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03 May 2017

Digital Detox: 8 tips + 1 to relax

Digital detox is defined by Wikipedia as follows:

Digital detox refers to a precise period of time in which a person abstains from using electronic devices such as smartphones and computers. It’s considered an opportunity for reducing stress and for concentrating on social interaction in the physical world. The alleged benefits include greater awareness, a reduction in anxiety and an improved appreciation of the surrounding environment.

The smartphone has become a part of our body; we always have it with us (in our hand or in our pocket) and we look at it around 200 times a day. Let’s admit it: we’re more or less addicted.

The problems that can give rise to so-called “digital addiction” are many; among the most important there’s Fomo (Fear Of Missing Out), literally the fear of missing something by not assiduously checking all our social profiles, and Nomophobia, that is, a state of anxiety that comes when we’re without credit, without a battery or internet coverage, or when we lose the smartphone.
Whoever suffers from these disorders often have problems in expressing their emotions and find it hard to take decisions with clarity.

Being aware of all this is essential in order to safeguard the quality of our lives and our interpersonal relations. The decision to detox for a longer or shorter period can only be taken by ourselves; if it’s imposed on us it will probably be destined to fail.
It’s a bit like when we decide to give up smoking: we only manage if the decision depends on us.

Digital detox is not refusing everything that is digital:a battle of this type would be lost from the start because today this world is strictly connected (it’s true to say) with our lives and with our work. Digital detox means using digital in an intelligent and aware way; it means remaking contact with the world around us and resting the mind from stress and continuous interruptions.

DIGITAL DETOX: 8 TIPS + 1

Whether you want to detox yourselves for a day, a weekend or for a week, some functional tips to put into practice are given below:

  1. Disable push notifications, so as not to be continuously distracted;
  2. Disable badge app icons, that is, the red lights that appear on the app when we have notifications to read (Settings -> Notifications -> select app -> disable badge app Icon);
  3. Don’t use the smartphone at the dinner table;
  4. Wear a watch, so as not to have to keep looking at the smartphone to know what time it is;
  5. Put your (silenced) mobile far from the bed when we go to bed;
  6. Stay outdoors as much as possible;
  7. Group the apps into files, so that they come to our attention less if we happen to look at the smartphone screen;
  8. Use a radio-alarm in the morning, rather than the mobile;

 

In addition, also if can seem like a contradiction, apps have been created to help those who wish to detox 😂

  1. ShutApp Digital and Digital Detox App: these are a couple of the apps that silence our smartphone, setting a precise time period and giving us a chance to challenge our friends!

SOURCES: TELEGRAPH & DIGITALDETOX