Looking to digital detox? Here's what to consider

We've all had times when we've looked at our smartphones and wondered if we're a little too involved. Digital wellness expert Elizabeth Hughes explores ways to cut down.

We've all had times when we've over-indulged in our use of digital technology, particularly our smartphone. Like food, technology's not inherently good or bad - but it's important to be conscious of our consumption levels.

There's no doubt technology's made our lives easier, but if you're looking to consider a few ways to cut down for your mental wellbeing, here are five things worth thinking about.

Before you can cut-down on your smartphone use, you need to be conscious of what, when and how much you consume. One simple way is to "stop, breathe, check-in to you" each time you look at, hear, reach for, touch or enter the password on your phone.

This creates space to notice what is actually going on when you interact with your phone: What are the reactions, beliefs, urges and emotions that arise when you engage with your smartphone? Do you need more or less of this type of interaction to enhance your wellbeing, relationships or productivity?

Once you have a handle on your smartphone intake and its impact, planning your digital wellness routine is key.

Establishing tech-free times, like the hour before bed or the first hour after waking up, is the big-ticket item on this one. Harvard researchers recently found screens can disrupt melatonin production, sleep quality and mood, which can encourage life-altering health problems. If you're serious about this, banish all electronics from the bedroom and don't kiss your smartphone good morning until after breakfast.

While most of us don't like giving up our phone, recent research from the US and Canada has found that smartphones can ruin both our dinner experience and our concentration. To combat this, designate tech-free places, like the dinner table, car, family room, or staff meetings.

Apps are always keen to let you know when there's something new to get involved with, but that's not always a good thing. Notifications create another opportunity for your attention to be broken. To create distance between you and your phone, head into your settings and turn off notifications from apps to prevent them from interrupting you with another unnecessary serving of technology.

Your offline life is just as important (if not more) than your online life, but it's easy to amass friends and content on social media that don't add value to your wellbeing. If it doesn't give you joy, cut it out. Taking time to audit what you're really spending time on and what makes you happy is a great way to foster a healthy and balanced relationship with technology.

There's absolutely no doubt that technology has been a force for good in our world, but making sure we're using it responsibly is important - to our productivity, to our mental wellbeing and to vital functions like sleep.

Finding small ways to check yourself and performing a mini-digital detox is a great way to re-evaluate what really matters.

Elizabeth Hughes is a leading digital wellness campaigner, executive coach and mindfulness educator. She is dedicated to helping humans develop a healthy relationship with technology through her co-created experiential educational business, The Digital Detox Project. Elizabeth loves learning and sharing voraciously about technology and its impact on business and humanity.

Disclaimer:
The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.