Whether it is in the workplace, helping children with virtual school, binge-watching old episodes of 80s sitcoms, or connecting with friends – we cannot avoid screens.
Rolling my eyes at the obvious, but psychology research out of Boston College released in preprint last week shows that increased screen time indicates a family in distress.
We are all in distress, am I right?
The negative effects of increased screen time:
- Increased screen time creates difficulty focusing, anxiety, and ADHD like symptoms, and reduction in productivity.
- In the eyes, prolonged screen time contributes to dry eyes, eye fatigue, eye strain.
- Sitting in front of screens too long has additional negative effects on our health: headaches, poor posture, increased stress hormones, disturbances in sleep.
Digital detox techniques for the workplace, school, and sleep.
Take-Two meditation:
This is a popular technique that works for offices, remote work and schools.
- Step away from your all of your screens for two minutes, and change the scenery.
- Breathe deeply.
- Focus on two things you can see
- Focus on two things you can hear
- Focus on two things you can touch
- Focus on two things you can smell
- Focus on two things you can taste
By taking two minutes to reorient our five senses, we take control back in our minds and improve focus and calm. Take a two-minute brain break every hour if possible, if not, schedule it once in the morning and once in the mid-afternoon.
Two steps to disconnect before bedtime:
- Schedule a regular time to go to bed, and commit to digital detox prior to bedtime
- Pick another activity that engages your mind and hands that will distract you away from devices (chores, knitting, romance)
I’m going to take two minutes and walk barefoot in the grass in my backyard while my dog, Rahja, rolls around in the leaves.
OUR GIFT FOR YOU
In partnership with MediMind by Cloud 9, we are offering you this healing gift. I am honored to join the advisory board of Cloud 9, which creates medical grade meditations in an app that is being used in hospitals and clinics all over North America.
My recommendation in their expansive library, try the guided meditations for sleep. When my thoughts are chaotic, my choice is sleep music on this app.
Here is access to a FREE 90-day trial for our #brainSHIFT community: https://bit.ly/3nuCmM5
RESOURCES:
- Screen time as in index of a family distress: https://psyarxiv.com/zqc4t
- How to handle increased screen time: https://www.harvardpilgrim.org/hapiguide/how-to-handle-screen-time-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
