I turn off my cell phone for a day and 12 other tips to do a digital detox

Although for the WHO excessive cell phone use is not yet considered an addiction, it meets all the characteristics. Tips to detect it and detoxify.

The only contact for five months with the outside world was through electronic devices such as cell phones. In it you saw videos in which nature took over its space, different citizens managed to cope with physical isolation, you enjoyed some virtual meetings with friends and family, you talked more than usual and you immersed yourself in social networks until the end. to the point of becoming dependent on them.

Now that it is possible to go out and enjoy some plans with friends and family, you can take advantage and try to carry out a digital detox, reduce excessive cell phone use and share contact with others.

1. Identify if it is an addiction. “When we talk about addiction, it is because the person may have changes in the way they relate to sleep and eating, or because they experience excessive isolation from their social circles, to meet their friends virtually,” explained Natalia Izquierdo. , clinical psychologist, researcher in mental health issues, at .
2. Then, Set a start and end date, depending on the level of dependency you have. It is recommended that you completely disconnect within a minimum period of three days and that during that time you dedicate yourself to other habits. The ideal is to do it during the holidays.
3. If you cannot do it as in the previous recommendation, You can set daily periods in which for a few hours you do not check messages, email and social networks. About four or five hours a day is enough, or if you are able, turn it off for an entire day.
4. To make it more bearable you can invite some friends or family to do it with you and inform you of your new disposition in the digital world.
5. As a recommendation from Cromos magazine, check your cell phone only one hour after getting up and one hour before going to sleep.
6. When you are sharing with other people, stop using itonly do it when it’s important.
7. When you get home put it in airplane modeand don’t keep it close, avoid temptation.
8. When it’s time to eat, avoid having it on the table.You can even set aside a space to leave your cell phone and that of others, in case you have a meeting at home.
9. Play a sport, learn something new or take advantage of your time to get away from technology.
10. Delete the ‘apps’ that you don’t use, This way you will avoid receiving unnecessary notifications that can distract your attention from other activities. You can also turn off notifications for some apps.
11. If your cell phone has the option to configure the time you can dedicate to using it, activate it and make it your daily goal.
12. If you think your problem is more serious, there are longer detoxifications advised by specialists. Japanese psychiatrist Takashi Sumioka created a model that forces people to distance themselves from their cell phones for six months and write all their experiences in a diary. According to the specialist, this is the minimum amount of time required to cure extreme addiction.
13. Do not despairthe first days will be the hardest and you will have a constant temptation to look at your cell phone, but as time goes by the anxiety will decrease and you will be able to enjoy the tranquility that your environment offers you.