Maine (WABI) – If your New Year’s resolution was to cut down on your screen time, there’s a good chance you may be struggling to fulfill that goal right about now.
Joy Hollowell spoke with an expert who shows us how face-to-face interactions can be all the rage this year.
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A recent study showed that on average, Americans check their phones about 144 times per day.
For many, social media is a powerful tool both professionally and personally. but what happens when technology becomes too much?
“There’s such a fine line between being dependent on it for information versus getting stimulation from it.”
Melissa Doman is an organizational psychologist and author of Cornered Office: Why We Need to Talk about Leadership Mental Health.. She says “digital detox” isn’t about going cold turkey.
“For a lot of people, that is not very feasible, she says. “It’s really about creating intentional uses of technology. And when you’re not using technology, really making sure that you are connecting with the people around you, your environment, your hobbies, in the ways that don’t involve tech.”
Doman says putting down your phone or iPad may seem relatively easy to some, but for others, it can cause stress.
“I think it’s fear of imaging what else it could be like,” she says. “Because for many people, even just sitting with their own thoughts feels too scary.”
When it comes to decreasing digital time, Doman stresses small steps to start.
“Pick a cadence that feels realistic and achieveable for you.”
She suggests time boxing your exposure to social media.
“I obviously want to and have to stay informed,” says Doman. “But there is a difference between catching up on everything for 30 minutes and at the end of the day, versus leaving the news on the entire time I’m working at home.”
And it’s a two-fold process.
“So that you’re not creating this void or vacuum, what am I going to put in its place?”
It can start with a simple walk in nature, or finally picking up that book you’ve been wanting to read. Perhaps there’s a hobby you’ve been wanting to try.
Doman suggests picking just one thing to begin the process of downsizing your digital dependence.
“If you can find some sort of integration between the two, a balance between the two,” she notes. “You have to personalize what works for you, for your mental health, for your enjoyment.”
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Also- think long and hard about what is essential and non essential screen time.
The results might just surprise you.
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