The Importance of a Digital Detox
Just like many people, I have been completely aware of my dependency on my digital devices for a long time. The question is, even though we are aware of it, do we ever do anything about it? There is certainly room for improvement and management within our technological lives, and people are now calling their electronic breaks a “digital detox”. However, making a plan for a digital detox requires targeting certain challenging behaviors when it comes to the technology in my life. One of my main challenges is the fact that whenever I have the slightest bit of down time, whether it be a couple hours before bed, or a couple seconds in between conversations with people, I immediately look to my cell phone. This is something I have been especially noticing during times of quarantine where I had much greater amounts of down time. My phone usage was already bad enough, but it got even higher now that I do not leave my apartment as often. My second behavior that I have noticed is that my technology has constantly made me anxious about the people in the world around me, and how I can compare to them. Specifically, influencers and the standards that they create, as well as checking to make sure that my friends are not making plans or doing anything without me. This has just overall made me a more stressed out human being. Overthinking is something that I have always struggled with, so my phone is just another thing to enable those thoughts. These two habits within my technology life are the ones that I feel are the most challenging to me, and why I should maybe consider a digital detox for my own wellbeing.
In order to get some ideas for how to help myself with these challenges I am facing, I read the article “What’s all this fuss about “digital detox” — and does it really work?” from vox.com. Thanks to this article, I got some ideas on how to implement ways to limit more of my technology time, and clear my mind. The first idea that was listed that I need to do more is simple, just turn it off. For example, when I am sitting in class, I will power my phone down so that I am less tempted to check it during class or during down time after I am done with my work. Instead, I can be more productive and get other work done, chat with my peers, or doodle/read. Another example is when I am out with friends or family, I can communicate with people where I am and when I will be home, and then turn my phone off to be more present with the people I love. I think that this idea will make me much more “in the moment” with the people and material I am learning around me, and will definitely benefit me in the long run. The other idea that I am going to try is app limits. I spend a lot of time on certain apps that are bad for my mental health, such as looking at fake influencers on instagram or constantly worrying about what I am missing out on with my friends on snapchat. If I was able to limit my exposure to these apps everyday, I think my stress levels would improve greatly. I am going to attempt to set limits on my most frequently used apps, and see what type of affect this has on me over the next couple weeks.
A digital detox is something that is important for everyone to consider nowadays. We are a society that is so technology dependent that it is taking a large toll on our mental health, and we all deserve a break, even if we don’t think we need it. Doing my research on the benefits of a digital detox has opened my eyes to the challenges that I face every day being so dependent on technology, and it has motivated me to attempt to make a change in my everyday technology use.
