How many times a day do you pick up your phone? Check your email? Mindlessly scroll through social media?
Technology is all around us. It’s difficult to enforce work-life balance when you shut your laptop off at the office and then open it right back up when you get home. It’s even harder when you work from home, and your bedroom also serves as your office.
In this day and age, technology is a necessary evil. While it can make us feel more connected and efficient, it may also be harming our mental health, productivity, sleep, and relationships if used incorrectly. Keep reading to learn tips to do a digital detox and how it can help reduce your stress levels, improve your heart health, and boost your overall well-being.
Why will it help?
Screen time is commonly known to increase levels of anxiety and depression. But did you know that it can be hurting your heart too? By increasing your stress levels and decreasing your activity levels, screens can hurt our physical health just as much as our mental health. Too much screen time is associated with high blood pressure, obesity, low HDL cholesterol, increased stress, and insulin resistance which puts you at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease.
A digital detox will help you:
- Improve physical health: By spending less time on your phone, you’ll have more time to be active.
- Improve sleep: Staying up late watching tv or scrolling through social media can make it hard to fall asleep. By reducing your screen time, you’ll be able to fall asleep and stay asleep so you can wake up feeling energized.
- Improve relationships: Next time you’re at a restaurant, take note of how many people have their phones out. Screens can take away from quality time with others. Put the phone down and enjoy each other’s company.
- Boost mood: Spending less time comparing yourself to others on social media and freeing up more time to do things you love will help you feel happier and less stressed.
- Increase productivity: You may not realize how much time you are wasting on your phone everyday. When you start setting boundaries, you’ll become more efficient and productive.
Ways to reduce screen time
Start by tracking your screen time
You need to figure out your baseline so you know how much you want to improve. Most smartphones have a feature that tracks your screen time, pick-ups, and how much time you spend on each app. Figure out what your starting point is and set goals based on that.
Don’t eat in front of a screen
Eating in front of a screen takes away from the experience of eating. This can make it harder to be mindful and listen to your hunger and fullness cues, leading to overeating. It also takes away time you could be spending with others. Instead of eating dinner on the couch, spend quality time with your friends and family at the kitchen table.
Make your bedroom a screen free zone
One of our number one tips: do not lay in bed scrolling on your phone. You’ll lose track of time and stay up way later than you’d like. It will also make it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Keep your phone outside of the bedroom and start using an alarm clock to wake you up instead.
Don’t check your email after a certain time
Since the pandemic, the line between work and home is very blurred. If you find yourself checking emails at night after the workday has ended, make it a goal to set a boundary. After a certain time, put the laptop away and spend time refilling your cup.
Do social media free days
Social media can be addicting- sometimes you just can’t stop scrolling through those funny puppy reels! However, it can be a huge time waster and disconnects you from what’s most important. Try setting aside one day a week to completely disconnect from social media and be present.
Set a timer
It is very easy to get caught up scrolling through instagram. 5 minutes can easily turn into 30, so setting a timer for apps that you get sucked into easily is key to managing your screen time. For example, you can limit instagram to 30 minutes a day to help keep your screen time in check.
Reducing your screen time is hard work so don’t try to do too much at once and don’t beat yourself up if it takes awhile. Pick 1-2 things on this list to start practicing and set a goal to do a digital detox. You’ll be amazed at how much more time you have on your hands to do the things you love. You’ll feel happier and healthier when you disconnect from your screens and start reconnecting with yourself.
Want to learn more about how you can improve your heart health during American Heart Month? Check out the Living Well with Robin Stoloff Podcast where the B.Komplete founder Beryl Krinsky gives insight into 5 key areas impacting your heart health!