Digital detox: disconnect to connect

We live continuously connected, whether on your mobile phone, computer or tablet. The digital world has become a fundamental part of our daily routine. In fact, the mobile phone is the first and last thing we use every day. Now, do we really realize how much time we spend immersed in this digital universe? Perhaps, if we were aware of this, we would implement some measures to avoid it, such as a withdrawal or digital detox.

What would happen if we decreased the time we spend on our social networks? For some people, just thinking about it may worry or make them too nervous, the thing is that until not long ago they didn’t even exist.

We are not saying that we must be radical and reject all types of contact with the digital world, but that we have to be responsible regarding its use, do so in moderation and thus prevent it from taking over us.

It is about freeing ourselves from that growing need to be permanently connected. and thus avoid technological dependence. To do this, we can start with a digital detox, with disconnecting from technology to connect with reality, that is, with ourselves and others. Let’s dig deeper.

What is a digital detox?

A digital detox or digital detox consists of taking a break from the digital world. It is about disconnecting from social networks, the Internet and new technologies, breaking that digital link that we have created and that increasingly consumes a greater part of our time, to take care of other matters, such as relating, asking ourselves how we are or carrying out that to-do list that keeps getting bigger and bigger.

The word detox comes from English and its translation would be: detoxification. It is about extracting what is toxic in an organism, in this case the digital world. Because although sometimes it is very helpful or entertains us, it also has its negative consequences.

Now, it is not about putting an end to our relationship with the digital world, but about be aware of the use we give it, the time we spend and what we leave aside for being connected.

Keys to digital detox

Thinking about detoxifying ourselves from the digital world sounds easy, but it is not so easy. We have become accustomed to it being part of our daily routine. Therefore, we need a lot of perseverance and dedication. The following keys will help us achieve this:

Establish a digital detox moment. It consists of setting a schedule for detoxification. That will depend on each one. It could be on the weekends, at a certain time each day…The important thing is to start with something, even if it’s just for a few minutes. In this way, we will establish a habit.Go step by step. Rushing has never been much of a good thing. No detox happens overnight. It is important to build with patience and step by step the ladder that will take us to our well-being.Go deeper into ourselves. Knowing ourselves, investigating our interests or how we feel will help us understand the need to be continually connected. What do we avoid? what do we need? How do we deal with loneliness? The most important thing is to be aware that we could live without the digital world…Goodbye notifications! Notifications often become our great ordeal. One after another they prevent us from concentrating and even interrupt our conversations with others. Having them active all the time and with the sound activated can generate anxiety and a greater need to stay on the networks.Look for alternative plans. How about going to have coffee with a friend, read a good book or play a sport? Looking for plans and activities that we like to occupy our free time is a good idea.Be more empathetic. Putting ourselves in the shoes of others is essential. If when we meet with our friends or family we are always behind our cell phones, computers and tabletswe are not respecting them.

On the other hand, it would also be a good idea Avoid leaving your cell phone next to you when you go to sleep. In this way, we would not be infected by the emotion resulting from exploring the digital world at that moment and the quality of our sleep would improve.

Nevertheless, There are people who not only need digital breathing, but also professional help. This is because they depend heavily on that digital universe and are not able to disconnect.

Benefits of digital detox

There are numerous benefits to performing a digital detox, some of the most important are the following:

Stress release.More time for oneself. Better distribution of time. Increased empathy.More time to build relationships with others and improve ties with them. More authentic relationships. More free time. Facilitate being calmer and more relaxed.Ease of practicing self-knowledge.

Digital detox favors better relationships with the world, others and ourselves. It allows us to make other types of plans and establish priorities, instead of spending time viewing images or videos. A digital detox is an opportunity to connect with reality and maximize our free time.

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