What is it?
Isn’t it time for a digital detox?
Technology is supposed to save us time but
it just seems to take up more of it. There’s your computer, your laptop, your
tablet, your smartphone, your sports watch… And thanks to email, social media,
blogging and texting, we’re always ‘on’. ‘The temptation is to multitask round
the clock,’ says Cary Cooper, Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health
at Lancaster University. So you read Twitter while watching TV, update your
Facebook status when out for dinner. Sound familiar? ‘Being distracted doesn’t
allow you to focus on the task at hand. Your mind is constantly scattered -and
that way stress, anxiety and poor sleep can lie,’ says Cooper. ‘Easing our
reliance on gadgets and connectivity can only improve our psychological and
physical health,’ he says.
What are the benefits? Taking a break from technology could be like a spa break for your
mind. A US study in the journal PLOS One sent people out for a four-day hike,
leaving their digital devices at home. Spending time away from technology, and
communing with nature instead, boosted their performance in creativity tests by
50 per cent. The study authors believe ‘disconnecting’ allows the brain’s
prefrontal cortex, associated with creativity and higher-level thinking, to be
restored.
‘Easing
our reliance on gadgets and connectivity can only improve our psychological and
physical health,’ he says
It’s a phenomenon Sophie Doyle, 34, an
entrepreneur from Hertfordshire, recognizes. ‘I’d been trying for weeks to
write up a business plan to show to backers,’ she says. ‘It was only when my
broadband went down that I realized how much time I normally waste surfing and
flitting between my inbox, Facebook and Twitter. After weeks of
procrastination, I got it finished in two days. Now I head for a Wi-Fi-free
library, museum or café when I need to be productive. If I need to speak to
someone, I use the phone and request a meeting.’
‘Real human interaction stops us being
sedentary in front of screens and builds relationships, which are key to
preventing anxiety and depression,’ says Cooper. How to do it ‘Control
technology, don’t let it control you,’ Cooper advises. Set times to check your
email at work, agree regular, gadget-free time with your friends and family.
And make it a rule that if you’re out for dinner or catching up with your
partner, the phone stays out of sight. ‘Stop "just checking",’ he says.
‘Especially if it’s your work emails when you’re home for the evening. This
just extends the day and raises your stress - it can wait until the morning.’
‘Real
human interaction stops us being sedentary in front of screens and builds
relationships, which are key to preventing anxiety and depression,’ says
Cooper.
There are companies that offer retreats
where you abandon all devices at the start of your stay (visit
inspa-retreats.com and destinationyoga.co.uk ). It’s a good rule to apply
yourself on any holiday.
There are even apps designed to help you
regulate your tech time. Download Freedom (macfreedom.com) and set it to block
internet access on your PC or Mac for up to eight hours, while Anti-Social
(anti-social.cc) simply blocks social media access. And Digital Detox
(tirl.org/software/digitaldetox) is a smartphone app that will completely
disable your phone for a set period, determined by you.
The Pure Gym
What is it?
Keeping fit is supposed to help you feel energized, happy, strong and lean. But
sometimes the stress of trying to fit your workouts in, or the volume of
exercise you’re doing, can leave you feeling burned out. Clean fitness means
taking a more holistic approach to exercise, embracing mind-body disciplines
like yoga and meditation, and connecting with the great outdoors.
Keeping
fit is supposed to help you feel energized, happy, strong and lean.
What are the benefits? If you spend your days squashed on public transport and then in a
noisy office, a visit to the gym, with its whirring machines and blaring TV
screens, may not provide the serenity you need. And if you don’t allow yourself
adequate post-exercise recovery, with good nutrition, rest days and cross
training, you risk overtraining syndrome or adrenal burnout. ‘Yoga allows you
to connect with yourself and nurture your body,’ says yoga teacher and life
coach Sarah Oakley (yummy-yoga.co.uk). ‘Even if it’s not for you, there’s a lot
to be said for learning its breathing and focusing techniques, which you can
bring to any workout.’ Yoga moves can also help to detox your cellular and
circulatory systems, expelling carbon dioxide and lactic acid and boosting deep
tissue flexibility.
Who does it?
Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Geri Halliwell are famous yogis. Kelly
Brook and Katy Perry love outdoor hikes.
‘Even
if it’s not for you, there’s a lot to be said for learning its breathing and
focusing techniques, which you can bring to any workout.’
How to do it
Visit bwy.org.uk to find a yoga teacher; your local Buddhist center may have
information on meditation. Or try t-m.org.uk for transcendental meditation. If
exercise tires rather than invigorates you, ask a trainer for a simpler
program. ‘Try varying your activities,’ says Oakley. ‘If you run on road, take
to the trails. Gym bunny? Get outdoors for some circuit training. Swim laps?
Jump into a lake.’ Visit outdoorswimmingsociety.com and mind.org.uk/a
