All posts tagged: technology detox

10 Ways to Outsmart your Smartphone

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Keep your phone on charge away from your bed It’s so tempting to check emails just that one last time before bed, or thumb straight for social media apps as soon as you’ve turned off your alarm. So put a stop to these unhealthy autopilot habits by charging your phone away from your bedside. Buy an alarm clock Yep you heard right, a battery operated alarm clock! Stave off the temptation to check emails first thing in the morning, by keeping them out of reach and don’t rely on them to wake you up! Erase social media apps You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can break the habit of automatically flicking through all your social media apps every time you pick up your phone. Remove multiple email accounts Our bosses might be livid, but surely you aren’t paid enough to be on call 24 hours a day? To be answering emails at 10pm or on the tube into work? Respect your sanity (and savour your free time) by deleting any possible email accounts from your phone now. Go on be ruthless! Check …

25 ways to Unplug

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The weekend provides an ideal opportunity to put our digital devices down and reconnect with this wondrous world around us! Not to mention ourselves and each other. But wonder what on earth you would do without them? If inspiration’s lacking, we’ve come up with 25 ways you can entertain yourself offline: Wrap up warm and go for a fresh Spring walk leaving your phone locked at home Finally pick up the forgotten cookery book found in your Christmas stocking, choose a recipe and whip up a delicious meal Hang out with friends – go for coffee, wander markets, make each other laugh Sit and write postcards, letters and cards for friends, buy stamps and post them – there’s nothing quite like receiving hand written mail! Invite friends over and play a game of cards or a board game round the kitchen table Spend some time with your pet – bath it, play with it, pet it Pick up a diary and write about your experience, including noting 3 positive things about being unplugged Take a hot bath with candles Discover the …

Technology and Sleep Deprivation, the Facts

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A lack of sleep is associated with depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, yet gone are the days when our bedrooms provided a sanctuary of tranquility and relaxation. Instead contemporary bedrooms are now filled with TVs, iPads, laptops and mobile phones – all doing their very best to ensure we’re permanently on call, over-stimulated and wound up. According to a National Sleep Foundation study, 60% of 13-64 year olds experience problems sleeping and a staggering 95% use electronics in the hour before they go to sleep. It doesn’t take a brain scientist to realise there could be a very strong link between the two! Especially when 95% of 18-29 year olds sleep with their phones right next to their beds. The self-luminous display light emitted from phones and tablets, is the main cause for concern, as a study from the Lighting Research Centre proved exposure to this artificial light before bed caused melatonin suppression – a hormone that regulates our body clock and tells us it’s nighttime! But what can we do to ensure we’re giving ourselves …

Technotox

5 reasons you should switch off your phone and spend some time alone

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There’s a very unique comfort in solitude. Yet for many, the idea of being alone can be frightening or even freakish. We live in an information age where we’re barely given the opportunity to think for ourselves, constantly connected and influenced by endless streams of media and technology. If we’re not with people at work, out socialising or traveling the world, we’re encouraged to keep in touch via text messages, whatsapp and emails and engage with them through social media. Although we hate to admit it, there’s a tendency to judge others and even ourselves by how popular we are, how many likes a picture gets on Instagram, how many comments on Facebook or how many followers we have on Twitter. It’s a form of reassurance, that we’re doing okay and we’re getting it right. One would certainly be forgiven for thinking socialising equals happiness when our feeds are full of friends out partying and having a great time. What few of us realise however, is the importance of spending time alone. Taking quality time really getting …

Put your phone down and pick up a book! 10 ways reading can boost your mental health

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Technotox is here to try and encourage each of us to switch off to the drains and distractions of digital technology – emails, social media, addictive computer games – we spend far too many hours devoted to our screens, in fact the average person now checks their phone 150 times a day and unsurprisingly, it’s affecting our mental health. Being a slave to our phones can leave us feeling brain dead, overwhelmed and lost. So it’s time for a technology-detox and to rediscover more traditional activities that help promote our well-being, those which nuture rather than neglect our mental health. Reading is one such activity and has lots of wonderful merits, here are my top 10 – Stimulates the mind Reading keeps the brain sharp and the mind active. Unlike watching TV – a passive pastime, it stimulates our brain cells, helps build the memory muscle and gives our minds a workout. Reduces stress Reading is incredibly relaxing and can help us unwind after a hard day. It’s proven it reduces stress levels; as an engaging activity that requires …