Why it's important to 'unplug' every now and then


In this day and age, it’s very common for us to never look up. We’ll be walking down the street, clutching our phones, and staring intently at the screens. As soon as we get into work, we turn on our computers and stare at those for hours. Then, we’ll get home from a long day at work and turn on our televisions to binge-watch our favorite series. Finally, we’ll get into bed and scroll through social media until we fall asleep. It seems as though we live our lives always plugged into some kind of device. This is why it’s essential to ‘unplug’ every now and then.

It’s becoming an addiction

Believe it or not, but our love of technology and constantly being connected is actually becoming an addiction. In fact, there have been plenty of studies over the last few years that show just how bad we rely on the phones in our hands. There is actually something called ‘low battery anxiety’ that is seen quite a lot in young people. We’re always worried that our phones might run out of battery or that we’ll leave them at home, which is causing a form of anxiety. It’s to unplug every now and then so that we don’t become so reliant on technology.

Photo: BURST

It can cause sleep issues

If you find it hard to drift off at night, it may be because you’re always on your phone. The technology emits a blue light, which has been linked to a lack of melatonin in our bodies. Melatonin is the hormone that helps us get to sleep, so lower quantities of this make it harder for us to drift off. An increase in the number of people with sleep disorders can be linked to the rise of the cell phone, according to some researchers. If you unplug for a few hours before bed, then you might find it easier to get to sleep.

Other psychological problems

However, it’s not just sleep disorders that you may want to worry about. The rise in the use of social media has been linked to the increase in mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness. When we spend our whole lives comparing ourselves to the people we see on Instagram, it can make us feel really down. We might feel as though we’re not good enough because we don’t match up to the influencers and models on social media. Unplugging from technology, especially social media, can make a big difference in our mental health.

Photo: BURST

Boost productivity

If you find yourself multitasking by checking your phone, your emails, and trying to do your work at once, then you’re not alone. However, what you might not realize is this is totally counterproductive. It can be a lot harder to concentrate on the task at hand if you’re always thinking about all of the other things going on. If you can unplug for a little while, perhaps when you need to focus on a specific project, this should help you feel a lot more productive. You could even set yourself a Pomodoro Timer if you find it hard to concentrate. It’s 25 minutes of solid work and then five minutes of break time.
It’s essential to unplug every now and then, especially if you can recognize any of the worrying symptoms we mentioned above. More than anything, it’s good to reconnect with who we are without the beeping of cell notifications.

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