Footloose + Screen Free | Unplug to Recharge and Reconnect
Your Home & Lifestyle Magazine
The smartphone may have had a slow, somewhat lackluster start when the IBM Simon Personal Communicator launched in the early ’90s, but it soon made up for it with worldwide prominence. If you own a cell phone—like the vast majority of adults in the US and Canada—you may find yourself practically tethered to it.
With phones, tablets, televisions, and computers, we are getting so much “screen time” that the phrase has become part of the cultural lexicon. Screen-time junkies may experience lackluster sleep; eye strain and headaches; neck and shoulder pain from stooping to eyeball the latest news . . . the list goes on. And for those with a social media account, ill effects can transfer into the emotional. When we seek external “likes” rather than, well, hanging out with people we like in real life, we can experience depression and nosediving self-confidence.
So, how can you cut back on screen time to truly unplug and relax? Whether you’re looking to maximize your hard-earned weekends or simply focus on a fantastic dinner shared with old friend, read on for advice we really “like.”
Establish boundaries. Maybe your boss often pings you on Saturday afternoon, checking in on the status of a looming deadline. Or your social media alerts pop up each and every time you get a new follower. If you’re feeling such alerts encroaching on your R&R, consider putting a stop to them. Ask your employer if it would be reasonable to limit work correspondence to your “office hours.” (After all, studies have shown employees are much better workers when they get a real break.) If alerts from social media and other apps are becoming obnoxious, head to your phone’s settings and simply toggle them off. Like your inbox, they will be there . . . when you’re ready.
Use tech to your advantage. If the glowing, colorful Instagram world is dragging you away from your life in the real world, take yourself back in time to the slightly less-addictive black-and-white world of Old Hollywood. Simply change your phone’s settings to display everything in grayscale, an option generally found under the Accessibility tab on both iOS and Androids. The resulting greige screen renders rainbow-hued video games and social media apps alike significantly less appealing.
Set time limits. Sure, you could just leave your phone in another room on purpose. But if you need some assistance, you can both track and limit time on chosen apps. Feel like you’re doomscrolling by reading too much news? Give yourself a limit of thirty minutes per day under the Screen Time section of Settings by going to the App Limits tab. When the allotted time is up, the app will be inaccessible unless you override your own block. You can also give yourself Downtime hours in the Screen Time section of Settings, which is helpful if you’d occasionally like your phone to be just, well, a phone. You can set it to block app use during specific timeframes to help you get great shuteye or finally finish that book you’ve been meaning to get to. Call it me time, unplugged.
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Natural Reset
In an era marked by excessive screen and indoor time, people are instinctively seeking the comfort and therapeutic values of the natural world. But how do you effectively harness the power of nature? Try forest bathing. Essentially, forest bathing is spending time outdoors (in a forest, park, garden, or your own backyard) and experiencing it through the five senses. Leave your devices at home and don’t rush. The goal is simply to enjoy your time in nature, not to get anywhere. “By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between us and the natural world,” writes Dr. Qing Li in his book Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness. “And when we are in harmony with the natural world we can begin to heal. Our nervous system can reset itself, our bodies and minds can go back to how they ought to be. No longer out of kilter with nature but once again in tune with it, we are refreshed and restored.”
Written by Maresa Giovannini
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Written By Kathryn O’Shea-Evans
Photography provided by SeventyFour/iStock/Getty Images.