Digital Detox
- Jacob Somers
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
Reclaiming Your Focus
It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness, and a dread of some strange impending doom.” - Edgar Allen Poe
Digital burnout, overload, and addiction are all becoming more common as we enter the modern era of technological consumerism. We become connected through many socials while becoming more disconnected from ourselves than ever before. This inevitable disconnection cheapens the facade that we trick ourselves into believing is as enriching a connection as chatting over coffee, a night of board games, or enjoying a glass or two with your friend on the first open weekend in months. I want to emphasize that social time through technology can be valuable recreationally. I am specifically targeting the fact that technology is not as productive for our social lives as we tout. I would go as far as to say it’s even less productive in our work lives, where many will defend with words such as, “It allows me to multitask.“
Signs of Digital Overload
The beginning steps towards addressing any problem are to identify the source, become familiar with it, and master how to navigate the challenge. Let’s begin with defining Digital Overload, as the experience of emotional or physical fatigue that results from excessive content or visual information through regular use of technology, typically via cell phones or computers. The greatest defense against any combatant, whether it be addiction, anger, or overwhelmingness, is awareness. Awareness of Digital Overload looks like recognizing its symptoms such as; anxiety, poor sleep quality, a ‘mindless blackout’, extreme usage (5+ hours of screentime daily), low motivation or drive, and phantom vibrations.
Digital Overload, the experience of emotional or physical fatigue that results from excessive content or visual information through regular use of technology, typically via cell phones or computers.
Each of these symptoms are specific to the user. While some may only experience 2-3 items listed, many may experience the whole list. Anxiety presents itself due to the experiences one is challenged with, such as war, tragedies, politics, etc. However, for others, it can present due to ongoing procrastination in favor of scrolling, games, or other distractions. Poor sleep is prevalent due to the effect of blue light on one's sleep quality and the dopamine rush that phones tend to cater to by being stimulating. A ‘mindless blackout’ is recognizable by losing large gaps of time where you don’t recognize what you were doing on the phone but you can recognize that you began scrolling at 2 PM and when you stopped it has become 7 PM. This transitions into extreme usage, where you go into your settings it will show ‘digital wellbeing’ and how long you have been on your screen. If this number is equal to or exceeding 5 hours then it is considered excessive. When beginning a digital detox journey you may feel low motivation and lessened drive to work towards productive means. This can sound like "I’ll just watch one more…" or "I don’t have time to work on that" while continuing to scroll or play games on the device for one or more hours. Lastly, and most commonly ‘Phantom Vibrations’ are a sign that you are giving too much power to your device. Frequently people will feel these as though they have gotten a notification without their device in their pocket, on their desk, or even in their hand. These all are vital to be aware of as they take our power from us and urge us into unhealthy loops.1
Make a Plan
To reach a goal of healthier boundaries with your devices after recognizing the current use is causing a problem in your life, is making a plan to regain your power over your device. In some select situations, this may appear like identifying the ‘culprit’ apps and uninstalling or setting daily app limits on them to reduce the use of those apps. In other situations, it is determining what triggers the scrolling/gaming urges and looking for alternatives to utilize during that time. These alternatives could be reading, a personal project, listening to music, or meditating. Use your other life goals as inspiration for these alternatives for filling in gaps of time that currently is taken by your device. Finally, if the device itself is the culprit, then there are apps for Android2 and ios3 for digital detox to prevent the use of the device for a designated period of time.
Throughout the journey of digital detoxification find the joy in the opportunity to explore yourself further. Be intentional with these extra moments every day you have reignited with purpose and target your mental and physical health. Identify triggers that may lead to the same digital overloading behaviors from before the detox. Explore your wants, desires, and goals to better push you into an empowered self. Don’t allow your digital overload to be the driver of your mental health. Take back your control, empower yourself to be more, and strengthen your identity towards wellness.4
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