A Door County Wisconsin sunset…unplug and catch your local miracle daily.

With all the conveniences of modern technology, we can stay plugged in 24/7. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially we suffer when a screen controls our lives. According to bankmycell smartphone addition or digital toxicity is a real thing. The definition of smartphone addiction is Nomophobia, “which is defined as having a fear of not being with your phone.” Do you suffer from brain fog or digital dimensia?

The average smartphone user checks their device 47 times a day or 17,155 times a year! Shilagh Mirgain, a UW Health psychologist, some people check their phones and social media accounts a 100 times a day! She goes on to say, “it (is) easy to see why people feel overloaded with information and growing anxiety from being connected 24/7.”

Cell phones are a conversation killer. 85% of users will check their device while speaking to someone, which affects social well-being dramatically. Who wants to engage with a person who is more interested in the next best thing on their phone and not the body in front of them. Those that have grown up using cell phones suffer from social awkwardness, the inability to hold a real face to face conversation and have the attention span of a gnat because cell phones have trained them to keep checking their phones. Who hasn’t see a teen texting someone they are sitting right next too? And then heard them complain they are lonely or depressed? Help your teen or yourself unplug with setting healthy boundaries for use.

Cell phones have been around for years though, so why the sudden increase in personal dependence? Well quite simply, its defined by the nature of the content on the device… we’re talking internet, social networks, apps, video, music and so on. (Source: https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/smartphone-addiction/#chapter1)”

Donna Freitas, author of Unplugged, professor who studies what teens and young adults think about various things. Her most recent study ended up being about social media and unplugging! Why? So many were taking about life before smartphones and tricks they used to unplug on a regular basis.

Here are some of the negative impacts on your life from cell phone usage

Anxiety – Simply having your phone near you will decrease your productivity, the impact snowballs with the level of the users’ addiction.

Stress – Higher stress levels were found in business orientated roles where work life is connected to the personas device e.g. emails

Narcissism – People on their phones who get addicted to social media will begin to display self-absorption traits derived from posting constantly about their life or selfies.

Depression and loneliness – mainly stemming from people on their phones with high social media use (higher numbers in teens).

Attention deficit disorder – The flow of information can impact the brains’ ability to stay focused on one task for more than a couple of minutes

Sleep deprivation – Impacting your sleep can have long-term mental health, memory and learning skills. (Source: https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/smartphone-addiction/#chapter1)

Some benefits of taking a break from technology

Closer relationships. Put the phone away when spending time with someone. Studies have shown that the presence of a phone, even if turned off, creates feelings of being less connected or listened to.

More productivity and increased focus. While many people think they can multitask, the reality is that it is a myth. Constant texts and emails disrupt focus and can lead to tasks taking longer.

Increased self-worth. Seeing the carefully curated images on social media can lead to feelings of inadequacy or missing out. It’s important to keep in mind that reality is very different than what may be pictured.

More mindful. It is easy to be distracted by trying to capture the right shot. Instead, just focus on the moment and the savor the experience.

Reduced stress. It’s easy to feel like work is never done when the email inbox is overflowing. Create boundaries by checking email at designated times – and definitely not first thing in the morning or on vacation.

Increased physical health. Too much time spent in front of a screen can mean less time being physically active. Get out and take a walk.

“Technology has become so embedded in daily life it can be hard to imagine stepping away. But it’s important to establish boundaries and take control. When we do, it will benefit our mental and physical health in so many ways,” says Mirgain.

Tips from Donna Freitas research on unplugging…

Tip #1: Look up

Think of all the cute guys and girls you’d miss out on seeing while staring down at a screen. By far, the people that were interviewed still preferred to meet people in person (but then check them out later online, of course). People also complained—and often—that nobody looks up anymore when they’re walking around, and when you don’t look up, you often miss out on great things. (You know, like that cute guy who’s staring longingly at you!)

Tip #2: Use “Do Not Disturb” mode at night

In Donna Freitas online survey, 69% of the people who responded said that they feel like because of smartphones, they are expected to be available 24/7—even at night, while they’re sleeping—and they really didn’t like that part. Turn your phone to “Do Not Disturb” mode so you won’t miss your alarm but you also won’t be interrupted all night long with texts and notifications!

Tip #3: Be active!

A lot of people who are really into sports and play on teams complained about how people even check their phones during games! (And some admitted to doing this themselves, albeit begrudgingly.) But most people preferred the freedom of just getting to play without worrying about checking anything. Or leaving at home to go for a run (though, they do like having their music available for going running!)

Tip #4: When out, put the phone away

You’ll be more aware of everything around you—the sun, your friends, swimming in the glorious ocean or that smooth, sparkly lake—and more social too. People kept telling Donna about deals they made with their friends about putting smartphones into a basket during dinner, and creating rules around what happens to the person who reaches for it first (they might have to pay the bill!) because everyone seems to like having time to socialize and be in the world without the temptation to be available—except to the people and the (real) world around you.

Tip #5: Once a day, put down your phone and do something else

You can take the time you’d be on your phone and use it to build a dribble castle or search for hermit crabs, pretty shells, and sea glass. (If you don’t know what a dribble castle is, then please write me to ask.) Also, one person Donna interviewed, Blaire, who was a lifeguard and a surfer, talked about how she dropped her phone into the ocean one day—and at first, she was traumatized, but then she told me she felt more relaxed than she had in ages, and enjoyed her time by the ocean way more than before when she was always checking.

Tip #6: Take a smartphone vacation

Um, can you say, relaxing? Daydreaming? Being blissfully unavailable??!! Nearly everyone I interviewed had a story about a smartphone vacation. Usually, that vacation started out by default—maybe because Mom forbade you to use it or because there was no service or the service would be too expensive. So people said they felt upset and twitchy at first. But then just about everybody talked about pure vacation bliss once they got over that initial stress of being disconnected.

Check out Donna’s book Unplugged on Amazon. It’s set in a virtual App World as well as the Real World.

Check out Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism. You’ll learn how to create a valid list to use technology and also have a negative list. You will learn to fast from the negative entries on your list.

Sunset in Ephraim, Wisconsin … other than taking a few pics, this phone was not used! photo by Janelle Baldwin

Why Should I Unplug?