The increasing prevalence of digital media has created significant anxiety for our planet’s Mental Wellness. Most people today are left feeling drained mentally without knowing the source of strain.
New technology (such as smartphones, social media, etc) is changing how we rest and recover. Because it has become such an integral part of our daily lives, most workers are working from home, and as a result, have access to many more distractions than they would otherwise.
Taking the opportunity to ‘Detox’ from our digital devices provides an opportunity to recapture the human experience.
Digital Detox Benefits of Mental Wellness Less Mental Overwhelming
The Importance of Taking Time off for Your Brain to Rest
As our brains are bombarded every minute of our day through emails, phones, and social media, with constant stimulation, our brains are not getting a chance to rest. We feel mentally fatigued, and this constant input from digital media keeps our brains in an ALERT state, while they need REST.
Research conducted by Harvard Medical School shows that Mental Overwhelming creates an increase in Anxiety and decreases an individual’s ability to regulate their Emotional State. Taking a Digital Detox provides your brain with the opportunity to naturally slow down.
When your brain has the opportunity to rest, your thoughts become “light”, and your emotions become easier to manage.
Disconnecting from Digital Devices Promotes Calmer Thoughts and Happier Emotions
The act of stepping away from screens regularly eliminates most of the emotionally draining effects associated with them—the constant comparisons and negative news (media)—thereby creating a calmer atmosphere and increasing the sense of presence.
Many report noticeable improvements in their emotional well-being when limiting their exposure to screens even for only one day.
Common benefits as a result of taking time away from screens on a mental health level include:
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Reduced anxiety associated with social media posts.
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Increased emotional awareness when offline.
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Increased ability to relax without any digital stimulation.
How Disconnecting from Digital Devices Improves Concentration
How You Will Build Improved Concentration without Digital Devices Being Distracting
Individuals experience more improvement in their ability to focus when all distractions created by digital devices are removed. Constantly checking phones trains the brain to lose focus very quickly; by stepping away from phones for a period of time, you allow the brain longer periods to remain focused when not interrupted.
According to experts from the American Psychological Association, the number of interruptions due to digital devices will also cause an individual to lose time on multiple tasks, whereas reduced multitasking will make tasks feel simpler, and allow for longer periods of sustained mental energy throughout the day.
Using Less Distraction to be More Productive
Focus-related improvements that an individual may notice as a result of taking Digital Detox breaks will include:
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Increased ability to concentrate while working or studying
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Less inclination to check phones during high-priority tasks
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Improved ability to listen during actual face-to-face conversations
This improved ability to focus will be a foundation for developing a deeper understanding of the positive benefits of taking time away from digital devices as outlined in section 2 above.
Screen Breaks Help You Think Better & Feel Better
The benefits of taking screen breaks become evident once the brain has had an opportunity to rest uninterrupted. Being on a screen at all times keeps the mind in a constantly reactive state, leading to an increased mental fatigue over time.
Allowing the body to take planned breaks allows the entire nervous system to get back into a calm and more natural state.
The Mayo Clinic, and many other health professionals, discuss how decreasing the amount of time spent engaging in screen-related tasks promotes emotional health.
Taking short breaks during the day to get away from a screen has been shown to decrease the amount of cortisol in the body. This hormone is linked to stress and emotion, so there is an increased ability for an individual to be emotionally stable and healthy in both work and home life.
Taking breaks during the day creates less stress and agitation in individuals who step away from electronic devices. Without interruptions, people can manage everyday difficulties in a more relaxed manner.
Reduced Digital Overload Leads to Clearer Thought Processes
The Clear Thinking That Results from Digital Detox
When the brain is not being flooded with massive amounts of information, mental clarity improves. Digital detox creates less mental clutter due to constant scrolling and switching from one content to another, leading to greater organization and easier processing of thoughts.
Research from Stanford University supports the notion of decreased cognitive performance due to increased levels of digital stimulation. As an individual continues to slow down their mind, they will find making decisions easier as well as creating confidence within themselves when making decisions.
Improvement in Decision Making
Revamping Your Way of Thinking
The benefits of attaining mental clarity also include:
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Understanding complex thoughts more quickly
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The ability to retrieve memories without distractions Feeling more confident in daily decisions
Improved mental wellness as a result of mental clarity, which leads to improvements in sleep and recovery through digital detoxing.
