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HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON DOING
A DIGITAL DETOX OF YOUR OWN

Plan your day Make it a group thing
Make it a gradual change. Start by putting the phone away It can be helpful to plan a digital detox with people around
for 15 minutes at a time in your schedule you would usually you, like family members or coworkers. Tell people what
pick it up. The next day, put it down for 30 minutes, and so on. you’re doing, plan group activitiesmake it a challenge! This
Give yourself a time limit for how long you can be on your can hold you accountable, allow you to reconnect face-to-
phone, too. Or designate one day a week to stay away from face and practice the relationship skills that can’t be
social media and your devices entirely — No Facebook replicated over technology.
Fridays or Twitter-Free Tuesdays. Keep technology out of the bedroom
Disable pushes and notifications Get an old-fashioned alarm clock and leave the phone
Turn off your phone’s push notifications — especially for charging in another room. “If you’re looking for the easiest
social media apps — to cut back on your digital dependency. change to your technology use that will have a positive
Notifictions are a cue for your brain to engage that benefit – stop looking at your phone one hour before
application, “to just pick it up and mindlessly engage,” clinical bedtime. Plug it in outside of your room and go to bed,” says
psychologist Michael Ellery said. PMH psychiatric nurse Chris Bromley.
Exercise in airplane mode Beat the FOMO
Listening to a playlist while on a run or lifting at the gym is Anxiety of what you’re passing up — known as FOMO (Fear
pretty inevitable, but while music can boost your effort, Of Missing Out) — can be a struggle, but tell yourself it’s okay
stopping mid-workout to answer a text takes away from to be where you are, present in the moment. Social media
burning calories. Turn your phone to airplane mode or do not only shows the highlights of other people’s lives, so while it
disturb to focus fully on your workout. may feel like you’re missing out on something awesome,
chances are things aren’t as exciting behind the screen.