Detox Yourself – Get Rid Of Your Unhealthy Relationship With Your Smart Phone Can you imagine staying away from your phone for an entire day? Most of us can’t as we are tied to the connectivity and the need to be contactable. But we’d like to challenge you to unleash yourself, time to think again. Mobile devices (cell phones) came into our lives as a means of improving and facilitating communication. However, most of you would agree that in today’s world our mobile phones really are powerful microcomputers and calling is often the last thing they are used for.
We now have a comprehensive sat navigation and detailed tracking system in our pocket, they offer us a source of endless entertainment via games and mobile entertainment streaming movies and TV. In fact with AI bots such as SIRI, Cortana and Alexa, they have almost replaced the need for a human companion. Yes, your phone can interact with you, offer voice search and even tell you jokes. Is this really helping us? Are we not becoming completely dependent on these devices? Most people admit to blind panic if they lose their phone. This level of stress and dependency for may of us, has started to dominate our lives and can even be termed as digital addiction. What is Digital Addiction? The term digital addiction may not be new to some of you. Though this term has been coined only a few years ago, it has become an increasing part of our language and is now something taken very seriously due to how it can negatively impact us.
Digital addiction is a state where we are compelled to use digital devices even when it’s inappropriate or is directly harming other aspects of our lives. There are three categories of digital addiction, which include cell phone (mobile phone) addiction, internet addiction and social media addiction. As you can see, the device in your pocket allows all three addictions and if you’ve got any type of phone addiction the other two traits might also be affecting you. Are You Addicted? - What To Do Phones have longer battery lives, we use them as diaries, alarm clocks and to email and surf the web. Many of us pick up our phone in the morning before anything else and it’s the last thing we check before going to sleep. Is your phone stealing away your precious time with your loved ones? Do you find it demanding more and more time and you not getting any respite? Maybe you don’t think you’re addicted but it might be wise to have a little less time on it. Then it might be a good time that you undertake a digital detox. Just like any other kind of addiction, be it alcohol or cigarettes, addiction to your phones can also be cured only through a proper and disciplined detoxification process. The first step in the process of a phone detox is of course cutting down on the usage of your devices. This is not about going “cold turkey” we need our phones but it’s about starting to become aware of when and how often we are using our devices. Using them for need rather than on autopilot. Digital Detox & Withdrawal OK, so let’s use our phones a little less, that seems easy to do. But digital detox may not be as easy as it sounds. We are hard wired into using them and that might indicate a more advanced stage of addiction. Research indicates that when people with severe digital addiction were made to stay away from their phones, they began to exhibit withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can range from mild to severe and may also include irritability, headaches and in some cases even extreme mood swings. Yes, it can make you feel a little anxious to quite irritated and beyond. So being prepared and creating some solutions to help is a good plan
Switch To A Dumb Smartphone If you want to be able to use a phone then few things offer a better solution than a phone that lets you text and makes calls but does not rule your day. Dumb smart phones cater to all the basic needs of a phone while limiting it only those features that are absolutely necessary in a phone. These none smart phones have been design to help you achieve balance for you and your need for technology while keeping at bay the dangers of digital addiction. People who have switched to these minimalist phones show improved concentration and better sleep patterns than those who use an ordinary smart phone. So make your choices wisely and keep away the health hazards of digital addiction.