5 Transformative Benefits of a Digital Detox

Digital detoxification has grown trendy among 21st-century escapees.

You stop using your phone, laptop, and other devices for a while.

After repeated attempts, I can say that short tech abstinence improves awareness, productivity, and peace. Thus, a digital detox has five life-changing benefits.

1- It lets you think.

A digital detox gives you time to reflect about changes you want to make, recommitments you want to make, or just to think freely and without much thought.

You have more time when you disconnect. Being away from your device lets you think about problems and figure out how to solve them (without searching Google).

Your mind will be more open and creative when you don't have to worry about anything else.

You'll make sure your ideas are solid and figure out how to put them into action.

2- Do the things you love.

You might be surprised by how much more time you have in your daily life when you start to limit or be more aware of how much you use your devices.

If you spend hours a day on social media or surfing the web, you could use that time to do things that you really enjoy.

Try writing down all the things you say you don't have time to do.

Then take some time each day to track how you use your device (there are apps for this or most phones will also simply tell you your daily usage.)

From there, you can decide if you can trade some of your less-useful time online for time spent doing things that really make you feel good.

You might have time for that yoga class, that coffee with a friend (in real time! ), a massage at the end of the week, more time to play with your kids, or a date with your partner.

Spend less time looking at what other people are doing with their lives and more time living your own life to the fullest. This is so much more satisfying.

3- It increases your Mental Wellbeing

Did you know that we take in five times as much information in one day as we did just 30 years ago?

We are always getting information from the media, technology, our devices, and the rest of the modern world, whether we know it or not.

Also, our brains have less free time to figure out what this information means.

Even though it has been shown that social media is bad for our mental health, technology use in general is also bad for our mental health.

Never before have people been so worried and stressed out.

Social media has also been linked to more loneliness, jealousy, anxiety, depression, narcissism, and less ability to get along with others.

Studies have shown that people who use their phones for 5 hours a day are almost twice as likely to be depressed as those who only use their phones for 1 hour.

As people, we need time with other people, time in nature, and time to take care of ourselves with food, exercise, and new experiences.

A lot of this time has been taken over by technology.

A digital detox gives our minds a break that they really need.

Taking time away from our devices can help us feel less stressed and anxious and stop comparing ourselves to others, which often happens when we use our devices.

4- Regain Command of your time

Many people today feel subjugated by their electronic gadgets.

Our days are structured by our inboxes, and the constant stream of messages pulls us away from the here and now.

The dopamine rush we get from these alerts has grown so habit-forming that social media addiction has been compared to other forms of addiction, such as those to gambling, drugs, and alcohol.

Over 210 million people throughout the world are afflicted with internet and social media addictions, according to estimates.

Getting hooked on the quick gratification that our smartphones give is having negative effects on our mental health and productivity, as well as decreasing our desires, motivation, and goal-directed behavior, according to studies.

Taking time offline is the best approach to take control of your life and not be a servant to your electronics.

It's tempting to have the whole world at our fingertips, yet that convenience may often feel limiting.

Reclaiming that control is vital to have a healthy relationship with device usage.

Further Reading: How To Organize Your Day For Maximum Productivity

5- It improves your sleep

Do you sleep with your phone/computer? Again, you're not alone.

45% of adults use social media instead of resting, and 10% check their phones more than 10 times every night.

This happens in houses worldwide. Screens can disrupt sleep.

The blue light from our screens disrupts our circadian clock and sleep-inducing hormone synthesis.

Being online before bed keeps your mind engaged, when it should be relaxing. Abstaining from electronics 2-3 hours before bed may help you fall asleep and induce a deeper sleep cycle.

Insomnia is a major problem in the West, therefore supporting your sleep patterns is crucial.

A digital detox may show how good sleep is without technology.

Further Reading: How To Sleep Better And Increase Your Productivity