Take a Digital Break!

What is a Digital Break?

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Reach for the phone, right? Me too. Nowadays, all of us are glued to our mobile phones most of the time. Not surprising right? It has all the information in the world and keeps us entertained.

It also keeps us connected with our loved ones. And most of us also spend a lot of time in front of the computer screen to do our job. It’s become hard to even imagine staying away from the digital world.

The Drawbacks of Scrolling All the Time

It’s undeniable that technology has many advantages but staying digitally available always is not without its drawbacks. How many times have you found yourself surfing the internet and jumping from one social media to another even while doing important work? I’m guilty of it. Am I still able to complete my work? Yes, but it takes a lot more time than it normally should.

It also creates a sense of false urgency where you feel like you’ll miss something important if you stay away from the screen. This is quite draining.

A good night’s sleep is required for a healthy life. But we often find ourselves scrolling through social media at night. This disrupts our sleep schedule as the blue light emitted by our device makes it difficult for us to fall asleep.

This constant scrolling and staying available online has made a huge dent in our ability to live in the moment. In other words, we are connected with the digital world but disconnected from the real world.

What Can You Do?

There’s only one thing you need to do. Simple, right? But it’s not easy. You need to take a digital break or do a digital detox. Yes, it’s not easy but it's not an impossible task. I’ve tried it. And if I can do it, you can too. Let’s check out some effective ways to take a digital break.

How to Take a Digital Break

Here are some ways to take a digital break:

No Mobile Phone Mornings

If you find yourself reaching out for your mobile phone as soon as you wake up, stop it. Create a morning routine that caters to your well-being. Make a healthy breakfast, exercise, meditate, etc. Do anything but stay away from tech.

Screen Time Allowance

You will have to use technology for your work so taking a digital break at work might not be possible but we can restrict the time we spend on technology after work. We turn to social media to wind down after a long day at work. This isn't bad but giving yourself a screen time allowance would ensure you don’t spend too much time online.

Connect to the Real World

Take up hobbies, meet your friends, read a book, or take a walk. There’s a big list of things that you can do to pass time instead of scrolling through your phone.

Disconnect Before Bedtime

One of the main reasons for our messed up sleep schedule is the use of mobile phones before bedtime. The blue light emitted by technological devices like mobile phones restrains the production of melatonin that controls your circadian rhythm. So ditch the phone at least an hour before bedtime.