Do you notice a decline in your productivity? Have you been spending long hours in front of the computer with little to show for it? Perhaps your personal email, Facebook feed, and websites are distracting you from what you ought to be doing.
Designed to be highly addictive, the internet can prevent you from attending to important tasks and make it more difficult to focus on assignments for long periods.
Disconnecting from the internet can be a great way to stop wasting time and maintain your concentration. However, internet detoxification can cause some withdrawal symptoms at first. This includes irritability, nervousness, and anxiety about missing out on the latest updates. If you’re able to overcome them and can successfully go on an internet hiatus, your productivity will eventually begin to improve.
Everything you need to know about an internet disconnect is covered below!
Why You Should Unplug From the Internet: The Side Effects of Spending Too Much Time Online
The internet, especially social media, is a source of infinite content. It offers stimulation and entertainment coupled with instant gratification. This dopamine rush can become a deadly addiction that can be detrimental to one’s mental, emotional, and physical health.
Here are some of the negative effects of spending too much time on the internet, particularly social media:
- Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression
- Decreased ability to concentrate
- Inability to adhere to schedules
- Insomnia
- Mood disorders
- Exposure to triggering content or false information and propaganda
- Diminished quality of life
- Information overload
- Damage to social relationships
- Cognitive developmental issues
Like all things, the internet is a useful and enjoyable tool but one must engage in it in moderation. It is important to be mindful of how much time you spend on the internet and give yourself breaks. Otherwise, you could suffer from the negative effects mentioned above.
Benefits of Disconnecting From the Internet
People often notice a drastic improvement in their productivity when they disconnect from the internet. This is because we often spend hours on the internet without realizing it.
Once you start tracking your internet usage, you’ll notice how much of your precious time is spent online, especially on social media. It is the biggest disrupter of productivity and impacts several aspects of our lives as it alters brain function.
Therefore, it is extremely important to disconnect from the internet every now and then.
Here are some benefits of reducing internet usage:
- Reduces stress and anxiety – unplugging from the internet gives your brain time to unwind and relax, thereby reducing your stress and anxiety levels
- Improved productivity – reduction in internet usage gives you more time and mental capacity to do other things, allowing you to be more productive
- Better physical health – when using your device, you may unconsciously adopt a bad posture and reduce the amount of physical activity you indulge in. Unplugging can help change that and allow you to improve your physical health
- Better mental health – social media can cause feelings of loneliness, jealousy, dissatisfaction, envy, and depression. Unplugging helps alleviate those emotions and improve your mental health.
- Allows you to be present – you can miss out on special moments happening in front of you because you were too busy scrolling on your phone. Unplugging from the internet encourages you to be more present in the real world and live in the moment
- Connect with people around you – unplugging can help you foster better relationships in real life, rather than spending all your time in the virtual world with people who aren’t near you. This can help you connect with those around you and improve your sense of community
- Better quality of life – unplugging improves your overall health and well-being which can improve your quality of life in all aspects
How To Disconnect From the Internet
If you want to reduce your internet usage, here are some tips to get you started:
Start slow – you may find it difficult to go cold turkey so start by unplugging slowly. Set your devices aside for around 30 minutes a day in the beginning and increase that time gradually.
Find new hobbies and distractions – using the internet too much is often a sign that you don’t have enough hobbies. Finding activities you enjoy will distract you from the temptation of going online.
Set a timer on your phone – if you’re finding it hard to limit your internet use on your own, set a timer on your phone to alert you when you need to disengage from the internet. If your phone allows it, you can even set it to disable apps at certain times.
Conclusion
Disconnecting from the internet can enrich your life by improving your well-being and productivity. Now that you know how to unplug from the internet, you can look forward to better productivity, a more balanced life, and an improvement in your overall well-being.
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