Our Top Tips For A Digital Detox

We all know about the highly addictive nature of smartphones and social media and while social media can be a hugely positive tool for helping people connect, and for spreading positive social change through movements such as Black Lives Matter – the negative sides of technology are becoming ever more apparent.

The average person spends a scary 3 hours and 15 minutes a day on their phone and with the prevalence of fake news, online trolling and an addiction to social media causing a rise in mental health problems; it is time we took some healthy time out. Here are our tips for having a digital detox and becoming more present in life offline! 

Set app timers

Setting timers on the apps you use the most is a great way to limit your usage. We bet if you checked your average daily screen time you would be surprised!

Many devices now have built-in features for this, like Apple’s Screen Time and Google’s Digital Wellbeing. Aim for a 30-minute daily allowance on these apps to significantly cut down on usage whilst allowing you to keep up in the digital world.

Educate yourself

Receiving constant updates and notifications is one way that social media platforms try to keep us constantly engaged and reaching for your device. While this can be occasionally informative, it is equally very distracting and not always relevant. Try and turn off as many notifications as you can to limit the constant need to check your phone. 

Newer features like Focus Mode on iOS can even help you manage notifications better.

One screen at a time

How many times have you been watching Netflix and had your phone in the other hand scrolling through Facebook or doing some online shopping? We are all guilty of it, however, multitasking on various devices is detrimental for our concentration and enjoyment. Try and be present in what you are doing and enjoy one activity at a time!

Go black & white

There is a reason smartphones are so colourful, the apps and notifications are designed to be visual tools that keep us engaged. Setting your screen to greyscale can limit how appealing you find your phone. It may be hard to have it set to black & white 24/7 but you could try an hour in the morning and evening to give yourself some time out.

Have a break

Simply putting your phone in another room, on aeroplane mode or even ‘forgetting’ it at home can be an easy way to enjoy some time offline. The more you do this, the easier it’ll become and you’ll find yourself enjoying a meal out, walk in the park and time with friends even more without your phone. 

Practice mindfulness

You can also use your phone for good by incorporating mindfulness practices into your daily routine. Apps like Headspace and Calm offer guided meditations, sleep aids, and stress-relief exercises that can help you relax and stay grounded. These tools can transform your device from a source of distraction into a resource for mental wellness.

Prioritise sleep

We are all guilty of some late-night scrolling in bed but this can have a really negative impact on our sleep. Even a quick check on social media at night can engage your brain and delay the onset of sleep. Set some healthy boundaries around screens and sleep such as scheduling a ‘wind-down’ mode an hour before bed. Sleep experts recommend keeping your phone out of reach, possibly in another room, to avoid late-night temptation.

Having a ‘digital detox’ doesn’t have to mean never using your phone again or deleting all your social media accounts! You can take simple steps to reduce your dependence on digital devices and reduce your screen time. The aim is to enjoy life offline and be more present in what you are doing.