11 Aug 7 life-changing reasons to do a digital detox
When Ofcom reported 15 million UK adults desperately wanted to put down their phones for a digital detox, the world exploded with news articles around the subject and the importance of logging off.
At Time To Log Off we don’t want to stop using technology completely, but we do want all of us to have a healthy balance between our real lives and our screen lives. We make sure we have this through going on regular digital detox retreats. But if you’re still not sold on the idea of a digital detox after all of the press coverage, we’ve got seven reasons why doing one will change your life.
#1 You’ll have a lot more hours in your day
We know what it feels like when there just isn’t enough hours in the day. You come home from work, cook dinner and go to bed. Well, that’s what it feels like.
In reality, the average adult spends 8 hours 41 minutes a day on screens, 1.72 of these hours are spent on social media alone. We realise you can’t just turn off your computer at work and walk away for the day, but, switching off social media apps for 24 hours will free up almost two hours where you could take the dog for a walk, pamper yourself, or even relax with a book.
#2 Your attention span will improve
Do you get distracted a lot? You’ll be in the middle of writing an email and the next thing you know you’re scrolling through Facebook or looking for something to wear next weekend. In the last eight years since the launch of the smartphone, the average human attention span has declined significantly and is now shorter than that of a goldfish. Our smartphones are the biggest cause of distraction. Buzzing with notifications every five minutes, it’s hard not to get distracted. Even when you don’t look at them. By simply removing your smartphone from your life every once in a while your attention span will definitely improve as you retrain your brain to focus on one thing at a time.
#3 You’ll be much happier
There is a strong link between heavy internet use and depression: those who are heavily addicted to the online world are 5x more likely to suffer from depression than less heavy users. Studies show that social media use can cause depression, by looking at our friends’ ‘perfect’ lives online. Our latest digital detox retreat found that our guests’ happiness levels rose by 3.1 after a week without technology. By simply logging-off you’ll feel happier. Isn’t that reason alone more than enough to try out a digital detox?
#4 You’ll sleep better
The blue light that emits from our digital screens is actually interfering with our sleep pattern and making us increasingly sleep deprived. That blue light is a high-energy light that mimics sunlight which keeps us awake at night. By simply putting away your tech in the hours leading up to bedtime you’ll find that you sleep much better.
Research on the guests at our digital detox retreats bears this out with guests reporting their sleep quality was raised from 4.5 to 8.5 after their week of logging-off.
#5 Your relationships will improve
We’re all guilty of quickly replying to a text message or email when we’re out with our friends. At the time you don’t think anything of it, everyone does it. But our gadgets that we think we ‘can’t live without’ stop us from really connecting with those around us. By removing technology you can give those you love your full attention and actually enjoy their company. Relationships of all types will deepen and improve as a result.
#6 You’ll realise social media isn’t everything
With an ever-growing addiction to our smartphones, addiction to social media is growing too. You might think that you need to check up on your friends every hour but in reality, you’ll be just fine without it. When we logged off from social media we felt less anxious, happier and we had more time to spend with our friends.
#7 You’ll be less stressed
Work can be stressful enough in office hours, you don’t need to take that stress home too. A digital detox will ban all tech, meaning you simply won’t be able to log on to work email out of the office. You’ll get a real break from work, and you’ll thank us after. We promise.
We asked guests on our digital detox retreats how stress-free they felt; on average they scored 4.8 before logging-off, but after a tech-free week it increased to 8.8 – or almost completely stress-free.
If you think a digital detox is just what you need, check out our retreats page to find the perfect detox for you!
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