Do You Need a Digital Detox?

By: Cassie Horton

With the new year on the horizon, we’re busy reflecting on the past year and thinking of resolutions for the upcoming year. Most New Year’s resolutions are focused around being healthier, whether it’s exercising more, eating better, detoxing, or focusing on personal wellbeing. But have you heard of a digital detox and the health benefits behind this new trending topic?

A digital detox involves taking a break from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, with the goal of reducing stress or focusing on social interaction in the physical world. According to the data that Apple collects, we touch our phone 80 times a day - that’s nearly 30,000 times a year[1]. Our mobile phones are an amazing modern convenience that many of us cannot imagine living without. But they can also be detrimental to our physical and mental health. So what are the benefits of a digital detox?

1. Better Ideas: Being bored can spur creativity. We need time to reflect, pause, and to observe in order to form connections and see structures.  These connections and designs are instrumental in helping us form new ideas.  If we constantly fill up our time and mind with meaningless stuff (yes, I’m talking about that what your friend-had-for-dinner post), we don’t have the time to recognize patterns and form new concepts.
2. Greater Clarity: Many leaders have attributed their success to their ability to focus. Today, our phones make that nearly impossible for us.  A buzz mid-meeting can completely pull our attention away from the more important matter at hand.  By putting our phone down, we’re able to stay present in the moment and distinguish between what is urgent and what is important.  This will provide the clarity to determine what is important and what we can let slide. 
3. Better Relationships: Email, text, and chats are a great form of communication, but they are not always the best form of communication. One in-person coffee meetup or business meeting can take the place of 100’s of emails, texts, or chats back and forth. Personal connections help foster relationships, improve trust, and help prevent any potential misunderstandings[2]. 
4. Improved Health: FaceBook recently admitted social media poses a mental health risk[3]. And a study about relationships and social health found – improved social connections can lengthen your life[4]. Furthermore, the World Health Organization classifies cell phone radiation as a “possible carcinogen” based on an increased risk of glioma, a type of brain cancer. The California Department of Public Health recently issued a warning about the health concerns of cell phone radiation.

Even with all of these benefits of a digital detox, we may not be ready to completely part from our technology and that’s understandable. Just remember that one way you can use your phone and look out for your health is with our alara radiation protection case.

[1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-smartphones-hijack-our-minds-1507307811

[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/annabelacton/2017/10/19/why-you-need-a-digital-detox/#4790e58a7b7c

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/15/facebook-mental-health-psychology-social-media

[4] http://science.sciencemag.org/content/241/4865/540