Every year we have progressively become more intertwined with our devices to the point where I now feel there is a valid argument for calling ourselves "cyborgs" as our phones are practically an extension of ourselves. Just think about how you feel whenever you don't have your phone in your hand or pocket. Weird, right? Studies also continue to show that there is a strong correlation between the amount of screen time in someone's life and certain negative health effects such as increased anxiety, increased chances of depression, and so forth. This is why we must be more conscious of our actions when it comes to how we decide to use our devices.
For whatever reason this is hardly discussed which is why I wanted to take some time to make a quick read on how I disconnect from time to time and how it affects me. For me, I have noticed that social media has a negative effect on my overall life which is why a little over a year ago I set time limits on all my social media apps and I have seen so much improvement ever since. It has increased my productivity as I only spend a limited amount of time on social media now. It has increased the way I view myself as part of the reason social media affected me so negatively is that you're always seeing people's life highlights. Seeing that on a daily basis genuinely makes you feel like you're wasting your life doesn't it? I know I can confidently say that it did for me. An interesting read I found on a similar subject was made by David Mohammadi, who quit social media for 65 weeks. 65 WEEKS! I can't even imagine what that must've been like which is why I'm glad he shared his experience here: https://www.healthline.com/health/my-65-week-digital-detox#I-cant-believe-you-blocked-me!
Something else I've incorporated into my life to disconnect is to hardly use my phone when I spend time with others as I get to truly enjoy their company and it makes the overall experience for me better. Whenever I go somewhere and see a whole group on their phone it always baffles me as it defeats the point of them setting up a time to see each other in person. I'll occasionally check my phone in case something important comes up but from my personal experience, 95% of your notifications can wait until you get home. I don't just do this to make the experience better for myself but I do it because it makes the experience better for the other person/people. It shows you respect them and are grateful that they set aside time for you.
Lastly, doing activities that force you to disconnect give you such a boost of energy afterwards. It's something I noticed when I started doing yoga in 2019. Before the session started you would put all your belongings in a cubby on the other side of the room and it would force you to completely focus on the session. Fast forward to an hour later and you have endorphins running through your body from going through the poses, your anxiety is lower from not thinking about and seeing all the content on social media apps, and you feel lighter in general.
My overall purpose in sharing this with you all is to show you how disconnecting from time to time can benefit you. It doesn't matter whether it's through yoga, cooking, etc. As long as you find something you can stick to you'll notice over time that your stress is lower, your anxiety is lower, and you feel better. Everything in moderation is the way to go but sometimes you need to incorporate things such as disconnecting from the digital world to achieve that.
Let's work on focusing on the present one step at a time for a happier, healthier life.
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