Unplugging from the Media

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”, quotes Anne Lamott.

Our world is developing a healthy attachment to cell phones.

• • According to a source, 84% off cell phone users claim that they cannot go even a day without their devices.
  • Almost half of the cell phone users sleep with the phone next to their bed because they don’t want to miss any calls.
  • Studies have confirmed that some mobile phone owners check the devices every 6 minutes.
  • 88% of US mobile phone users use their devices as a second screen while watching television.
  • 67% of cell phone owners check the device for messages, alerts, or calls even when there is no ringing or vibrating.
  • “Cell phone checking” is as contagious as yawning.

 But do we need any statistics to tell us how much we are addicted to our technology? To be honest, we already know. Technology addiction can be how much ever-powerful, but we all know it does have a power-off button! All we have to do is ourselves, this, over and over again.

WHY UNPLUG?

• The feelings of jealousy, envy, and loneliness will disappear. According to researchers, 1 out of 3 people felt worse after scrolling through Facebook and more dissatisfied with their lives. From other people’s happiness, body image, or vacation destination, we do nothing but develop a lack. Unplugging for a while will help you appreciate more things and be grateful for what life has given you. It will teach you that you can be happy without being on the screen all the time.
• It combats the fear of missing out speaking scientifically, fear of missing out has been recognized as an emerging psychological disorder brought by the increase of technology addiction. We are so addicted to social media that we even want to know what plates of food our friends are enjoying! With every notification, our fear of missing out continues to grow. Turning off social media is an important skill to learn in this modern world. We need to focus more on how to live in the present.
• Life is happening in front of us. The true nature of life is not changing, but our world is! Remember to live your life at its best. And life at its best is happening in front of us. These moments will not repeat themselves, and these conversations won’t happen again. The love is real, and so is everything around us, unfiltered and authentic. But we are too busy staring at our screens, and we are going to miss it all unless we unplug.
• We spend most of our time by either consuming or creating. For example, this article was created on a computer. But we like to spend our time in front of technology by playing video games, watching movies, listening to music, extra. This means we like consuming more than creating. But our world does not need more consuming; it needs more of creation; it needs your passion, contribution, and solution; so unplug and begin contributing towards a better world.
• You never know how much you are addicted to something unless it is taken away from you. The control technology has on you is something you can never imagine. Turn it off and see for yourself how strong the pull is to turn it on again. This is the thing about addiction: you never come to know how much or to what level you are addicted to unless the item is taken away.
• Life still about eye contact. Through the miracles of technology, you can maintain friendships and connections, but the charm to meet someone face to face is unique. The experience of looking at another person, without the filter of a screen, in the eye, is fantastic; because life is still about flesh and blood and eye contacts!

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

1. 1. Try not to turn on technology for the first hour after waking up in the morning, and you will be surprised to know that the world worked just fine without you for the past 8 to 9 hours. Blocking that one hour out to focus on meditation and exercise will help you to utilize the rest of the hours wisely.
   2. Choose the time to turn off your devices and commit to it. This period can be the first or the last hour of your day or after lunch, dinner, or maybe just before bed. What is important is that you discipline yourself and learn when and how to unplug. Do it for a better lifestyle and stick to it at all costs.
   3. There are a certain number of internet tools that can help you manage your time online. Freedom: it will disconnect your internet for a particular period, which is set by you. Self-control: it will allow you to block websites like Twitter Facebook Gmail except for a particular period while you have access to the rest of the web. It is a perfect option for Facebook addiction.
   4. Take an intentional break regularly. Unplug unnecessary applications on your phone for a weekend. Remember that you are doing it for no one else but yourself. Pick something a new hobby or anything; your life is waiting ahead of you. Like this, you can set a higher limit for yourself, like unplugging 40 days a year.
   5. Uninstall all but your most essential applications. Yes, that’s right; it’s time to say goodbye to the Clash Of Clans. Delete all the applications that you are using to soothe your tension rather than to connect with others.

BENEFITS OF TAKING A BREAK FROM THE INTERNET

1. SAVE YOUR TIME:

Social media is a time-waster: don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself. How many times did you pick up your iPhone or Android to check the latest updates from your Instagram, Facebook, Tinder, Snapchat, or Twitter account in the past one hour? Two times? Or was it 3? or 4? 5? 6? 7? Or you lost the count by now already? Never mind, but if you get a chance to tally on how many hours you spend on these social sites per day, you might be shocked by the result. An average American loses 3.2 hours per day to social media addiction; this accounts for 1168 hours per year. If you do further calculation, you will find that an average American citizen of the United States spends 2736 full 24 hour days of his lifetime browsing through timelines, updating or liking photos, commenting, and posting updates on social media.

2. REGAIN YOUR MENTAL HEALTH:

Social media can hurt your confidence, happiness, self-esteem, and mental health. How often do you notice your friends or family post an update about how sad they are, how terrible their day was, or how miserable their lives are going? Rarely, right? The reason is that nobody likes to post about their failures. Everyone on social media is on the top of the world; they are happy some are getting engaged, married, promoted, or accomplishing big success. Regardless of what people’s Instagram feed or Facebook timeline shows you, the truth is nobody’s life is perfect. All of us have flaws and imperfections. People air out photos in their greatest, happiest, and most successful moments. The worst flaws mistakes and awkward moments do not obviously make it to the internet. We only tend to outdo and impress each other with our “perfect lives.” No matter how many likes you got on your recent photos, there’s always someone more popular, more well-liked, or getting more attention and more likes and comments on their posts than you are. And it is really hard not to compare yourself with those people.

3. SAVE RELATIONSHIPS

Social media hurts real-life relationships. Ever been to a social gathering and noticed that almost all the people are bent over their smartphones? Bars, clubs, restaurants, birthday parties, gyms, or other social outings that people attend to connect but waste time over aimlessly looking through text messages or other updates on their smartphones. You see groups, gatherings, and crowds of people rejecting real-life human interaction to stare down at their phone screens. This phenomenon gets worse and worse as the years pass by. Ironically social media was originated to bring people together, but it ended up doing the opposite. A study in 2014 stated that the mere presence of a mobile phone device was enough to divide the participant’s attention. Social media is an addiction and can really take the life out of your relationships if you cannot manage to keep it under control.

“If you stop everything only for a notification, you need to ask yourself if you have control over your life”- Chris Bailey.

You can enjoy the best of both worlds if you have control over your social media usage. You can enjoy connections, entertainment, and conversations online, and still have the freedom to use your time wisely, be productive, feel happy, confident, and keep your sanity.

Social media is everywhere, and almost everyone you know uses it, you know. But you know what the good news is? You don’t necessarily have to be a victim of social media addiction.

You are the creator of your life all you have to do unplug!