TIPS ON DIGITAL DE-TOXING

Digital De-Tox - Do We Need It?

Do we really need to detox? What's the issue?

Did you know that on average we spend almost 7 hours per day on digital devices. I appreciate that many people are desk based, however 7 hours is a lot of time!

In a previous blog, we outlined some of the impacts of spending too much time our phones, other digital devices and social media. In this blog, we aim to provide some practical tips on how to detox.

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Detoxing a stepped approach

Start with the small steps

1. Unfollow or de friend people who make you feel bad about yourself
2. Remove apps that don't make you feel good
3. Unsubscribe from email newsletters you don't read
4. Leave social media groups you are no longer interested in
5. Delete contacts from your phone
6. Think about things you enjoy offline....and plan to do them

Break negative habits

1. Don't take your phone to the table
2. Do 3 things in the morning before you look at your phone
3. Or don't look at your phone for an hour after you get up
4. Turn off notifications on your phone
5. Put your phone down for an hour each day (and don't check!)
6. Get outside in the fresh air
7. Don't check your phone an hour before you go to bed
8. Sit in a public place without your phone
9. Read a physical book, not an online one
10. Go for a walk (or any exercise) without your phone or technology
11. Don't charge your phone for a few days

Maintaining the new habits

1. Extend time away from the phone throughout the day
2. Don't look at the phone until later in the morning
3. Create a longer phone free window before going to bed
4. Set specific time limits on social media platforms

If you think a digital detox would be helpful, give a few of these tips a go and see how it feels.

Creating new habits, instigating change, can take several weeks so you be patient.

To track how you feel and if you notice any changes, why not try journaling so you see any potential changes.