How to Unplug: Why a Digital Detox Is a Good Thing

By Sara Butler

Vacations are for spending time with family and unplugging from your day-to-day life -- and so are the holidays. When you combine the holidays with a vacation, your intent may be to completely unplug, but the reality is that it’s much more difficult getting away from it all.

A remarkable number of people take their phones with them everywhere they go -- including on vacation. During the holidays, when the vacation is simply staying at home, it can make putting your electronic devices away for a good ol’ electronic detox a whole lot harder. But if you can do it, it can help you to be more present in the moment with your family and make those holiday memories.

It’s important to make time more meaningful and enjoyable by striking the right balance between staying in contact with friends and family without logging into your work or school stuff. Here are a few tips to help you navigate using your electronics less during a season when communicating and shopping makes staying plugged in a lot more difficult to go without.

Unplugging: What Are the Benefits?

When you unplug for the holidays (or a vacation), you’re doing more than just putting work, school, and other responsibilities on the back-burner for a few hours, you’re also making an effort to give your brain a break. This can help you to enjoy the little things you may miss otherwise, such as the company of those around you, a great meal with people you care about, and some downtime for your mind (something everyone needs from time to time).

This isn’t all simply made up, either. Studies show that unplugging from electronics can benefit you in many ways, including:

• Fight back against nomophobia - Some people are so connected to their smartphones that the fear of going without it has its own name: nomophobia. It’s not unusual for someone to check their phone many times per hour. When you cut your screen time, you fight back against this fear and make it less central in your daily life.
• Decrease anxiety - Being connected has its benefits, but it also has some very bad side effects, such as increased anxiety. Too much time spent on your smartphone or other connective devices scrolling social media and other sites can take a serious toll on your mental health. Taking time off during the holidays can help to lower your anxiety.
• Increase focus - Between going from app to app on your phone, or texting with people while also trying to make in-person conversation with people in the same room with you, focus can become quite difficult. Multitasking also leads to increased stress, further making focus that much more difficult.

Tips to Unplug

With all the benefits of a digital detox this holiday season, the choice of whether to do one or not is easy. The trick is implementing it -- and sticking with it. Luckily, there are some easy ways you and your whole family can unplug during the holiday season, especially if you’re vacationing away from work.

A few tips to help include:

• Make a good plan - Whether you’re looking to minimize your time on electronics or cut them out completely for a period of time, a good plan will take you far. Think about how you’re going to cut your smartphone or other electronic devices out of your day. If you need to be connected for work, then think about the minimum amount of time you need to be connected. Then, think about which devices you need. Will it be your tablet, your smartphone, or something else? Conversely, think about what apps or accounts you’re going to take a break from.
• Keep your phone out of your bedroom - How much time do you spend scrolling or catching up on email before bed? To resist temptation, you should keep your phone completely out of your room at night. If it serves as your alarm clock, invest in a regular alarm clock instead, or dust off your old one!
• Take time - You need to give yourself time to unwind. That might mean reading a good book, taking a relaxing soak in the tub, or playing games with your loved one. Whatever it means to you, enjoy the little things in life that have nothing to do with technology.
• Set up a vacation email - It can be difficult to give yourself a break from work when you have to check your email periodically. That’s why it can be advantageous to set up a special email while you’re away that funnels only the most important email your way. Share the address with those who you will need to stay in touch with and make sure to use filters in your regular email account to send important stuff your way.

Following these steps can help you enjoy the benefit of your digital tools when on holiday without sacrificing your presence with your family. Let the memory-making begin!

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