Digital detox for 24 hours is the ultimate unwinding you need!

Do you know a friend who goes through phases of digital detox? Did you ever want to do a digital detox challenge yourself?

Many of us treat digital detox challenges like antibiotics. Pop this pill to reset your brain in just a week and transform yourself into the best version of yourself.

Sorry to break the bubble, but it doesn’t quite work like that.

Digital detox is not a challenge. It’s a change?

Anyone can complete a challenge to not use the phone for a few days or a week but what happens at the end of the challenge?

We go straight back to scrolling on our phone and binge watching.

We are completely missing the point.

What is the point?

To regain control of our lives, and to gain control of anything, it has to be done with intention.

We spend more time in the digital world than we spend in our offline world.

And do we really have a choice??Maybe not!

It’s not about deleting everything and moving into the woods.

It’s about resetting our relationship with technology and devices around us to reduce stress, improve mental wellbeing and encourage real-life interactions and activities, breaking free from the constant dopamine stimulation and information overload of the digital world.

If that sounds crazy to you, ask yourselves these questions

• What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?
• Does it bug you when someone you’re talking to reaches for their phone in the middle of a conversation? They’ve succumbed to phubbing.
• Do you fail to disconnect from tech (even just for short periods of time) despite your best efforts? FOMO kicking in.
• Do you end up doomscrolling to escape from problems or to seek temporary but instant relief from bad mood states?
• Do you notice changes in your mood when attempting to cut down or stop internet usage?
• Could you make it one hour without checking your phone?
• What about one day?

Hey, no judgement here!

Unplugging oneself from the digital world is evidently becoming ‘easier said than done’, isn’t it?

Time to get smarter than your smartphones

Not just your phones and social media, a digital detox is from anything digital, any screen – TV, smartphones, laptop, tablet, iPads etc.

Here’s how you can create boundaries that work for you.

1. Purpose

Patients who can successfully overcome their illness and recover are the ones who understand the extent of their health concerns.

Understand, visualize or even write down why you want to achieve this and how this is going to make your life better.

2. Cut, trim, limit. Start small. Do what it takes.

• You don’t need to disable your account, but you can log out of the app on your device. You can log back in once your digital detox is over.
• Turn off your alerts and notifications if you can’t or don’t want to log out of your apps.
• Start with social media apps like Instagram then go for the full-fledged digital detox, if that’s what you aim for.

It’s not the craving or loss of motivation; it’s just a habit.

Use apps like Minimalist phone, Stay Focused, Freedom and Forest to limit screen time and improve focus. You can also use browser extensions, employ tools like digital wellbeing feature on android and Screen Time on iOS to set limits and monitor usage patterns for apps.

The universe will still be the same if you missed watching that dog meme or a like on your comment on a random post.

4. Execution

Get ready to feel uncomfortable with long silences, lonely with your thoughts, frustrated with scroll-free dinners and obviously so BORED!

Good! This is when you can recondition your brain towards healthier dopamine alternatives and meaningful life goals.

• Swap screen urges with non-screen moments

1. Feeling the urge to check your phone? Consciously sit down in a comfortable corner, close your eyes and breathe in and out for a minute. Let the moment pass.
2. Read a book or article about a topic that interests you. You can even go to the library to look at a hard copy instead of a digital one. Read during your commute or before sleeping.
3. Sign up for a dance/theatre/pottery/foreign language class or workshop – where you won’t need your phone.
4. Invite a friend or accept an invitation to go out, look your loved ones in the eye and listen. Step out to rediscover your city/town with an old friend.

6. Decluttering is a great unwinder! Mark sometime to declutter different parts of your home, cupboards, kitchen or lofts.

7. Try a family recipe you loved as a child. Ask your partner, children or neighbours to help you out.

• Remove distractions and screens from your room. Charge your phone in a different room or hide your laptop/keep it with a friend.
• Pick a “no screen time” rule and tweak it to your preference. A no screen Saturday, a screen-free zone in the house, no screen on dinner table or a screen-free hour in a day.

5. Reflect on the changes you notice during your detox

Keep a journal. You’ll have a lot of thoughts that cross your mind, write them down so you can go back to them later and find out more through the internet, when you’ve ended your digital detox.

A digital detox unwind can help you see how much time you have and is wasted online. You can redirect this energy towards personal growth.

The memories that you create with yourself, and your loved ones will have significantly higher resolution than any screen could ever provide.