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What is a Digital Detox?

Digital Detox, in one sentence, is the detoxification of a person from the over use of electronic devices like computer, mobile phone. In today’s world, we can’t live without our mobiles and it is more or less used in every form of our lifestyle. Be it using for personal needs or for professional purpose, we are totally dependent of it. No doubt electronic devices, especially computers and mobile phones are irreplaceable from our day to day life.  But now we are so engrossed to use them that we reached the next level…that it, the level of addiction; that we can’t live without it.  Sometimes we over use them even when that was not necessary.

Why we need Digital Detox?

For many of us being connected with the internet through phone or computer has been a part of life and we can’t think of our life without them even for a moment. There are many of us who check them mobile the first thing in the morning after waking up and it has become a habit by now, rather a routine that we do it mostly unknowingly. I remember once I forgot my phone in office and it was in bus that I found out. Although, it was 8.30 p.m., I could not but went back to office by another bus just to pick up my phone.

These pictures illustrates how our life changed after the explosion of digital devices. Thus it is the need of the hour to detoxify ourselves from the harmful effects of digital devices.

How to Digital Detox?

Here are some of the ways I follow to detoxify myself. Hope you could incorporate some of them in your lifestyle. Addition or alteration is entirely on you.

• Stop checking social networking sites and emails for updates first thing in the morning. Rather than go out in open space and enjoy sometimes with yourself in morning fresh air. This not only helps you to freshen up but also gives a positive vibes to carry on the entire day.
• Fixed a particular time of the day for checking emails and social sites. We often tend to check these stuffs the moment we get hold some times from work. But if we calculate the number of times we checked our social sites, it would be no less than 3 hours per day. Imagine we spend sometimes more than 3 hours just by swiping through pages of our phones. Most of the times just by looking at irrelevant things we don’t have anything to do. Let me give you an example, if a friend of mine posted some pictures of her relatives on Instagram, what is to me? They are not remotely connected with me. So why I shall spent my precious time to see them.
• Every day fixed a particular time, to switch off your phone at least for 2 hours. Keep your phone aside and spend times with your friends and family. It is much more beneficial to get connected with people around us.
• Don’t let your phone interrupt in between dates or dinner or any other occasion, when you are hanging around with a special person or your family. I remember my father getting totally agree with me if I chit chat over phone while talking with him in person….  “Either you look at your phone or talk to me”….he shouted at me.
• Put off the push notification bar so that every times a message comes, you are not tempted to look at your phone.
• Make your bed room a digital device free zone. The moment you enter your bedroom put aside your phone or laptop in a distant corner, so that you are not tempted to use them.
• Rather than watching news in TV or mobile, switch to newspapers and magazines. The news in them had a beginning and a conclusion, unlike news which are broadcast in digital platforms which goes on forever.
• One of the reasons our mobile phones are so tempting are the vibrant color of its display. Many smart phones allow turning into grey scale. If your phone has this facility, use it more often.

Use your tools wisely and don’t let it ruin your personal life.

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