Numerous studies of phone usage suggest that on average people under 30 check their phones every 15 minutes.

Furthermore, social media platforms such as Instagram and tictok were rated as the worst social platforms for negative impact on our mental health. The science is crystal clear that digital technology is not making us healthier but rather negatively impacting our physical, emotional and mental health.

Today most people would find it hard to live without the convenience of our phone since we have slowly been conditioned to use it for our banking and communication between our family and friends. Just ponder about that, could you go without it for a week? Two weeks? Longer?

Is it time to test your reliance on your digital devices and detox your body for a healthier you? It's time to resist the tweets, pings and push notifications and step up for a digital detox. 

So why should we have a digital detox anyhow?

Get More Time

Less time on  the internet writing messages or doing work will obviously give you more time to do other things. But what would you do if you had not digital devices to use?
Read a book, write a book, have a bath, walk your pet, play a board game, talk to your partner, do yoga, go for a run, meditate, play a card game, do some gardening, make some woodwork, cook a new recipe, catch up with a friend, listen to music, walk in the park, watch a plant grow, daydream about your next holiday, do some painting, doodle a picture, pottery, make jewellery.. You get the idea.

Rewire Your Brain

A digital detox allows you to retrain your brain to focus on other tasks with laser precision. When you get in the zone without the distraction, you can achieve better results and help rewire those brain pathways to promote better thinking. You can’t fire clear messages when there are too many distractions or lack of focus. 

Reduce Your Stress

Constant dopamine hits result in our body being ready for stress. We are anxiously waiting for a push notification, social media reply, like or similar. It might not be severe but could even just be a message from a boyfriend or friend. Tech overload can cause anxiety and heightened stress hormones to pulse through our blood.  Even if you don’t reply to a notification immediately, the fact that you know it’s waiting for you is a distraction on its own. Embrace a digital detox in the evening or on your weekends and allow yourself to fully unwind and reset.

Feel Happier

Spending  time online with videos and texts can make you feel socially isolated as you have less connection with real humans. I am sure you would agree, there is definitely a difference between speaking to the same person face-to-face compared with speaking to them through text messages, video call or on the phone. 
When did you last meet up with friends at the park, on a camping trip or at a barbeque - without using your digital device?

Better Physical Health

When you are using your laptop, tablet or phone, you have to admit, your posture is not always the best, is it?
Hunching over, lying on the sofa or leaning over your desk is not good for your physical health. Furthermore too much screen time will have ia negative effect on your eyes and at the very least dry them out. Take a break and step away sometime.

Improved Sleep Quality

Besides creating general restlessness and telling your brain to ‘stay awake’, the blue wavelengths from your screens can change your melatonin levels at night, which results in you being more restless and unable to sleep. This might cause you to be in a loop and mean you use more screen time which again results in less sleepiness. Your bedroom should have a strict ‘no-phones’ policy and better still, keep a basket in a room like the kitchen to put all phones and devices into at an early time of the night.  Once they go in to the basket, you can read a book, have a bath or just chill out with family members and talk.

Increase Productivity and Creativity

According to a study at Harvard Business School, multi-tasking lowers our creativity and productivity. This means fast paced scrolling, flicking between screens and messaging will create patterns of lower creativity and productivity on more important things.
Going for a walk or meditating for ten minutes can help focus and then more important jobs can get done! Imagine what a day or two or more will do for your productivity and creativity!

Improved Relationships

Answer honestly, how often do you and your partner/parents/housemate have dinner in front of the TV or digital device? Hopefully not at all, but you might have answered that you do too much!
Taking a break from your digital devices will allow you to reconnect with your family and friends in the real world which will give you an energy lift and better relationships.