Should You Try a Digital Detox?

Should You Try a Digital Detox?

By Stepy Kamei

Now more than ever, it seems that two things about spending time online are true. First, that we have more time and access to it than ever before. Second, it can very easily harm our mental health and well-being. Reading anything related to the news these days can be scary, upsetting, or disheartening. Meanwhile, studies have shown that the more time people spend on social media, the more likely they are to experience feelings of depression, anxiety, and general self-doubt and decreased feelings of self-worth. Simply put, going online can connect us with current events and the people closest to us -- but it can also create issues which impact our mental state of being.

Even if we manage to avoid stressing ourselves out from time spent online, it can't be denied that scrolling through social media is a massive time drain -- and you could be using that time to be with your family, loved ones, or work on your own self-care instead! In such a strange and uneasy time like this, it actually may be helpful to try out a digital detox (outside of work, of course). Keep on reading to learn more about this practice, and how it can benefit your well-being.

Digital Detox 101

Simply put, a digital detox involves disconnecting from your devices for a set period of time. This means no checking your cell phone, computer, or emails for the duration of your detox.

The length of time of your detox is up to you. Some people find that just taking one day a month to unplug can be enough to help them. Others find that setting up specific "off-the-grid" times throughout the week, or even throughout each day, is what they need to avoid getting sucked into spending an unhealthy amount of time online.

Consider what your time currently looks like, and what you'd like to have more time to do instead. If you're currently finding yourself stressed from reading the news, or feeling left out from friends' social media posts, consider setting up a website blocker so that you can only check these sites once a day (or even less often than that). You may want to consider removing certain apps from your phone as well so that you're less likely to absent-mindedly check on things.

If you're looking for a bit more of a challenge, maybe consider limiting your online time during the weekends so that you're only using your phone to catch up with friends.

Feel free to play around with different methods of digital detoxing in order to find which methods tend to work best for you and your needs. You may want to keep a log to record how you're feeling physically and mentally before, during, and after your detox, so you can see if it improved your life in any aspect.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Weston, Fla.