How taking time away from “devices” reduces your stress

Can you imagine a world where there were no mobile phones? Where social media didn’t exist? Where if someone wanted to get a message to you, they could call you on a land-line, send a letter or drop by?

Yeah, hard to imagine I know. Really hard to remember that it was less than 30 years ago that this was the norm.

And while I can’t suggest that the average person avoids all of this all of the time, I certainly do suggest that you avoid tech before bed.

It’s been shown to interrupt sleep, it’s been shown to do a lot of other things as well including damaging our eyesight, making us lazy, reducing our attention span, encouraging bad behaviours, expecting instant gratification and more.

Ironically, social media can make people feel more isolated, impact real relationships, and cause more stress than you should have.

For many, technology is critical. But we certainly use it more than we should.

Avoiding tech 1 hour before bed will certainly help sleep, avoiding it a bit longer will help even more.

Years ago, I created what I called “Tech-Free Tuesday”. It was simple. On Tuesdays, I didn’t use tech unless it was essential. So if it was legitimately work-related (and in work hours) I could do it, if not then I couldn’t.

Sure, I could cheat, but the idea was to find other solutions. I could go for a walk, read a book, go out with friends or cook a nice meal.

At times it took just a bit of planning. For example, I would print out a recipe to cook the day before for example, but it worked.

I felt better, and I’m confident that you will too.

Action Steps

Start your own tech-free Tuesday – pick a day, and only use tech for legit, absolutely necessary uses. Perhaps this is all day, or maybe it’s only after hours. Find a way to make it work.

Commit to avoiding tech before bed – avoid all tech before bed for 1 hour, every night. Try it for 2 weeks and see how you feel. If you feel better, sleep better, or just enjoy spending that hour with your partner, keep doing it.

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