My name is Christina, and I am a technology addict. TV, computer, smart phone… if it has a screen, I am obsessed with it.
This obsession I have with technology actually makes me feel pretty angry with myself at times. Like when my urge to always check my phone comes up when I’m playing with my daughter. I have a tough time setting boundaries with myself and technology, especially since I work from home and am always trying to find that balance between making sure I pay enough attention to my family, but also get everything done that I need to.
While I do need to check my email to a certain extent throughout the day, I’ve noticed that I have a strong compulsion and almost physical craving to need to check it even when it’s really not necessary. I’m the same way with Facebook, especially if I have it on my phone. It sometimes can feel almost like an itch that needs to be scratched, and that I can’t relax until I’ve “plugged” back into technology for a little bit. It all sounds terribly unhealthy to me, especially as these thoughts are showing up on my screen and I’m reading them back to myself.
I decided to create a list of great reasons you need to unplug, thinking this would be a good list for me to come back to when I need a little extra motivation to put the technology away and just soak up life more. I thought I would share with you all too, because I know that I can’t be the only person addicted to technology 😉 .
6 Reasons You Need to Unplug from Technology:
1. Give your brain a break
How many times during the day do you find yourself checking your phone for missed text messages or calls?
Pew Research Center found that 67% of cell phone owners check their phone even when they don’t hear it ringing or vibrating (source). It must be so hard for our brains to be constantly fretting that we missed something. Gives yours a break by completely turning your phone off and reveling in how freeing it feels!
2. Feel more content and happy with your life
I talked a bit about ways to deal with money envy earlier this week and how social media can play a big role when it comes to experiencing feelings of jealousy or envy. It turns out that regular use of social media such as Facebook can have a profound negative impact on your mental health.
Researchers at the University of Missouri have found that Facebook use can lead to symptoms of depression if the social networking site triggers feelings of envy among its users (source).
I know that I can feel a bit envious when I see the great vacations that some of my acquaintances are taking, or if they can afford to dress their kids in really cute designer duds (not quite sure why I feel envious of this one though, because I wouldn’t spend my money on that even if I could afford it!).
It’s funny the types of feelings that can present themselves when you get a glimpse into the lives of others. It can sometimes be difficult to remember that people only put the best on social media, to perhaps paint a picture of their life that is better than the reality of it.
The best way to avoid these feelings of envy and depression that can come from the social media trap is to unplug and give yourself a break. Focus on your own life and the great things you have going for you instead of perusing the lives of others. It’s easy to miss the great things happening right in front of you if you’re glued to a screen!
3. Soak up the quiet time
Solitude and just being with your own thoughts for a bit can be really good for you. I’m a bit of an introvert (masked as an extrovert at times), so I find quiet alone time to be absolutely necessary for me to function on a daily basis. I feel completely rundown and ragged otherwise.
A study done by the University of the Philippines Diliman found that solitude can be extremely important to our overall well-being and has been shown to increase happiness and stress management abilities (source). It’s crucial to be left with your own thoughts for at least a little bit of time each day, and to be able to process the things happening around you.
4. Build your “Real Life” relationships
I feel like every time I go to a restaurant or somewhere else in public lately, I see way too many people glued to their smart phones. As in, completely ignoring the people they are with to look at their phones instead. Whether they are checking Facebook or shooting a text to someone else, it’s just rude. And doesn’t make for much of an engaging conversation and quality time with the person you are currently with.
Something my husband and I do is typically watch a TV show together every night. While we enjoy this time to just relax a bit, it’s not exactly the best way to bond and build our relationship. We are trying to make more of an effort to unglue ourselves from the TV and spend that time after Little Miss is in bed by having some actual conversations that don’t revolve around the plot of a show.
Unplugging from technology can have profound effects on our “real life” relationships!
5. Get the sleep you need
Have you ever spent hours on your phone, computer, or watching TV at night to then discover that you couldn’t fall asleep later on when you wanted to? I’m completely guilty of watching TV or being on my laptop right before bed, and am trying my best to break this habit.
As it turns out, two hours of using your computer at night could end up disturbing your sleep (source). Blue light that is emitted from bright screens can alter your body’s melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone produced by our bodies that helps set our biological clocks. Without it, it can be nearly impossible to fall asleep when you need to.
To help your body to fall asleep when it needs to, try to stay away from bright screens 2-3 hours before bedtime. I’ve found that even just unplugging an hour before bedtime to be extremely helpful in being able to fall asleep right away. Try it out yourself!
6. Feel less stressed
If you’re feeling really stressed out lately, your smartphone might be a big contributor. I find myself feeling stressed out when I’m expected to immediately text back or return a call. Even though I’m terrible at texting back right away, I still feel stressed out when I haven’t responded to someone yet.
