Various studies show that unplugging from technology can do wonders for your interpersonal relationships and in-person communication. It encourages you to connect with others off screen and to compose your thoughts, instead of relying on a text-based medium
We all know the extensive benefits of technology. It makes it easier to catch up with loved ones, makes work more efficient, serves as an outlet for creativity, and the list goes on!
Despite all these positives, there is a lot to be gained from occasionally unplugging. It gives you the chance to relax, reflect, enjoy the outdoors, and catch up with family and friends in person.
You may even find that you enjoy disconnecting and having the opportunity to recharge more often. The scientifically- proven benefits of taking a break from technology can be taken advantage of at any time. You can do so for an hour in the morning, in the evening before bed, or during meal times. The specific time is insignificant, the most important thing is having the discipline to know when and how to disconnect.
Did you know the average adult spends as much as 12 hours a day in front of TV and computer screens? Between your favorite television shows, shopping or paying bills online, and video chatting with your children and grandchildren, your devices have practically become an extension of yourself to make life easier and more entertaining.
It’s true that technology offers incredible value and can help us connect in ways like never before – especially during this time of social distancing. But taking regular breaks from all the screens in our lives offers many health benefits for a happy, fulfilling life.
As the saying goes, everything in moderation. While technology can make life easier in so many ways, too much screen time can actually negatively impact our physical, mental and emotional health:
• Inactivity. Too much time on laptops and phones encourages a sedentary lifestyle. The longer you go without exercising, the harder it is to get back into an active routine.
• Insomnia. Spending too much time looking at a digital screen can disrupt your brain’s sleep cycles, leaving you feeling restless and exhausted.
• Vision Troubles. Staring at screens for too long each day can trigger a range of vision issues including dry eyes, blurred vision and headaches.
• Inability to Express Empathy. Technology may actually impair parts of the brain responsible for compassion and empathy, making it harder for you to build and maintain relationships.
Screen-free breaks can help you avoid the negative side effects mentioned above, and can also do wonders for your emotional and mental health:
1. Reduces Stress and Anxiety. Unplugging from technology is like a reboot for your brain. When you’re not bombarded by dozens of emails, constantly looking at news alerts on your phone or mindlessly scrolling through channels or movie titles to find something to watch, your mind can slow down, relax and be in the present moment.
2. Opportunity to Focus on Appreciation and Gratitude. Social media helps you stay up-to-date on what your grandchildren are doing. However, it also shows you the latest expensive vacation your cousin took or the new home your old classmate from high school purchased. Social media may help you connect to loved ones, but it also opens the door to unnecessary comparison, jealousy and envy. Powering down from time to time allows you to reset and refocus appreciation and gratitude for all you’ve been given.
3. Provides More Time for Simple Pleasures. Time away from technology paves the way for simple pleasures. Watching TV or browsing online is time you could spend participating in a stimulating activity like puzzle building or reading. You can cook, write a letter to a loved one or play with your pet without any distractions. Doing more of what you enjoy can significantly improve your wellbeing and help you enjoy life to its fullest.
4. Reduces Feelings of Loneliness. Technology has made it faster to communicate with people and establish “virtual” relationships. But this lack of physical contact with others can leave you feeling lonely and unfulfilled. Closing your laptop or putting your phone away allows you to focus on building real, in-person relationships and communicating with others face-to-face.
5. Connect with the Natural World. Did you know there’s a natural urge to go outside when you choose to disconnect from technology? Breathe in the fresh air, take in the scenery around you and exercise without distraction. Plus, being outside gives you much-needed vitamin D which can help you avoid long-term health problems like heart disease and diabetes.
6. Allows You to Be Present. Life is happening in front of you every day; if you don’t pay attention you can miss a wonderful opportunity to connect. Powering down and disconnecting from the devices we’ve become so dependent on means less fragmented moments throughout the day. Your attention span will increase, your self-awareness and mindfulness will grow, and you’ll be able to appreciate and savor your time and the people you encounter throughout the day.
Our kids are spending eight hours on electronics every single day. Some say this number is conservative once you add all the time they spend in front of computers and tablets at school.
While there’s no doubt technology is a wonderful tool for education, more reports, studies, and experts are saying we’ve gone too far. In fact, our always-stimulated brains are leading experts to use dramatic terms like digital heroin. It’s not hard to understand the reaction—technology is definitely addictive.
Below, we share some of the powerful brain benefits of unplugging as well as ways to create device-free time in your classroom.
