Everything you need to know about Digital Detox!
I bet most of us have at least once in life, wished to just leave everything and move away somewhere far. Why do you think we feel that way? Maybe we all sometimes feel so frustrated and stressed out with the environment around us, that we desire a change.
But in this era of digital living, even imagining that gets difficult, isn’t it? Just like the Dog in the Hutch Advertisement that says, ‘Wherever you go, I follow! Anywhere you go, the notifications on your phone follow you.
To get relief from the digital world, people have started to adapt to something called — Digital Detox
Akin to the religious fasting or healthy detox you do, Digital Fasting or Detox is unplugging yourself from the digital world or life, which could be for a few hours in a day, somewhat like one-meal fasting, or for a number of days.
Why would people do that? — That seems like a self-punishment!
Yeah, it does take you away from your connections, the memes that you enjoy, the news that keeps you updated from the everyday happenings, etc. But sometimes we do get annoyed by our very own addiction to the digital world, that is when a digital detox can help you mold your mind into the right shape.
Let me walk you through some amazing reasons why you should give a shot to Digital Detox —
- To Block enormous, and negative data from entering your mind
When you see only negativity around, your mind will become a potential hub for harmful thoughts. The COVID-19 pandemic and its news updates about the spread, and the deaths were all over the digital world, causing people anxious and driving them towards ill mental health.
By shutting down the digital world for a certain period of time, you can prevent yourself from falling into a sorrowful and anxious state.
2. To Push negative people away
Negative people push our minds away from peace. When you are all set to try harder to achieve the goal you set for yourself, they bring your morale down by shaking your confidence. Besides, the posts and quotes on social media are often so saddening, that even a happy person can get magnetized to sorrow!
Digital Fasting will help cut off such negative influences from your life.
3. To Give yourself a chance to test your self-control
How many times a day do you open your social media apps or news apps? And how many times do you keep thinking what to share as your story and keep scrolling through the feed for hours together? Isn’t that juicing out your wealthy time from your productivity jar?
Why not challenge the temptation of Digital connectivity and learn to control your mind?
Either you control your mind, or the mind controls you!
4. To get rid of the distractions
How many news apps, or social media apps do you have on your phone? Though we require one app for a certain task on our phones, we install many. The constant notification beep shifts your focus from something important, often just to show you a notification of unread spam mail or unnecessary posts and stories. Relatable right?
Give yourself a break by turning on the Do-Not-Disturb feature. For a while, Just DND!
5. To grab a sound and peaceful sleep
If you are someone who uses phone at night before sleeping, you pretty well realize that it does affect our sleep. Also, the ‘I’ll watch this video, or play that game for a few more minutes and then sleep”, stretches our time before sleep, and we end up sleeping late and disturbed.
Keep your phones and tablets out of your reach, so as to not get tempted to play that one game!
Are you sure a complete Digital Fasting is possible?
Yes, I wondered the same too. Is it even possible, especially when you get so much good knowledge and content on the same applications that can distract you into a potentially negative and disturbed mindset?
Who said you need to throw away your precious mobile phones and give up socializing, forever! Why not follow what Buddha has taught us?
The Buddha advocated a middle way that avoided the two extremes of self-indulgence or self-denial.
As advocated by the Buddha, you can take the middle way — neither a ‘complete bye-bye’ to the digital world nor an ‘all-time-hi!’
Hmmm.. But How do I do that?
- Stop push notifications. Make use of the DND feature lying idle on your phone(Give yourself relief from ‘round-the-clock beep-beep!’)
- Uninstall addictive and not-so-necessary apps (‘Answer a NO, when your mind says — I shouldn’t delete this app, I might want it someday”)
- Switch to the browser. Using applications can trigger you to use the apps very often. (Browser for social media — annoying right? At least, it's not addictive!)
- Limit your daily usage and Restrict digital networking and social engagement to a certain time of the day (Finally, now you will find time to read that book you bought 2 months ago!)
- Place your phone away from you when you sleep. (Put a full-stop to “I’ll use the phone for just 15 minutes and then I’ll sleep”)
Challenge yourself for a day, maybe a weekend, and read a book, play Ludo or Carom with family and friends, or play that guitar you’ve always wanted to but never found time for. Sometimes it becomes necessary to go back to the no-internet or no-phone day, for good, right?
