It’s that time of year again. Time to detox. Now, you may be thinking of the fad diets that cycle through, but we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about doing a brain detox, a brain detox made necessary by the ever increasing use of and reliance upon social media.
Don’t freak out. We’re only suggesting a daily detox, starting at 8 pm. You can do that, right?
Let’s try and convince you. One study found that we check our phones on average 85 times a day! Does that mean we are social 85 times a day? Not likely. All that screen time is finally being addressed and studied. We are human-beings and, as such, we respond to face-to-face interaction. With screen time replacing this historical face-to-face interaction, we are actually regressing as a society. People are becoming increasingly unable to think independently, empathize with others, or communicate non-verbally.
Social media’s effect on the body:
- Social Media releases dopamine, creating a sensation akin to addiction. We begin to crave the screen time as we gain more likes and more friends. Now, according to the Huffington Post, 5-10% of people are unable to regulate the amount of time they spend on social media.
This is one of the text book hallmarks of addiction.
- Social Media has been found to reduce our attention span. Our attention spans are now an average of 8 seconds!
- Social media disrupts your sleep. The blue light emitted by your phone mimics the effects of the sun, tricking your brain into thinking it’s still daytime.
- Social Media increases our depression rates. As we scroll through the pages of profiles and pictures we begin to compare ourselves to others.
Now. You thinking you can do this, turn off your phone, computer or I-Pad every night come 8:00? We thought so too.
Because:
8pm should be the time for self-care, or the time we spend face-to-face with loved ones. You matter. Your friends matter. Your family matters.
Join us for a 7-day detox (from January 14th to January 20th), by sharing stories of your nightly face-to-face encounters, via e-mail, with us. All you have to do is send over your email. In response, you’ll receive some words of encouragement and a suggested nightly activity from me. And remember, every night at 8pm, it’s “go time.” So, set your alarm for the next morning, so that you and your social media device can be awakened at the same time, rested and ready for a new day. You in?