Panache

According to an article in Psychology Today, there are three stages that a person goes through while they are practicing digital detox. These stages are:

 (1) initial digital-disconnection withdrawal symptoms.

 (2) a period of acceptance accompanied by a sense of freedom.

 (3) feeling overwhelmed by the quantity of missed incoming messages/emails when devices are turned on again after the digital detox vacation.

Considering these 3 stages, below are some effective methods to have a successful digital detox for mindfulness.

Refrain not Stop.

When people talk about digital detox, they think they need to stop using all digital devices and sit on their own. This not only induces panic but it makes you worry about all the work-related aspects that are dependent on the screens.

The priority is to minimize your screen time and use the screen time effectively. To avoid doom scrolling and unconsciously jumping on social media apps. The objective should be to increase cognitive thinking, reduce anxiety, and effective use of time.

Therefore, stopping the use of gadgets is not ideal. But you need to start by understanding that you need to refrain from digital apps and get your precious time back for a while. It is necessary for the objectives of digital detoxing.

Your first step should be a window in your day when you don’t use your phone or any digital gadgets around you. You just sit with the urge to use them. And the uncomfortable feeling it brings.

Measure your screen time and minimize it.

Once you get comfortable not using the phone for a while, your next priority is to minimize it as much as possible. Every phone whether Android or Apple has a feature that tells you your screen time spent on various apps.

You can check it at the end of the day or once a week and make your goals accordingly.

The best part about it is to know how much time you are mindlessly scrolling on social media apps and how much time you are spending checking your emails or watching something productive on YouTube.

You can replace your social media scrolling by gradually changing your priorities such as replacing scroll time with a podcast.

Log out of your Social Media apps.

If you must keep social media apps on your phone. But you can’t resist opening those apps mindlessly, you can log out of your apps every time you use them for a while.

This step will prevent you from mindlessly opening it again. Every time, you will click on it, you need to type in your password and log in. After a while, your mind will start procrastinating before opening the app. Thus, reducing a significant amount of screen time.

Also, keep all the apps that you use for entertainment and not for work in one place. Soon, your mind will comprehend that corner of your screen as a place where you have to put work to get in. And you will start avoiding it eventually.

Restrict some apps from your handy device.

To reduce your screen time as much as possible, try to delete some apps from the device that you keep handy.

For example, you use apps like Facebook and Instagram to promote content but for your viewing pleasure as well. You can delete these apps from your phone and keep them on your work tablet, laptop, or desktop.

So, once you get away from these devices, you do not get into the habit of logging in and using them again. You do not need every social media app on your smartphone that you keep with you.

This will make a dramatic shift in your lifestyle, thus saving you from a huge amount of screen time.

Change your mindset.

Sometimes, logging out of the apps and keeping the access away is not enough. You will still be fighting the urge to get back and know what you missed. You start missing the creators that you used to earnestly follow and you would want to go back to the same comfort and dopamine that you once received from social media.

Therefore, you must work on your mindset when trying to digital detox. You need to understand that you do not need to know everything. You do not need to know about celebrity break-ups, feuds, and beefs.

You do not need to know everything that media keeps producing in the name of content.

Once you develop a rational mindset that every news and content piece that you regularly invest your time in doesn’t create any change in your life and doesn’t contribute any value. You will start consuming content in a different light.

Instead, consider a different way to consume news of the world so that you can participate in the discussions. Consider that the internet is not filled with news but opinions. They are not facts but thoughts.

Change the settings of your phone.

Change the settings of your phone now and again. Change the place of the apps and you will notice that your brain always goes to the same place when it has the urge which denotes the mindless aspect and escapism.

If possible, use services like minimalist phones, that do not use icons but names of the apps. The icons of the apps are meant to attract your attention and you are bound to click them. But minimalist apps will stop your brain from doing that.

The anxiety of the notification bell is one of the most difficult things to get rid of when you are addicted to your screen. Switch off the notification bell of the apps you do not use regularly. It will make you less anxious over time.

Engage in activities that don’t require screens.

Once you stop using apps you need to replace that time with something else. Use this time as an opportunity to engage in hobbies that you always wanted to pursue.

Try to know yourself on a deeper level and engage in something that will bring stability and mindfulness to your life. You might face some difficulty in engaging with offline tasks but once you get used to the stillness, you will start loving it.

You can go swimming, golfing, and other outdoor activities which you can do without any smartphone. Places like cafes, theatres, and clubs allow phones inside and you will eventually start falling into the habit.

Also Read: How to plan your day to avoid doom-scrolling?

Get a friend to do the same or inform everyone about it.

When you follow a habit and you have someone with you, there are fewer chances to fall back. Your friends or your partner will keep motivating you at every step. Or you will keep on motivating each other.

Since we are connected through the online world, let your friends know that you will be available only at a certain time. Put an automatic reply in your email setting that will respond during your downtime.

Invest in Analog Devices.

When we look at the time on our phones and switch off the alarm clock in our phones we are meant to switch on the app and start scrolling. Remember, that you need to maintain your habit.

Try to invest in some aesthetically pleasing analog devices. Get an analog watch instead of an Apple watch. That will not be connected to your phone and will make you less anxious about notifications.

Buy an alarm clock that will work and make your bedside look good too. Try to listen to the radio or use a music system for songs. These tiny replacements can bring a dramatic shift in your daily life.

Lock the phone away, use paper more, and be an example for everyone.

If you are still facing difficulty in minimizing your screen time, try to get rid of your phone completely. Lock away your phone or give your phone to someone for safekeeping while you spend some quality time with yourself.

Try to use more paper than a phone. Nowadays, people make lists in their notes app, journal in an app, and check their schedule and productivity through different apps. For a few days, until you control your screen addiction, you can use paper-to-do lists, notes, a paper journal, or a productivity journal.

Once you get over your addictions and spend more quiet time than consuming cheap dopamine, you can share your experience about how your life has changed. Once you become an example for other people, you are less likely to fall back into the same habits.

Conclusion

When you are practicing digital detox, don’t consider your screen time as a reward after staying away from it for so long. It will only lead you to use it more in the future. Instead, contemplate what is it that your screen time offers you that your life does not offer without it.

Is it cheap dopamine? Is it relaxation? Is it a relieving laugh time at funny videos? And what is it that you need to do in your real life to have that kind of relaxation and fun that you have while you are on your screen?

These could be some tough questions to answer because most of the time, our screens are just a distraction from something. Realize what it is and make decisions to work against it for a healthier lifestyle.

Also Read: 9 signs you need to quit Social Media.

Also Read: How to quit social media effectively?

Also Read: A strategic plan to cure “brain rot”̣