Digital Detox – Disconnect to Reconnect

September 6, 2020

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Digital detox day was marked yesterday the 5th September. Were you aware of this mental and physical wellbeing campaign and if so did you log out from social media platforms and switch off your phone and other electronic devices?

Whilst social media has its advantages we have started to witness its negative effect in becoming all pervasive in our lives if we are not mindful about how much online content we consume.

In this day and age and more so during lockdowns and social distancing times, connectedness to our communities has been achieved via our social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and the most recent addition being Tiktok have all played their part in ensuring we are able to connect when we need to.

Our older folks who are the most vulnerable in our community during COVID have been able to remain connected to their families and friends via social media, zoom, Skype and WhatsApp.

Ironically though whilst we use social media to connect, these platforms have also proven to be insidious in that they have brought out also the worst kind of human behaviour – the trolls, bullies and keyboard warriors who have used anonymity to their advantage in their cowardly endeavors to attack, belittle and bully have done so sometimes to lethal effect.

Social media applications that enable connectedness amongst humans has seeped into every second of every day, causing anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, fatigue, and even loneliness. The very applications and technology intended to keep us in touch has sadly adversely affected our mental, emotional and physical health.

Whilst I would like to think that I am a moderate consumer of social media and user of my phone with the occasional overindulgence there is always room to consume less screen time.

So on my very first attempt to commemorate the official Digital Detox Day, I was lucky to have had weather on my side – I did not switch off my phone but spent about 8 hours of my day on outdoor activities that did not require jumping on social media platforms. I instead soaked up the glorious sun and spent time at plant nurseries returning home to further enjoy an afternoon of gardening. Whilst I could have done better i.e switched off entirely for longer, I am happy to have taken the challenge with some success.

In the interest of our wellbeing and in a world where going off the grid is such a luxury, we could perhaps consider switching off completely for a day each week not just a token day each year. No matter where we are on the continuum to consume less social media and be linked into electronic devices less, we should not loose sight that the main aim is to gradually reduce our ‘tuning in’ to the extent we feel comfortable. Wherever we are with our current usage, each of us will approach this differently and that is okay. The benefits I believe, are well worth the effort – reduced anxiety, mindfulness, clarity and increased focus.