1. WHY YOU SHOULD TRY THE DIGITAL DETOX?

With the rapid increase in the use of the Internet in our daily lives in the last 15 years, many of our habits and daily lives have also changed. 

It has become increasingly difficult to separate our eyes and attention from the screens and communicate face-to-face. It has become an indispensable habit of our daily routine. Significantly smartphones do not fall from our hands, we live stuck to our smartphones on the road, at home, and at work, and we become lost in the virtual world by getting away from nature and the real world.

Technology makes a large part of our lives easier with the benefits it provides. Especially in these days when we spend a lot of time at home, the digital environment provides the necessary space for us to continue our work and education by being protected from the epidemic. However, as with everything else, excessive use of technology and the internet can cause some problems.

1. The Negative Effects Of Overusing Technology

It is undeniable that technology and the digital world make life easier. However, the uncontrolled and disproportionate use of technology carries risk factors that will adversely affect human life.

For most of us, the desire to stay connected to the internet 24/7 has become necessary. We can list some of the problems caused by the overuse of technology in human life as follows:

• Waist, neck, headache.
• Posture disorder.
• Weight gain due to inactivity.
• Depression, weakening of social bonds.
• Detachment from reality.
• Damages skills of emphaty
• It can cause a dependent brain and physical and mental withdrawal symptoms
• May cause chronic insomnia
• Too much inactivity can increase risk factors for many diseases and even shorten your lifespan.
• It triggers feeling more lonely and jealous.
• It can trigger social anxiety disorder or increase its negative effects on your life.

2. What Is A Digital Detox?

Detox is the process of removing excess substances from the body. Digital detox is no different from the commonly known term detox. It aims to be purified from what is harmful and to be balanced. 

A digital detox is when a person voluntarily stops using digital devices such as smartphones, computers, and social media platforms for a certain period of time.

Although we cannot completely remove technology and the Internet from our lives, taking a break for a while or reconsidering our habits greatly reduces the harmful effects of technology.

3. Signs Of The Need For A Digital Detox

You can look out for these signs to figure out if you need a digital detox:

• Feeling obliged to check the phone every few minutes
• Feeling anxious or stressed when you can't find the phone
• Feeling depressed, anxious, or angry after spending time on social media
• Concerned about the number of likes, comments, or reshares on social posts
• Experiencing anxiety and fear of kidnapping when not checking social media
• You often find yourself staying up late or getting up early to hit social media
• Difficulty concentrating on something without checking the phone

4. How To Do A Digital Detox?

• Activate your brain's reward center with health and sports, not easy pleasures.
• Schedule tech-free hours every day, stay away from your phone during meals, or take up various hobbies and try tech-free activities.
• Limit your use of technological devices
• Set a screen time limit for yourself each day and use a timer to remind you to leave the screen and interact with people.
• Another recommended way to prevent digital addiction is to spend one full day a week without accessing the internet.
• It is a common habit for people to use more than one technological device at the same time. To avoid being distracted by multiple devices, follow the "one screen at a time" rule.
• When you want to use your phone, think about why. If you are using your phone to avoid an activity, it is a negative coping behavior.
• Use paper and pen to plan your work.
• If you have trouble leaving your phone, try keeping it in another room to stop using it.
• Give traditional non-digital media such as books, newspapers and comics a chance.
• Friends and family members of the digital detox application should be shared. They should be asked for help in this regard.

5. Benefits Of Digital Detox

Digital detox, which has effects on your social life as well as your physical and mental health, will have many benefits in increasing your quality of life.

• As soon as you start paying attention to your surroundings instead of focusing on smart devices, you start to build friendships where personal relationships deepen.
• As a result of stopping using technological devices 2-3 hours before sleep, the body increases the release of melatonin (a sleep hormone secreted at night), and thus you fall asleep faster.
• As soon as you get away from the constant distraction created by the Internet, you become more prone to making vital decisions that you have postponed.
• Spending less time in front of the computer allows you to have a healthier and upright body posture.