Digital Detox is a short period in which people completely voluntarily give up digital devices such as smartphones and stay away from social networks. The frequency and frequency of digital detoxification cycles depend on the individual. This has many benefits for the health of the body and soul. Learn more about digital detoxification and how to do it.
Why do we need digital detoxification? Review a repetitive example
To check the weather, go to your smartphone and connect to the Internet. You will receive a notification before you open the weather app! You will notice that one of your friends has shared pictures from his trip.
This is what usually happens in these situations: you forget the weather and you see the pictures. At the same time, open the phone browser app to get information about the destination your friend visited, the hotel where he stayed, and the tourist attractions he visited.
In the same searches, to see more pictures of the tourist attraction, you enter Instagram, where you also have new messages and likes to see. Maybe after an hour and choosing a destination to travel to with all the details, you remember that you just wanted to check the weather! This is a real experience of the time-consuming digital world.
Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smartwatches are always available to people. This constant access to the digital world causes people to lose their mental focus and become severely distracted. People feel dependent on connecting with people in cyberspace. Having a smartphone that helps you communicate is also considered a part of life. But in fact, these people have lost important parts of real life.
What is the opinion of experts?
Some psychologists and psychotherapists say that when people use smartphones, they become emotionally and mentally isolated from the environment and the people around them. These conditions can not only be a clear sign of addiction to social networks that cause people to face family, educational, and occupational problems.
You might think that using the word addiction to express the constant need for the digital world is an exaggeration, But this is not the case. According to experts, the use of technology, if it interferes with daily life, can become a problem and lead to addiction.
In the meantime, social media can be more addictive. In these networks, people approve of you; They like the images you share and follow the content and news you publish. You feel like you are being praised in the real world. Simply put, people feel good when others approve of them, and social media provides the opportunity for people to experience this good feeling on an ongoing basis.
Is it possible to distance oneself from the digital world?
You may not be able to imagine life without smartphones today, But it should not be forgotten that the life of today’s smartphones is only a little over a decade. As you know, it has not been more than 30 years since the Internet became a public network. Cell phones did not have many capabilities until they were replaced by smartphones. Even if we go a little further back, older cell phones had only two capabilities; One is to make a call and the other is to send a text message.
Digital addiction is a new phenomenon in human history. Along with the spread of new phenomena, social and cultural barriers also enter the scene to prevent them. In some countries, restaurants have banned the use of smartphones on the table, offering incentive schemes such as free desserts to their customers to encourage them to do so.
Also, some tech companies are encouraging their employees to have a digital holiday. On the digital holiday, people are required not to use electronics for a whole day or part of a day. In these situations, they can experience the non-digital realities of life. All of this can help with digital detoxification and quitting addiction on social media. But there is a more comprehensive method.
How to do digital detoxification?
Time and attention are some of the most important assets you have. Companies pay a lot of money to get these funds from you. To recoup these investments and have healthier days, you need to implement a constructive strategy. This is the constructive solution of daily management. To get started, you need to carefully review your daily routine.
Suppose an employee works long hours at a computer every day. This type of work may hurt him. He needs time without a computer to recharge his battery. This employee can do digital detoxification every day. He must have three inaccessible times in one day. Early in the morning and before work, at rest and lunch, and after work.
He should not use electronic devices in the early morning and after work, and he should control his use in the afternoon. Implementing this strategy will allow him to distance himself from the digital world, rest his eyes and hands, and prevent eye strain and repetitive strain damage.
If we look realistically, most people know how to get rid of digital addiction; Although it is not easy, they should use fewer smartphones. When you put away your electronics, you become stressed and your sympathetic nervous system reacts. It is a form of physical withdrawal and has symptoms such as drug withdrawal.
The ideal way to digitally detoxify is to go somewhere out of reach. However, this solution is not only realistic, it may also be ineffective in changing your long-term habits. For digital detoxification, you need to have technology-free times every day. To achieve this goal, you need to plan and use the right solutions.
Here are some tips to help you get started with digital detoxification:
1. Your smartphone does not have to be with you all the time
Try to put your phone or tablet in flight mode while you work. If you are at home and playing with children, leave your phone or tablet in another room. If you spend a few hours without these devices and do not notice their tempting warnings, you can eventually give up your habit.
2. Turn off your phone notifications
Not paying attention to notifications all the time helps reduce stress. In this situation, you feel you have more control over your thoughts and you can better manage your day. This can be the first step in getting started. You can set a specific time of day to review messages and turn on notifications only at that time.
3. Set yourself hours of contraindications
If you are on Instagram or other social networks 1 to 2 hours before going to bed every night, enable the time limit feature on your phone or tablet. After 9 pm, put your phone in one of the drawers and do not go to it until you are ready to go to work the next day.
4. Do not use the phone alarm to wake up
If the first thing you have access to after waking up is your smartphone, do not take it to the bedroom so you can quit. Buy an alarm clock and do not go to the phone until 1 hour after waking up. If this is a long time to start, start with 15 minutes and gradually increase this time.
5. Set rules for times and places without technology
Set rules for using technology in the home environment. Ask other family members and even guests to follow them. For example, do not bring a phone to the dining table, or if you watch movies with your family at night, the phones or tablets should stay in the bedroom.
You can even have rules for yourself outside the home; For example, when you go to a restaurant with your friends for lunch, no one should take the phone out of their pocket or bag. These restrictions may be accompanied by protests at first. However, over time, those who follow them will appreciate the opportunity it has given them to quit digital addiction.
6. Make the most of opportunities throughout the day
If the weather is nice, go out for a walk or run. Exercise at home if the weather is polluted or the weather does not allow it. You can set your phone to do not disturb mode and enjoy listening to music or podcasts.
7. Reward yourself with technology-free times
Take time without technology every day. You must be interested in activities, but you do not have enough time to do them. Times without technology are good opportunities to pursue hobbies. Set aside your phone and take advantage of the opportunity to your advantage. Studying, exercising, music, cooking, hiking in nature, and any activity that interests you and improves your mood are good rewards for giving up technology.
Digital detoxification with the help of digital devices
Today, the digital world also provides the conditions and opportunities for users to meet the need for “less technology in life.” Examples of these features are light phones. These small cell phones are no bigger than a bank card and have the essential capabilities of a cell phone. Of course, the modern look, the ability to connect to smartphones and manage some applications are other features of light phones. With light phones, smartphones do not always have to be with people and tempt them to be in the digital world.
Today, the demand for simple or classic mobile phones is increasing. In recent years, with the relative decline in smartphone sales, the share of simple mobile phones in the market has increased. This process shows a slow but conscious change. People are exposed to the digital world every day and with this change, they want to manage their presence in this virtual world. This management can include stopping use or better controlling it.
Conclusion
Today, the developments of the digital world have overwhelmed many of us and deprived us of the opportunity to live in the real world and have real fun. With digital detoxification, you can give yourself the opportunity to return to non-digital entertainment and non-digital life. By having digital detoxification courses, you will reduce the physical and mental damage of using digital devices and you will have a healthier and more productive life.
what is your opinion? Is life possible without digital tools? Do you agree that the digital world and the way humans use new tools today are harmful? Tell us about your ideas and suggestions.