How Digital Detox Affects Sleep and Recovery
According to sleep researchers from the National Sleep Foundation, when individuals practice screen-free evenings, individuals experience a deeper sleep.
More Effective Recovery from Mental Fatigue
This recovery period will assist individuals to improve their focus throughout the day.
Some of the most significant recovery benefits are as follows:
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Shorter time to fall asleep
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Fewer interruptions during the night
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Improved mood and energy after sleeping
Digital Detox and Workplace Mental Wellness
An individual’s mental wellness has a direct impact on his or her ability to redevelop productive focus habits as one becomes prepared to continue to move forward in life.Digital detox programs improve workplace mental wellness by reducing the number of times employees receive digital notifications (such as email, chat apps & ring tone notifications) during working hours and consequently allowing for less distraction and less mental & emotional depletion as a consequence of distraction and allow for an increase in one-person at a time focus.
Research published through Gallup showed that job satisfaction increases when employees have an opportunity to work uninterrupted.
Digital detox habits increase the value of face- to-face conversations because employees are less likely to have their attention divided during a conversation when cell phones are removed from the equation.
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With this increase in focus, employees listen intently and respond thoughtfully to their coworkers.
The effects of Digital Detox result in numerous positive changes in the workplace such as:
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Better collaboration and teamwork during meetings
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Less miscommunication by team members
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better professional relationships.
These advantages create a more balanced workplace which leads to healthier personal routines as well.
Creating Healthy Routines with Digital Detox
Establishing a Routine | be Purposeful with Technology
Mental Wellness has the potential to develop as digital use becomes intentional instead of automatic. A Digital Detox enhances mindfulness in terms of the when and how technology is utilized.
This increase in awareness leads to the creation of healthier and more realistic daily technology use routines.
Small Steps that Result in Lasting Change
Digital detox habits are easiest to maintain when those habits are flexible instead of rigidly enforced.
The Benefits of Training Your Brain to Concentrate Focus on Consecutively Only One Task
The benefits of developing a stronger focus include:
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A longer period of concentration while working on challenging tasks
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Actually making fewer mistakes when working under pressure
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Fewer mistakes when completing assignments.
A stronger ability to focus directly impacts your ability to develop a digital detox and emotional resilience.
Emotional Resiliency is Developed Via Digital Detox Practices
Therefore, if our brains are not overloaded, then the intensity of our stress responses will be lower.Digital detoxing allows individuals to better cope with frustration, disappointment and stress.
Inner Stability and Feeling Grounded by Stepping Away From Screens
When an individual steps back from screens, they reconnect to themselves.
Because digital detoxing removes distracting information, people’s thought processes become organised and more easily followed.
Stanford University researchers have discovered that individuals who receive decreased amounts of digital information show enhanced ability to control their cognition.
Clear decision-making allows individuals to thoroughly assess their options and avoid impulsive decisions driven by distractions.
A greater feeling of personal responsibility.
Clearer decision-making enhances overall mental well-being and improves relationships that are supported by the practice of digital detoxing.
Digital Detoxing and Healthier Social Interaction
Detoxing from tech so we can get healthier social interactions.
Presence with people around the way they talk to each other.
You can facilitate a deeper level of conversation and connection when we aren’t constantly being interrupted by our devices.
Many of the online research tools utilized by other researchers (including Pew Research Center) have shown that, in studies, interacting with an individual face-to-face produces a higher level of satisfaction with that relationship.
Without having our phones sitting next to us, we pay closer attention when we listen and respond with more authenticity.
Rebuilding meaningful interactions (with people) supports a healthier “vibe” between yourself and those around you.
Relationships without the distraction of devices provides people with the means to become more aware of emotional cues displayed by others (i.e. facial expressions, vocal tones), and allows for a higher degree of empathy in how we communicate.
It can build confidence in ourselves to trust the connection we have with those friends and family.
Ways to improve your social connections:
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Conversations that are more involved with your family and friends.
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Elimination of the potential misunderstandings that may have been caused by distractions created by digital devices.
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Providing each other with more quality emotional support through your relationships.
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Providing a foundation for living a long-term balance of lifestyle (in the subsequent sections, we will delve into this topic further).
