Cultivating A More Mindful Technology Relationship in 2023

Cultivating A More Mindful Technology Relationship in 2023

It’s an all too familiar scenario: your day is so packed with repetitive todos you hardly notice when you click into autopilot. Before you know it the day is done, and you’re so wiped that all you have energy for is mindless scrolling or streaming. You know there’s more to life than a never ending string of notifications and constant screen time but can’t seem to break out of the cycle.

Pause. Breathe. And trust that even if you’re struggling, you’re not alone.

The World Health Organization reports a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide since the pandemic began.

In the workplace, things are even worse.

According to Deloitte, 77% of respondents say they have experienced employee burnout, a syndrome the World Health Organization describes as resulting from workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

Could technology overuse be partially to blame?

As you take time to reflect on your 2023 resolutions, make sure to leave a space for engaging with tech more mindfully.

The Dangers Of Unchecked Technology Use

Whether disrupting your sleep or plunging you into a full-blown depression, leaving your tech use unexamined can have lasting consequences on your wellbeing.

If unaddressed, prolonged use of technology has been shown to significantly impact our mental and physical health by:

  • Contributing to carpal tunnel
  • Throwing off our circadian rhythms
  • Causing mood disorders
  • Straining our eyes
  • Creating headaches, neck, and back pain
  • Decreasing our mobility
  • Leading to social anxiety
  • Elevating the stress response
  • Depleting our focus on non-tech tasks

There’s also evidence to show high screen media use increases the odds of depression by 28%. Pretty powerful for something that fits in your palm.

Mindful vs Non-mindful Use of Technology 

With all this tech use, how is it that so many of us are at once completely overwhelmed yet totally under stimulated? In essence, that’s what happens when we aren’t present for our lives. We get drained.

To start making changes, you first need to be able to distinguish whether your technology use is engaging your mind or helping it tune out.

True mindfulness starts with awareness. Any behavior that feels automated or avoidant acts like a barrier between your mind and the fullness of the moment. Reach for your phone without thinking, miss what a loved one says because you’re scrolling, or totally lose track of time online and it’s probably a sign you’ve lapsed into mindlessness.

Focus instead on using technology intentionally – and only in ways that bring benefit to your life – to start making a healthier shift in how you interact with your devices.

Ways to Be More Cognizant of Your Relationship With Tech

Ready to make a change? You don’t have to donate your devices and move to a monastery. Implementing even a few simple shifts can help you enjoy the productivity and social benefits of tech in a more balanced way.

  • Set better boundaries. Healthy relationships also involve healthy boundaries – that applies to the one you have with tech, too.
  • Put your phone to bed at night. Silence all notifications until the morning, and if you can, try to avoid looking at the screen for at least an hour before bed. Even low levels of artificial light can disrupt your sleep.
  • Have a tech-free space in your home. Be it the dining room or your bedroom, designate a no-phones-allowed area where you won’t be tempted.
  • Stop before you scroll. Check your breath, posture, and motivation for picking up your device. Make adjustments where needed and take frequent breaks if you do decide to engage.
  • Keep pen and paper around. Go analog whenever possible. Writing down your todo lists, taking notes during meetings, and journaling are highly encouraged.
  • Add a mindfulness bell to your browser. The late Thich Nhat Hanh, a buddhist teacher, used an awakening bell to shift his congregation into presence. Browser extensions like the Bell of Mindfulness can be programmed to sound throughout the day to help you “wake up” to the present moment.
  • Use rubber band reminders. Well Defined recommends you, “Put a rubber band or hair tie around your phone so when you reach for it and encounter the band, you are reminded to ask yourself whether checking your phone is really what you want or need to be doing in that moment. The goal is simply to make sure that when you spend time on your phone, it’s the result of a conscious choice.”
  • Download a mindfulness app. From breathwork and meditation to coloring and deep focus, there is no shortage of online mindfulness resources to help you tune in.

Just remember: Change can be challenging, so be kind to yourself in this process. Our minds wander. It’s just how they’re wired. The more often you can come back to the present and honestly assess how you’re using technology, the sooner you’ll be able to recognize when and where to make adjustments.

If you’re feeling too overwhelmed and mentally taxed to figure out how to make lasting changes, know that you can always start small. Healthier habits can eventually add up to a more mindful relationship with your devices.

 

Content created and provided by ONEAFFINITI.