How to Digital Detox Over the Weekend
Do you regularly think to yourself, “I’m ‘on’ all the time, I just need to switch off!” Your beloved phone continually alerts you to texts, emails, alerts, messages, notifications and with constant access to the web your phone and other digital gadgets have become an extension of our physical being.
This weekend is the perfect time to have a digital detox from your devices and restore for the working week.
On Friday night…Switch off your notifications
Are you addicted to checking notifications? Do you find yourself picking up your mobile device or refreshing your inbox more often than you care to admit?
Switch them off! Set aside designated time blocks during the day, for example hourly, to go in and manually check your notifications. This way you will avoid being bombarded with messages at a time that is inconvenient to you.
On Saturday morning…Don’t reach for your mobile phone first thing! Make a point to leave your phone where it is for at least 2 hours after getting out of bed. Waking and checking an inbox full of emails, notifications, social accounts will send your mind into a frenzy before you’ve got out of bed. Focus on you and your plans for the day.
For the rest of the weekend…
- When you need to write things down actually, write things down! The very act of handwriting increases neural activity in certain sections of your brain, similar to meditation (win!)
- It’s time to relish in the boredom. It’s ok to be bored, and while during the week you might fill your empty minutes by scrolling through Instagram and Facebook. On the weekend, leave the phone alone and just sit with your boredom. Your brain, body, creativity and overall wellbeing will thank you for the digital detox.
- Spend more time with humans. Take the weekend to disengage from your devices and instead reconnect with friends and family. The simple act of being with people without distractions lowers stress, depression, anxiety and also highly affects our endocrine-immune system.To check out our previous blog, click here.
