Dial into Digital Wellbeing

Would you like to sleep better, reduce anxiety, improve concentration and have more time to get things done?

If you are a business leader would like your team to have better engagement, think more creatively and enhanced focus?

The answer could be as simple as dialling down on digital use. There is an increasing body of evidence to prove that device over use is interfering with sleep, self-esteem, relationships, memory, attention spans, creativity, productivity, problem solving and decision-making skills.

This article explores some of these concerns and suggests ways to dial into better balance between health and handset. 

‘Tech neck’

The human head weighs about 4-5kg. The neck is a very delicate area of the body with small muscles designed to hold the head in a vertical position, not at 45 degrees. The forward head position common with phone use loads the neck by 500% and is causing a new modern condition inundating chiros and physios called ‘tech neck. 

Digital Detox: Rather that tilt your head down, hold your phone a little higher and look down with your eyes to reduce load on the neck.

Disrupted sleep

We get sleepy because of a hormone called melatonin released in response to lower light levels at night. Electronic devices emit a predomiance of blue light within the spectrum of white light which interferes with melatonin production and effects our ability to get good quality sleep. Plus the mental stimulus of using technology before bed is not going to help you slow down and switch off.

Digital detox: Do not check emails or social media as the last thing you do before bed. Aim for a digital time at least 30 minutes before bed. Don’t check your phone if you wake in the night.

Dare to dream

We no longer have time to get bored. The second we find ourselves with nothing to do we invariably grab our phone and check social media to fill in the gaps. Whatever happened to daydreaming? It is during those precious periods of nothingness that opportunity exists for the mind to wander which is a healthy thing to do now and then.

Digital detox: When you have a few moments with nothing to do, don't check your phone instead enjoy the moment and take in your surroundings. 

Disrupted relationships

70% of Australians use their phone during meal times and 49% believe their partner use their phone too much. Our phone is getting in the way of good old fashioned meal time conversation and human connection. I have walked past so many cafes and restaurants and seen couples together with either one or both people on their phones! What happened to talking, communication and genuine connection with our loved ones, family and friends?

Digital detox: Re-discover the lost art of talking and connecting at meal times with friends, family or loved ones or simply enjoy meals on your own without your phone.

Less anxiety

Life is extremely busy. Constant and immediate communication fuelled by our phones has taken this up a notch. The ‘ding’ of email, phone alerts and notifications is causing us more stress. There is a new field of research into ‘phone induced cortisol spikes’ investigating the link between notifications and stress caused by an obligation to check, read and reply to hundreds of messages a day. Each ‘ping’ could be causing a small release in stress hormones. We don’t need a study to prove that less messages to check, less often would be beneficial to our mental wellbeing, do we? 

Digital detox: Turn notifications off so you can work undisturbed. Have digital downtime when you aren’t online and contactable. Reduce the number of apps you use. Set guidelines on your use such as not checking your phone as the very first and last thing you do.

Better focus

It has been shown in numerous studies that the mere presence of your phone within eye sight is lowering concentration and ability to focus. This is based on the low grade back ground consciousness wondering when the next text, email or push notification will pop up, who will be from and what will it be about. Children do better in school exams when the phone is put away in a locker over it sitting on the desk in front of them and people work more productively and problem solve better with the phone out of sight.

Digital detox: When you have important things to do such as problem solving, creative thinking or study put your phone away out of sight where it won’t subconsciously distract you.

Go on a digital detox

How to get better balance with your health and handset:

·     Try not to check your phone as the very first thing you do in the day or the last.

·     Schedule digital downtime when the phone is off.

·     Reduce your number of apps.

·     Turn off notifications so you are not a slave to the ‘beep’ of a new messages or posts.

·     For optimal focus and important work put your phone away and out of sight.

·     Don’t check your phone as the very last thing your do before your head hits the pillow.

·     Have a digital free day and enjoy the real world fully.

FIND OUT MORE

Timo Topp empowers busy people to prevent burnout, perform better and live a healthier life with easy to implement, down to earth strategies that are proven to work. 

Get in touch to find out more about personal wellbeing consultations and Well for Work: Workplace wellness workshops. Request your copy of the ‘Way of the Corporate Warrior’ at  https://timotopp.com/well-for-work/

Better still, call me for a friendly chat on 0413 007 051.