We are more plugged in than ever before. Our daily lives consist of regularly checking emails, responding to texts from friends, mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds, and receiving news alerts. Research shows that about 61 per cent of people admit they are addicted to the internet and their digital screens. According to the experts, too much screen time can have a negative impact on our mood, relationships, sleep patterns, and overall health.

A digital detox is a period of time during which you intentionally reduce the amount of time you spend online on your devices. Rather than thinking of it as a complete break from technology, instead think of it as taking small steps to create boundaries between yourself and your devices. Practicing a digital detox has many benefits, including reduced stress, improved sleep, more meaningful relationships, increased productivity, and a longer attention span.

Here are our 7 tips on how to do a digital detox and make unplugging a regular habit.

Create rules around events or places in your home, and enforce them with every family member or guest. For example, put phones away during mealtimes. If you have family movie nights, phones and tablets should stay in bedrooms. Leave your phone to charge in another room when you go to bed at night to avoid the natural tendency to pick it up and check it, and invest in an old-fashioned alarm clock instead.

Our brains need around 30 minutes to wake up from the sleep inertia and we only reach full recovery in 1-2 hours after getting out of bed.^. Try not to check your phone for the first hour after you wake up in the morning. Instead, practice a self-care routine such as yoga or going for a short walk outdoors, make a healthy breakfast, and read a book or newspaper while you drink your morning coffee.

Do you really need Twitter and Instagram updates throughout the day? Constantly being reminded that you have a new email or notification can create stress and pressure to respond to it right away. Turning off notifications for emails, social media, and texts means that you can respond when you are free, rather than experiencing a constant interruption to your other activities throughout the day.

Whether it’s going hiking for a weekend or taking a bike ride with a friend, try to plan outdoor activities that don’t involve technology. This allows you to engage in the activity with your full attention and have fun with others along the way. When you’re out in nature, place your phone in your backpack rather than your pocket, so it takes more effort to get it out and you’re more likely to skip the phone check. 

Think about deleting unnecessary social media apps from your phone and only access them from your computer or web browser. Just simply deleting your most frequently used apps takes away the temptation and opportunity to constantly check and refresh.

The Screen Time app is an excellent tool that gives you a daily average of your phone usage for the week, downtime and the ability to set limits on apps. Try setting a daily or weekly goal. Setting time limits on social media apps can also be helpful to notify you when you have been scrolling for a certain amount of time.

And finally, think about booking a digital detox retreat so you can press pause, destress and unplug. A Digital detox retreat is a place with little to no digital tech availability where you can enjoy your time in nature or practice mindful activities like meditation and yoga. The primary goal is to take yourself offline for a while, which can work wonders for your state of mind.