Login

Digital detox is the need of the hour. Save your soul with these 6 tips

We literally can’t live without our smartphones, but that’s where the problem lies. Take a breath and spend some time by yourself. Here are a few tips that can help to calm your mind.
Going on hiking trip is a good way to indulge in digital detox. Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Arushi Malik Published: 8 Jan 2022, 10:00 am IST
OPEN APP

When digital transformation is done right, it’s like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, but when done wrong, all you have is a really fast caterpillar. Technology has become a part of our everyday life, which makes it difficult to imagine a life where we have to stay away from using our gadgets. Technology had come to us as a boon, making our life all the more easy, from staying in touch with our friends, learning new things or doing office work.

It has almost become indispensable to us, where we have the urge to keep checking our phone and even experience “phantom vibrations”. These things together have also promoted the “bane” side of digitization.

With the fast-moving pace of today’s world, the downside of digitization has also come out in the open. One of the most prominent effects is the difficulty to relax and calm oneself. It has compromised the quality of our life by making us ‘miss out’ on joys of life by living through devices. Psychologists across the globe highlight the importance of calming and relaxing, as it leads to multiple benefits not just physically but also psychologically. Living in this era of digitization can cause severe harm to our mental well-being if steps are not taken to take a break and focus our own self.

Staying glued to gadgets can make you anxious. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Some important and simple ways to calm down in this era of digitization are:

  1. Mindfulness

    A lot of time we tend to scroll through our phone mindlessly, without thinking the reason for it. To calm oneself down, it is important to be mindful i.e. taking a break from things we are doing and become fully aware of the present moment. It is the ability to fully process our actions and environment. Only once we process things fully are we able to feel calmer because it allows us to take a break from the busy schedule.

  2. Breathing

    When we are overly involved in the digital world and lose touch with real life, one easy way to calm down is to just breathe. As easy as it sounds, more often than not, we get so absorbed in ourselves that we forget to focus on our breathing. To practice this, just take a minute and take in deep breaths, while staying away from digital devices.

    Breathe in, breathe out! Image courtesy: Shutterstock
  3. Digital detox

    We all say that gadgets have become such a common part of our everyday life that it is almost impossible to imagine what we would do without them. However, it is important to take some time off, it could be a day or some days altogether for our mental health. Frequently, taking this time away allows feeling more in control of our life, while understanding how much dependence we have. At the same time, the break helps to relax and calm down.

  4. Goal setting

    In this era of digitization, often we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed due to so many things happening around us. To feel calmer and more relaxed, set goals, prioritize things that are essential, and work towards them gradually. Due to digitization, we can find so many things happening together, and these can be quite stressful.

  5. Go outside

    With the ease of technology, we have everything at our fingertips, but does it always mean it’s healthy? To take a break, go outside and feel the freshness. Step out for an errand or go for a walk — break free from the usage of gadgets and experience the world.

  6. Relaxation toolkit

    Each of us has different things which help us feel calm, for some it can be listening to music, reading a book, or having a long shower. We can create a relaxing kit for ourselves, where we identify some things which help us feel better. But it is important to find things away from digital media to calm down and feel relaxed. So, whenever things seem heavy, we have first aid at our disposal.

Music meditation works its magic on your anxiety. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

The last word

In the era of digitization, where everything seems so fast and different, it is important to take control of our mental health. When things feel too overwhelming and too fast, taking a break can go a long way. Many things we see through our gadgets are not always correct or real, so remember to take frequent breaks to feel calm and relaxed.

Arushi Malik

Arushi Malik, Counselling Psychologist, Kaleidoscope, a unit of Dr. Bakshi’s Healthcare   ...Read More

Next Story