Digital Balance and Long-Term Health
The regular restriction of technology provides individuals with the opportunity to establish an emotional equilibrium, and also helps minimize the chronic stress that can accumulate over time.
The healthier individuals become regarding setting boundaries and limiting the use of technology, the more recovery they will experience on a daily basis as their minds have time to break away from being bombarded by so many different things placed in front of them constantly.
Reduced Burnout From Overexposure To Digital
As your mental wellness improves through these small incremental adjustments, your personal energy and physical wellness will also improve.
How Digital Detoxing Will Improve Your Physical Energy Levels
Your Mind And Body Are Connected
Mental Wellness Improves Energy Levels
A person’s mental wellbeing is directly correlated to his/her physical energy levels. When a person is constantly using screens, he/she is draining not only his/her mental energy but also his/her physical reserves.
With all of that, when you complete a digital detox, it allows your nervous system to relax, which allows your body to be healthier regarding energy levels throughout the day.
According to a wellness study conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, when a person is less mentally stressed, he/she will be able to have more physical stamina.
As soon as the mind receives a break, the body will respond to that mental break with better balance and improved endurance.
When someone is not scrolling through endless posts, it will feel less like a mental weight. Movement will be easier and motivation will be easier to come by.
This shift in how people feel their energy will usually begin to occur within the first few days after decreasing screen time.
Improved Energy Will Promote Greater Mental Clarity And Will Create A Foundation For Personal Growth Through Digital Detoxing.
Digital Detoxing Will Foster Personal Growth By Creating Self-Awareness Empowerment Without Distractions
You Will Be Able To See Your Goals And Emotions And Your Values More Clearly When You Are Not Being Constantly Influenced By External Inputs.
According to personal development authorities frequently cited by Psychology Today, establishing routines of journaling, practicing mindfulness, and establishing goals through planning requires less screen time than the current average amount of screen time spent by Americans today.
The benefits experienced through personal growth include:
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Confidence increase regarding their personal identity.
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Greater satisfaction with their daily life.
The personal growth that you achieve will lead naturally into the overall conclusion regarding how to create a sustainable and continually increasing level of focus and mental wellness.
Protecting One’s Attention in Our Digital Society
Protecting Focus (Upon Completion) Over Time
According to productivity professionals routinely quoted by Forbes, being able to concentrate deeply drives long-term success.
Gaining the ability to maintain a strong level of concentration does not necessitate being super-restrictive regarding screen time.
Daily planning times for checking emails/messaging
To Achieve a Balanced Technology Use without Sacrificing Mental Health
Using Technology Intentionally
Taking breaks from technology, or doing a Digital Detox, allows individuals to reset habits, and enjoy the benefits of using technologies again.
Once technology is utilized more intentionally, support for Life increases instead of becoming overwhelming.
Organizations such as Common Sense Media advocate for using technology with intention, as it supports less stress in your life while supporting the convenience of using technology.
Create a Consistent and Long-Term Balance and Control with Technology
Stay Aware of The Impact of Today’s Connected World on Daily Behavior
Some of the Benefits of Balanced Technology Use:
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Less anxiety related to Being Connectively Connected
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Greater Confidence in How You Manage Your Screen Time
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Better Alignment between your Personal Values and Your Digital Behavior
Utilizing the ideas of a balanced approach to technology use, you can develop a solid foundation to conclude one way: There is a balance to restoring the Mental Health and Improved Focus.
The Bottom Line
Mental wellness is positively affected when individuals become aware of the negative impacts of continually being exposed to Digital technology and take back control of their individual ability to focus on what they want to focus on.
Having time away from screens can effectively provide a perspective of clarity, and a break from distractions will help with continued building of a solid mental foundation to improve overall life performance.
When you reduce distractions, naturally, you will increase performance in focusing on completing the tasks you want to accomplish.
Improved performance leads to increased ability to think, increased ability to make calm emotional responses, and continued building of stronger relationships which assist with improved decision-making through your daily lives.
In summary, Digital Detox practices will not be something extreme.
Develop good habits, and develop a pattern of good habits, and you will gain Mental Clarity and Improved Focus.
Through intentional ways of using technology, you will continue to protect your Mental Wellness while benefiting from the use of technology.
