Three Reasons to Unplug from Your Phone
December 27, 2021
3 min read
Attack of the tiny, distracting screens!
Written by Simon Spichak
Bored? Check your phone, refresh email, scroll down Twitter feed, check email again. Many aspects of social media and phone apps are gamified so that we anxiously await the next notification. Here are some tips to stay in the present moment and disconnect from the virtual aether.
The average person checks their phone as much as once every six minutes. It takes us away from the moment, from a conversation or a book, and also worsens our attention span. But while phones and technology are everywhere, and we know we are overreliant, we still hesitate to unplug for a day. Let’s take a closer look at what constant access to our phones might be doing to the brain, and why you’ll benefit from unplugging.
#1: Social Media Makes You Feel Bad About Yourself
In the last year, the company formerly known as Facebook had yet another reckoning as insiders leaked important documents about the impact of its platform on mental health. Instagram is toxic to teenagers, especially young girls, as it promotes unrealistic body depictions and is associated with increased rates of anxiety and depression. Other internal documents about the Facebook platform revealed that negative and misleading content is preferentially amplified, including hate and extremism.
Other forms of social media also take you down these rabbit holes, as the algorithms are designed to keep you clicking through those apps. You can learn to break this cycle by deleting these apps on your phone, or taking a day or two each week where you go off social media completely. It can lead to an increased sense of self-worth!
#2: Phones Take You Away from the Present Moment
Most people will check their phone occasionally, even among friends or family and even mid-conversation. In this way, phones can disrupt this connection and the feeling of the present moment. When we take our attention away, even for a brief moment, it can take a while for our brain to get re-oriented back into the conversation. Our urge for that immediate little burst of dopamine from a notification or a message overrides our need to be present within the moment.
#3: Phones Take Advantage of the Limited Time You Have Everyday
Cellphones can disrupt you from learning, reading, playing games, and many other hobbies. By taking a day away from this technology, you give yourself a full day of whatever you want to learn or practice or do. Our existence is much more spectacular and exciting than we often give credit for. Despite being the only form of life (that we know of) that can contemplate and appreciate our own existence, we get sucked into our phones and the virtual world.
To quote the great Carl Sagan:
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
Need help unplugging? You can check out the resources at screenfree.org, set timers on various apps, or commit to a day or two without using your phone.
Please note that this post is written for educational purposes, it is not therapy. If you need to talk to a professional please book a consultation with a psychotherapist through Resolvve.
