Script:

Episode 17: Digital Detox

Hello, everyone. Welcome back. Today I am going to talk about digital detox.

What is digital detox? Digital detox is a period of time during which you refrain from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers in order to reduce stress.

How many hours do you spend staring at your phone, computer, tablet or other electronic devices? Work aside, we use electronic devices to connect with our friends, check their social media page, watch Youtube, Instagram or Tik Tok videos, and reading the latest news. We also have apps for appointment reminders, and apps to track our exercise progress. There is an app for almost everything.

Many people have breaking news alert apps on their phones. There are also lots of people who enjoy watching funny videos on Instagram or Tik Tok and send them to others.

Staring at our devices may be pleasurable in the moment but it can get addictive. Neck and shoulder pain, and eyestrain are some of the side effects. Sometimes, it can even affect the quality of our sleep. Studies show two or more hours of screen time in the evening can seriously disrupt the melatonin surge needed to fall sleep.

Totally giving up on screen time is not practical, so what can we do?

1. Turn off push notifications - Getting constant updates on the news is distractive, especially when you are at work. When you receive the alert, it is hard not to read the news. It affects your productivity at work.

2. Designate tech-free time - it can be your meal times. Use this opportunity to stay away from the screen and focus on eating, or if you are eating with others, simply enjoy the conversation. Bedtime is also a good tech-free time.

3. Consider turning off all electronic devices at least half an hour before sleep, at a minimum. Try reading a book, taking a bath or doing some other type of relaxing activity.

4. Rediscover paper - try reading a paper book instead of e-book.

5. Limit yourself to one screen at a time. When we are trying to focus on work, and scrolling our phone at the same time, our brains go haywire. Multitasking is stressful and we get distracted.

6. Limit the number of apps you download. The more apps you have, the more time you spend on your phone or other devices.

How many hours do you spend on your phone a day?

Thank you for listening.

Vocabulary

Refrain – keep from doing

Addictive – a strong desire and need to do something

Melatonin – a hormone that makes us sleep

Productivity – the quality of being effective

Designate - choose, pick

Haywire – being out of order