Months ago, a “healthy” relationship with technology looked very different today. We spend a lot more time on our smartphones than ever before as society moves toward more virtual modes of existence. Given the circumstances, it’s vital to be lenient with yourself about the amount of time you spend in front of screens, but this does not imply that your attempts to create healthy technological boundaries should be abandoned.
Many individuals tend to underestimate the amount of time they spend using electronic devices, so keeping track of your screen time and what it’s being used for might be useful. It’s clear that the less time you spend gazing at a screen, the better, even if there is no such thing as a healthy amount of screen time for adults. Straining eyes, hazy vision, terrible posture, neck discomfort, and even anxiety and melancholy are signs of spending too much time in front of a screen.
Turning off notifications is a “simple but vital” approach to improve focus since it is difficult to concentrate when your phone is continuously buzzing with notifications from chats or social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram. Disabling notifications from social networking applications or anything else that would regularly divert attention from other tasks during the day can be very useful.
You can establish a rule in your household prohibiting the use of electronic devices at the table. Even if you live alone, do follow the same rule. Put it in quiet mode to resist temptation. Use this rule when having lunch in front of your computer as well. Make an effort to plan your day so that you can set aside uninterrupted time to eat.
Creating self-awareness about your usage habits can help manage your digital consumption. Identify the applications that you often use and mark down the triggers that cause you to incline towards them. Reflecting on your emotions can be the first step towards self-awareness. Avoid thoughts like, ‘If I don’t respond to the chat right away, I’ll lose my popularity.’ Reflecting on the feelings behind this thought process can help break the digital addiction.
Invest in a challenging new pastime rather than binge-viewing ASMR videos on social media or watching the Kardashians on E! Make an effort crocheting, solving a puzzle, or practicing a new recipe you found on Pinterest. Even more physically rewarding than the games on your phone, these hands-on hobbies may be just as engaging.
Part of “sleep hygiene,” which is essentially about creating the ideal setting to fall asleep, includes keeping your phone out of the bedroom. Sleep will come to you much more quickly if you maintain your bedroom as a cozy area and block off thoughts about work emails, how many people liked your most recent Instagram post, and meme alerts.
Cleaning up your surroundings is one of the best ways to cleanse your mind. It goes without saying that this involves your house and workspace, but it also has to include your phone and laptop. In any case, it’s more likely that you look at these than you do at your surroundings. There will almost certainly be a lot of junk on your gadgets that can be erased with the touch of a button.
While it’s crucial to keep informed, your mental health may suffer if you regularly consume a lot of distressing news and other taxing material. A little filtering may be helpful in this situation. As you browse your social media feeds, pay attention to how you are feeling. Unfollow or mute an account or person if the stuff they publish frequently tends to make you feel bad. Replace accounts that publish negative content with those that are uplifting. In your attempts to create a social media area that best suits you, don’t feel ashamed.
Although it may seem counterproductive to purchase more technology in order to utilize it less, it is possible. Smart technology has some significant benefits, and many of the available models are really pretty reasonable. With too much screen time being increasingly seen unfavorably, Apple and Google launched Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing, respectively, early this year in an obvious effort to counteract the infatuation with all things digital.