A Modern Detox
Our guide to switching off
and finding peace amongst a busy world.
Amongst a whirlwind of curated images, 3-second clips, trending audio and an endless stream of content to consume, compare and criticise it is no wonder our screen time is reaching sky-high levels and leaving us to feel wired and overstimulated.
The allure of social media is something we are all facing to some degree. It’s precisely designed to keep us hooked and coming back for more, only to leave us feeling more depleted and less connected than ever. We recognise that this is a common experience and many are wishing to escape this cycle.
Here’s how we are changing the narrative and reclaiming our time.
The rise of digital media has been surging since the early 2000’s and with no intention of slowing down we’ve watched it gradually claim more and more of our time and begin to override our emotional states.
Who would have known that the very tool we held in our hand would in turn have us in its own tight clutch.
Thankfully, there are many ways to overcome this and return to using our devices as the tools they were meant to be — not obsessions attached to us at all times.
Read on as we unveil our insights.
Digital Boundaries
First things first, keep your mornings tech-free. There’s no surprises here, we’ve heard it time and time again. It is vital to refrain from immediately checking our devices first thing in the morning, not only does it spike our cortisol levels but it interferes with our natural circadian rhythm and allows external factors to influence the beginning of our day. These factors greatly sway the way we feel over the course of the day. From emotional dis-regulation and drained energy to tendencies to compare and criticise, checking our phones first thing in the morning is not an optimal start to the day.
Social media updates, emails and notifications can wait — the quality of your morning is paramount.
For those struggling with this, something to keep in mind is the fact that our days create our weeks, which turn into our months that form our years and ultimately our lives. It is the compounding effect which we tend to forget in the moment.
A minimum of 1 hour tech-free is a simple way to ensure you’re carving out time to optimise your morning and prioritise yourself. This is where your morning routine, in whatever form that may take, can take the spotlight and set the tone for the day.
Scheduled and Spontaneous Disconnection
Our phones have become so second nature that we often don’t find ourselves anywhere without them let alone not within arms reach.
We’re here to encourage you to shift this narrative and begin venturing out and about without your devices.
Your morning walk, shopping run, coffee catchup or Pilates class will still happen whether or not your phone is with you. Leave it at home and we promise you’ll notice the sense of freedom you have without it.
We’ve become so accustomed to being connected at all times, in all places that this will feel foreign in the beginning. However, with practice you’ll find yourself craving the space and clarity this entails.
This can be done in various ways — you can schedule times or places that your phone will be left at home or simply embrace a more sporadic approach and disconnect when moments that deserve your presence arise. Intentionally setting aside time to exist without checking our phones or consuming content is essential. This practice helps us to return to a state of calm and creates a supportive environment for our nervous system to rest and rebalance.
Methods to Disconnect
Do not disturb, quiet mode and silenced notifications are all well and good until the pull of our devices gets too strong. Here are some of the methods that really work to rewire our behaviours when it comes to resisting the urge to continually check in.
Set in-app time limits for any platforms that consume excessive amounts of time.
Add the screen time widget to the home page on your phone.
Seeing the time you’ve already spent online glaring back at you is a sure way to keep yourself accountable.Turn off notifications for social media platforms and move the apps to a different location on your phone. Remember; out of sight, out of mind.
With each notification comes a temporary dopamine boost. Without realising this, we can find ourselves chasing the motivational element of dopamine through social media but it is vital to know that this ultimately leads to a let down.Activate a shortcut to block certain apps on opening. Oftentimes opening up certain apps is just a habitual action and not something we actually intend to do — this is where a shortcut comes in incredibly valuable. Setting up a shortcut using an app like ‘one sec’ acts like an interception that forces us to pause, take a breath and mindfully consider whether we genuinely want to access social media.
We know that our phones are designed to keep us on the hook — clever haptics, sounds, and visual elements paired with enticing notifications and the instant gratification of having access to a world of information at our fingertips makes for an irresistible vice.
If you’re finding your screen time at an all time high, don’t beat yourself up. Be gentle on yourself as you take steps to reclaim your time.
Remember, resisting technology that has been designed to play on your brain’s dopamine receptors and reward system is no easy task. It is a difficult thing to unplug in our modern world. Unless you have untamed willpower and determination you might need to give yourself some extra grace and patience as you find what works for you.
Things to keep in mind to help you switch off:
Time freedom Mindless scrolling and time wasted on unnecessary content consumes our time and energy. Thankfully when we reclaim this, we find that there is so much more space available for our lives to fill. Space for what matters. Our hobbies, leisurely activities and friends and family come back into attention. Life existed, and rather peacefully, before smartphones and laptops and social media. We had time freedom. The good news is that this still exists. By switching off we can go back to the way life used to feel before technology became ever present.
Mental clarity and creativityAn overstimulated, over-consumed mind has no space for creativity. In fact, it becomes drowned out amongst the noise.
By distancing ourselves and creating space we allow creativity and inspiration to spark. Motivation returns and the feeling of generating our own ideas again becomes second nature. Tune out of the digital world and watch as your mind welcomes the sense of clarity and spaciousness it has access to.
Balanced nervous system and circadian healthOur bodies are nearly constantly at the mercy of our devices, from strained eyes to disregulated nervous systems and disrupted circadian rhythms — they are desperate for rest. Remember that we we’re not designed to be online at all times, constantly stimulated and readily accessible to respond to messages, emails and notifications. Logging off allows our bodies to relax and reset. Our morning and evening routines improve when we disconnect helping to support balanced sleep cycles and maintained energy levels and when our emotional states aren’t taken advantage of by algorithms and personalised content, we feel reprieve for our stress response.
This post exists to remind us that peace, stillness and solitude
are awaiting when we log off.
We hope that this inspires you to seek balance between the digital world and what is real, here and now.
written by brooke josland