Unplugging from your smartphone is a great way to reduce the stress that being “on” can bring into our lives. I know this is something that really helps me to feel less anxious and more calm when I can either turn off or ignore my phone for several chunks of time throughout the day.
Do you have a difficult time unplugging from technology? If so, do you find any of these reasons above to be helpful motivators to you to implement more “screen free” time in your life?
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I compulsively check email, facebook, and Bloglovin from my iPhone. As I (hopefully) transition to working from home I’ve decided that some times will generally have to be phone off limits times. But let’s say we go to a park. I’ll want my phone with me in case of emergencies. I might also pull it out and snap a photo! And then post it to FB. It’s a slippery slope!
It really is a slippery slope Kirsten! I’ve tried to set some lose limits throughout the day of when I can and cannot use my phone. I always have it near me to take pictures or videos of cute things Little Miss does, but try to not use it for browsing most of the day.
I am so guilty of this as well. I feel guilty for it to, especially when my daughter is talking to me, and she says, “No, mommy. Look at me with your eyes.” When I’m with my kids, I need to be with my kids. I need to make a better effort to find that balance between responsibly responding to things on time and obsessing over technology.
Aw, that’s pretty stinkin’ cute. Agreed, I’m trying really hard to be 100% present when I’m with my daughter too. She’ll be 1 in a few weeks but I feel like she can already sense when I’m not completely there mentally and it’s not fair to her.
Awesome article! We need to unplug and make sure that we are enjoying the real world! We have recently started leaving our phones away from the dinner table…be it at home or in a restaurant. I think that when you are out with a person/people you should enjoy that time with that person and not be on fb or answering emails. On the other hand, it is wonderful to keep in touch with family and friends who live far away and share pictures and life experiences.
Thank you Lisa! That’s so great that you have made a conscious effort to unplug from your phones. Agreed, it is definitely helpful to have a smart phone in a lot of ways, it’s just a learning process to not let it interfere with “real life” experiences.
Great post!! I’m very guilty of all of this, too, but I have gotten better. The biggest change for me was giving up FB for a month. I did it in January and have only logged on a few times since then. It’s just not as appealing to me anymore. I’ll log on to check if a friend had a baby, but that’s about it!
I do spend WAY too much time reading blogs and checking emails though. I try my hardest to not be on my computer when my girls are awake and then at night my husband and I normally put away the computers by 8:30. We do watch Netflix before bed every night, though. But I like that!! As long as we’ve chatted throughout the day and feel connected, I’m more than happy to watch TV together before falling asleep!
Thanks Sarah! That’s awesome! I am stuck in this weird place where I need Facebook to manage some of my clients’ pages so I can’t get rid of it alltogether, but I really should just create a separate account so I’m not enticed by everything my friends are posting every time I log on. I am so nosy and love to see what people are up to and it’s really to my own detriment.
Me too with reading blogs, there’s just too many good ones that I enjoy reading to give it up though! hah.
It is so hard to unplug. I find myself reaching for my phone while I’m waiting for the kids at school, at a long light, and while watching television. It’s as though every second needs to be filled with something to do. This hit home with me when my son was in the back seat saying he was bored because his phone was dead. What ever happened to daydreaming? Our brains definitely need that break!
I’m the same way Jayleen, especially while watching tv. As if one screen isn’t enough! Yikes, I can definitely learn a lesson from that too because I think I would feel the same way at this point.
I typically spend anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes on my phone before shutting it off and going to bed. If I could eliminate this habit I could accomplish so much more with that time, or even get more sleep (which I’m terrible about!).
Definitely DC! I’m working on getting more sleep too, always a battle!
I get hooked alright! Man, AOL was the worst! Every time I”d try to cancel it, their telephone goon squad would offer all kinds of incentives to stay just one more month. When I finally got a hold of it, I never went back. Hey, do they still exist? …
Haha good point, I’m actually not sure! AOL was my first ever email address though. Seems ancient to me now 🙂
I have recently started taking a few steps to remove electronic and media out of my life. I just find I have been so distracted when I have them on. Now, my phone has a spot on the counter and in the diaper bag. It doesn’t leave those spots during the day (so I can’t carry it around with me), I do glance at it when I walk by but I don’t pick it up unless there is a text message. I find that I am much happier this way.
I also got rid of the data on my phone. It saves so much money and I don’t really need it. If I really need to get on the internet when I’m not at home (wifi) there is almost always someone around with an iphone I can borrow.
The stress is so real! I’m hoping to end my habit of checking my phone first thing in the morning– the worst part is that I read the news, which usually has me stressed and anxious before I even get out of bed! This is such a good post– sharing this everywhere!