1. Unplugging encourages people to actually talk to each other.
Think about how much teens “talk” to each other electronically. Sometimes they’ll be sitting in the same room but never speak a word to one another. This is hurting social and communication, which are essential building blocks for long-term success.
Try this: Have students put away their phones during class for an entire week. Encourage them to try to use them less often outside of class, too. Then organize group work and rotate members of the groups at mid-week. The conversations students will have while they work together will be surprising.
2. Unplugging encourages good old-fashioned handwriting.
A report that says students who write things down usually outperform students who take notes electronically. Time to put your students to the test
Try this: Run your own research experiment: Start a new unit and have half the students take notes electronically and the other half take notes on paper. Then give a quiz (you can keep it anonymous). Compare the results between the two groups.
3. Unplugging forces students to look you in the eye.
When electronics are in full force, it’s pretty common to have students always looking down. But if you take devices away, kids look up a lot more.
The Visual Teaching Alliance reports that our eyes can register 36,000 visual messages an hour, which means there’s a lot of opportunity to reach students on a deeper level.
Try this: Challenge your students to look you in the eye when you teach. And look them in the eye, too. This will help them grasp concepts and will also allow you to see who is understanding concepts overall.
4. Unplugging helps battle FOMO.
Fear of missing out is a real struggle, especially with teens. And social media only exacerbates FOMO, which can lead to depression and anxiety.
Try this: Have a classroom discussion about how FOMO feels. Help them identify coping techniques for dealing with FOMO—including spending less time on their phones.
5. Unplugging can give students a challenge.
Adults know just as well as teens that it’s a challenge to cut back on technology use. But when students try to reduce their device time and are successful, they learn that hard work can pay off.
Try this: Join students in a one-, two-, or three-day tech-free challenge and have everyone compare how cutting down on screen time affected their lives.
6. Unplugging helps you connect to different learning styles.
Modern technology can help with comprehension for many students, but for others, it doesn’t work that way. By not planning every lesson around technology, you’re actually supporting different types of learning styles.
Try this: Talk with students about times in their academic careers when it was good to have technology and other times when it worked to be more hands-on. This will help students see that a balance is good.
7. Unplugging encourages students to think outside of the box.
We don’t realize how reliant we are on technology until it is taken away. The term Google it is something many of us live by, and for good reason—it works. But it’s good to know that there are other options, like looking up information in books, asking experts, or doing our own calculations. Plus, the journal Educational Psychology cites resourcefulness as an important characteristic when dealing with long-term stress and academic performance.
Try this: Give students a topic and challenge them to come up with five different ways to solve it, which should also include some non-tech solutions.
8. Unplugging fosters emotional intelligence.
Technology is such an integral part of our lives that we often forget that there are other options available—like common sense, problem solving, and reading human emotions.
Try this: Put students into groups and challenge them to solve everyday problems and concerns by interviewing people. Encourage them to use those skills related to problem-solving and human emotion to find answers.
9. Unplugging might help you get more vitamin D.
It’s not hard to understand that when you put down the electronics, you go outside more. This increase in vitamin D is hugely important. Doctors are actually prescribing outdoor time to some patients because of long-term health problems stemming from vitamin D deficiency, like diabetes and heart disease. According to research from Harvard University, nearly 50 percent of the population has a vitamin D deficiency.
Try this: Build in more outside time for your students, whether it’s holding class outside, a field trip to a local nature park, or even a class trip to the other side of the globe. Remember to leave the devices indoors!
10. Unplugging gives us a better relationship with the natural world.
Have you ever gone on a school trip and noticed that students aren’t paying any attention to the attractions, or even to one another, because their noses are in their phones? It turns out that even having a phone in a bag may be distracting.
Try this: Plan an unplugged trip for your students, whether it’s a local outing or a trip to another country. Challenge your students to go device-free during your journey and encourage students to connect with a new culture the “old-school” way. For instance, have your students observe the art and architecture of the places you visit, interact with nature and the environment around you, engage in conversation with locals, sample new foods, and more. This is what travel is all about—learning by experiencing things first-hand.
11. Unplugging helps us all focus on the RIGHT NOW.
It can be challenging to focus on the moment. Social media keeps distracting us, and research shows that average American is checking their phone more than 46 times a day!
Try this: This is one where recognition is the first step. Challenge your students to keep track of how many times they get distracted by social media or electronics and then discuss as a group. Together, come up with ways to stay in the NOW instead of letting the mind wander.
So, Brain scans show that spending time on screens activates the same neural loops that narcotics do. Unplugging once a week helps break these patterns.
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