Our world revolves around many screens in this digital era. If we leave the house without our phone, we feel helpless. Nowadays, missing or losing a mobile phone is more stressful than forgetting or losing one’s money at home. What should a person do? What should one gaze at without thinking?
While restricting children’s screen time is much simpler, what about adults’ screen time? Everything involves a screen, including work, hobbies, social contacts, and communication. Most adults find it impractical to restrict their screen time because for many of us, it’s how we make a living. In addition to these possible health risks, excessive screen time can cause eye strain, sleeplessness, decreased physical activity, headaches, neck, shoulder, and back pain.
We should be asking ourselves: How is screen time hurting our lives and relationships, not whether we spend too much time in front of our devices. Finding a balance between life and technology is crucial, as is creating a positive relationship with the displays in our lives.
Off for notifications
Utilise the built-in do not disturb function to reduce alerts and minimise screen time. To prevent accessing emails and messages after work, keep work apps off of your personal devices. Our phones contain a few habit tracker apps that examine and compare our week-to-week phone usage.
Utilise the Pomodoro method
It is a time management technique that entails focused work for 20 to 50 minutes, followed by a brief break. You can use this method when you use screens for pleasure as well.
No cell phones at the dining table.
When you eat meals and watch television at the same time, you run the risk of overindulging and losing focus on the present.
Put your phone away before going to bed.
The bedroom is the one place where people go to unwind, sleep deeply, and rest after a long day. Bringing your phone into your bedroom not only keeps you awake at night with continual pop-ups and alerts, but it also floods you with notifications when you wake up in the morning. To conveniently keep it out of the bedroom, try setting an alarm on your clock rather than your phone.
It may be a clue to reevaluate your use of screens if you realise that any of your regular activities have been replaced by screen time. If your usage of screens seems to be bordering on a behavioural addiction, it is important to seek professional assistance.