Ugh yeah not the best way to start your day! Thanks Daisy!
Awesome article Christina! It’s very timely and appropriate for all of us technology addicts out here. You’re not the only one. Lately I’ve been feeling guilty about all those hours on the screen, especially since I recently started a blog too. I tell myself, “I’ll check my email just to reply to any comments on my articles,” and two hours later I am watching a YouTube video. What???
As for the social media trap, my most effective method for is deleting the Instagram app off my phone for as long as I can, and when I reinstall it again, I turn off notification so I am not constantly brought back to it.
Well, I’m going to sign up for your website right now because this article was so good!
Thank you Carmi! It’s tough for me with blogging too, the internet is such a rabbit hole at times. I find myself watching YouTube videos a lot too haha like what the heck am I even doing?!?
I do that too with Instagram where I’ll remove it for a week or two and then reinstall and find myself not as addicted to it for a little while.
Hi Christina! I discovered your blog yesterday via Pinterest, really loving it!
This post rings so true for all of us, I went away last weekend with my partner and even though there was a wifi connection, and I did check my phone at times, I wasn’t on it compulsively as we were spending quality time together. When I got home after the weekend I felt so refreshed and realized just how much I really need that head-space away from my laptop/phone etc. I had more clarity when I got home about some issues that had been playing on my mind for weeks, simply because I felt more in touch with myself mentally and what I want, and I can’t help but think having time to switch off and just, well, live haha helped a lot. So now i’m making it my mission to set some time aside every week to get that head space. Now the weather is pretty nice I’m going to go on long walks and not take my phone at all, just my camera and just have some real time to myself. I think we forget these days that people did survive once without this technology. It has become totally unhealthy like you say. We are just bombarded with information that is totally pointless and unnecessary – and taking up so much of our lives! I hate that. I really don’t want to spend so much time on technology, I want to enjoy my life. People look back at the time they waste, but we are never going to look back and think “I’m so annoyed i didn’t refresh my feed that time on the 3rd of june”!
Have a lovely day
Chloe
That’s awesome Chloe, welcome!!
How great that you were able to take a break and unplug for a bit, and felt re-centered as a result. We can all learn something from your experience! Going for long walks unplugged is one of my favorite ways to have some “me time” too. I usually end up bringing my daughter along in her stroller, but it’s still great time for me to just be with my thoughts.
SO TRUE. We will never regret not checking our social media when we look back. Thanks for the sweet comment Chloe, I live for being able to connect with others like this 🙂
HI CHRISTINA! I’M SO HAPPY TO HAVE DISCOVERED YOUR BLOG. I BLOG ON THE SAME TOPICS, AND IT’S NICE TO FIND A KINDRED SPIRIT. AND THIS POST TOTALLY RESONATED WITH ME. THE IRONY FOR ME IS THAT SINCE I’VE STARTED BLOGGING, I’VE GOTTEN MORE ADDICTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA THAN EVER. SUDDENLY I FEEL THAT IF I’M NOT CONSTANTLY RESPONDING OR TWEETING OR READING THINGS, I’M NOT DOING “ENOUGH.” I KEEP REMINDING MYSELF THAT THE WHOLE REASON I STARTED BLOGGING IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE MORE PRESENT, MORE CONTENT, AND LESS DISTRACTED.
PS: I’m sorry that comment came up in all caps! I’m not sure why that happened, but I promise I wasn’t screaming my comment at you. 🙂
Haha no worries!!
I’m so happy you found me Alyssa, I cannot wait to check out your blog now 🙂 I have found the same difficulties with blogging and have to remind myself that I’m backtracking on my goals if I have that mindset too. It’s definitely tough though! Thanks for the sweet comment!!!
I needed this. I am SO addicted to Pinterest, Twitter (I don’t do Face Book) and just the wealth of information at our fingertips! I spend HOURS online and my life is suffering from it. I don’t want to physically interact with ‘real’ people, I don’t get anything done at home… good thing I’m single. Its horrible. I need to join the living! Thanks for the article!
Aw! It can be tough when you really do feel addicted to technology, I feel for you! I would say your best bet is to spend an entire day unplugged to give yourself a clean slate and a much needed technology break. Maybe even take it a mile further and leave your phone in the car or at home while you go out and walk around town or something! Maybe use it as an opportunity to treat yourself to some coffee from a coffee shop and walk around people watching 🙂
You are certainly right. Everyone should give themselves abreak from technology. And just try to enjoy the life without it.
You’re right, too much use of TV shows or mobile phones completely shuts down the brain. While I see the great advantages of technology, there are also some disadvantages