer a Whatsapp message about an event, and then quickly browse The Iconic because they sent me a message telling me all my shoe sale dreams had come true. Basically, I didn’t spend the day cocking about on my phone and I really had time to focus on me, and what I want to do with my life next week, next month and even next year.
Anxiety went up, then down. First of all for no reason other than not knowing what the world was up to and who had posted what they had for breakfast, my anxiety shot up. I restrained from hitting up my Twitter feed and Instagram and soon enough I really didn’t care that much about a new hipster croissant shop opening in Melbourne that I would never ever visit anyway. I actually took a walk and found a new breakfast spot of my own!
Sleep. No scrolling my phone late into the night meant my sleep patterns returned and I had a couple of really good nights of sleep. The best tip for someone who struggles to get off to sleep is to pick up a book, not a kindle, or your iPad, a real life book before you head off to the land of nod.
Yes, I’m back on all the classic social platforms now, but I am training myself to have allocated times and take a break now and again. I’m lucky that my book reviewing and freelance work forces me to shut down for a bit, but I whole-heartedly recommend a weekends leave from our digital overlords now and again. It will only do you good, I promise.
Share with anyone you think needs a Facebook famine!
Duffy x
