Digital detox: Disconnect to reconnect

Digital Detox: 5 Ways to disconnect to reconnect

MF editorial team

25 Mar 2015

updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:15

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1. Monitor your phone usage
If you’re using an iPhone, download the Moment app, and if you’re using an Android, download the Break Free app. Both apps help control your smartphone addiction by showing you just how much time you spend staring at your screen. This is converted to an addiction score which is displayed on the main screen. The app then gives you a heads up when it's time to take a break.
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2.Delete an app
Choose the app that you are most addicted to or waste the most time on and delete it. You'll probably feel the urge to check for notifications from that app, but after a while, you won't even realise it's gone!
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3. Disable push notifications
It's easy to get addicted to push notifications in the age of instant gratification. Wean yourself off this by disabling the feature completely! That way your phone won't keep buzzing everytime a new Candy Crush game invite comes your way.
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4. Go photo free
The Instagram era has seen us rush to capture every little detail of our lives for posterity puposes. Everything from our daily meals to what we wore for that movie date is not spared the camera lens. Take a step back and decide to live in the moment by seeing the world through your eyes and not through the phone's camera lens.
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5. Turn off your phone
Whether it's for 24 hours or 72 hours or the entire week, switch off your phone and engage with the real world instead. You'll be surprised how refresing it is to look at a person's face or enjoy the scenery instead of staring at your screen 24/7.

More connected to your virtual followers than your real friends? Ditch the tech devices and learn to navigate the real world without an Internet connection with this detox.

Texting, Instagramming, Tweeting, emailing, downloading and gaming; the average adult spends more than half of their waking life staring at a screen. What is it about technology that is so addictive and has gotten us hooked from the moment we’re up to the moment we hit the pillow? While we’re more globally connected than previous generations, life in the digital age is far from ideal.

We all know that someone who is constantly glued to their smartphone at the risk of their health and safety – like texting while crossing the road. Or perhaps you’re the tech addict who constantly refreshes your Twitter feed or post Instagram selfie after another. Either way, you know it’s time to step in and do something when push notifications take precedence over anything else and this is where the digital detox is much needed. Not many people may be keen to undergo a period of time where the use of any electronic device is prohibited, but sometimes, to regain vital perspective, you’ve got to take a break from your digital platforms and focus on the real world.

By doing a digital detox, we give ourselves a chance to step back and unwind for a while. When we get back to it, we’re more refreshed, recharged and ready to take on new challenges. Our thoughts and conversations become more succinct as we’re not constantly interrupted by the sound of a text message or push notification.

To get you on your way to a digital detox, the gallery above illustrates 5 simple ways to overcome tech fatigue. Now brace yourselves and get ready to switch off your phones after this!

Karen George

Digital Detox: 5 Ways to disconnect to reconnect

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