DAILY DIGITAL DETOX: A Steemit Community Life Series & Reminder | E.58 | Intentionally / Regularly Unplugging + My Quick Engagement Poll To You!
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/http://i.imgur.com/lV54V8y.jpg)
I have taken this subject pretty seriously over the years. You need time offline.
Regularly & Intentionally. For lots of reasons.
THE DIGITAL DETOX SERIES OBJECTIVE SERIES CONSTANTS:
My plan with this series is to intentionally remind you, daily to get offline, give your brain, eyes, soul a break and time to reset and remind you that relationships with people can suffer if you are always on your phone and not PRESENT -- in every sense of the word.
The irony of bringing this series to you online, asking you to get offline, on an online blogging platform, is not lost on me.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/http://i.imgur.com/hOvbMSg.jpg)
There have been limited studies done on some of the effects of this digital hold on our lives and they are concerning to say the least. Social media use appears to encourage some of the following negative effects, some of which we hear about regularly now:
-- Narcissism
-- Screen time/white light/activity appears to be causing insomnia/broken sleep cycles (circadian rhythm)
-- Detached reality making our society and kids less empathetic and in touch with reality
Results from the few studies that have been done are troubling. Social media appears to promote narcissism, smartphones could be causing insomnia, and screens seem to be making our kids less empathetic.
Earlier posts in this series covered that in more detail.
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWGQ9N7Ysr3o9dir4G6hXrK9s7dfAoCbjmf6YQz4Uthdw/image.png)
TODAY'S DIGITAL DETOX TIDBIT:
The Moroccan Desert Study:
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmZJP8LmX2ezMzyvxs5NW3MDJppckV62mr9uL5ZGao1mzU/image.png)
--
A study was done, by taking influencers to the Moroccan desert, where their tech was left behind for a few days.
I will break these next posts in this series up by showing the results and hopefully you can ponder things and then apply these results to your life, in your own way!
There will be text directly quoted from the study unedited.
--
Part 3 Today:
( See next Digital Detox series post out about once/week to follow along, and check all the past posts in this series I run for lots of tips )
Improved Memory:
--
Even with just a few days without technology, people were more apt to remember even very small details about each other, like the names of distant relatives or other things mentioned in passing.
The neuroscientists feel that this is because people were more literally present in the conversations. Their brains were just more able to store and process new information and more easily.
The technology distractions have affected cognitive functions. Our brains have been trained to not register potentially minor details. These minor details actually are pretty important in the processes of learning about / bonding with others.
--
From last week's post about using search engines on a device all the time, vs. just talking:
“These are the conversations that really form bonds between people,” the project organizer points out.
“You gain insight into the way someone’s mind works, and it is not typically a conversation anyone has had before, so it is engaging and memorable.”
My Digital Detox Moroccan Desert Study Series:
Sources show the avg. adult now spends about 8.5+ hours online every day. A good portion is at work or looking at a screen.
Give a long hard look at where you are spending the bulk of these waking / working hours, with regard to your workstation/chair and posture, just like you need a good bed for all the sleeping hours!
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNatotcuQgKQuhhToJp5r22hCzqxx3hT9mH3zAZ1RbVDX/image.png)
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmZ3h5ghWebGtF1jvRZ9mNbx76JtLLFptKUepa3mzDwZEo/image.png)
Find a Digital Detox buddy as was mentioned earlier to do these things with, it helps to have support in place for little things like this.
Support and accountability again.
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWGQ9N7Ysr3o9dir4G6hXrK9s7dfAoCbjmf6YQz4Uthdw/image.png)
I've blogged here and in the past about this, but new people are finding the posts, or searching online, so I am saying this again today because it is VERY very important:
--
Switch OFF or to Airplane Mode During Breaks or Workouts:
--
Unless you are using an iPod or no device during workouts or lunch breaks.....(both are good ideas) - chances are like most - you use your phone to listen to music. Yes, music has been proven to improve your mood etc. during workouts but think of it.....
-- stopping mid- exercise all the time, to answer a text or social media notification is terrible and stealing your experience, tech break and focus from you, as well as lowering your heart rate, which is key to working out in the first place. It can wait an hour.
This is an easy way to take back your Digital Detox freedom and stay in the zone, and focused on YOU and what you are doing, during a work out or even doing nothing..... taking a complete break for your lunch break etc.
--
A constant tip is change 1 habit at a time, so I will keep this in the series.
Reminder: (see past posts) -- Try to use proper, healthy posture techniques always and be purposeful about this.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmf1arqx2khHNCfb25mArX4oSsRC4T4RZ4qcQASQe5gNW2/image.png)
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/posture-for-a-healthy-back
Stick with it and make notes daily about how you feel doing this! Share thoughts with a friend or 2!
--
I don't embed my sources like "professional bloggers" -- 9/10 times -- people don't click the sources anyways, let alone hover the cursor to even check quickly, and this way, they can SEE the sources / url's -- that's what I prefer myself anyways, so if i get flagged, I get flagged, I am trying to appeal to the masses here.
--
It is more than just unplugging intentionally as I call it -- it is a return to some societal values that we have abandoned in favour of having all the access to data and online resources we have -- a shift is required. However:
Intentional Unplugging as I call it -- is a huge and necessary step.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/http://i.imgur.com/SoPEYd9.jpg)
--
As a reminder of what we see daily in the PHYSICAL realm of problems, here is a graphic showing the damage of the neck and spine as it relates to pounds of pressure looking downwards all the time:
--
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNYKeQBS8JGoWr1NJFnfYJ6LAmpGj9WcZDwLKJGJYzgtp/image.png)
--
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/http://i.imgur.com/99sy9N2.jpg)
--
(Sorry this is grainy but I enlarged this 2x, so you could see it better. This is right from the Ontario Chiropractic Association (hard to read but that is the source) -- and I wanted this unedited, it was a jpeg and resizing those means less quality)
Don't Risk a Crash in Your Health!
--
![](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WtigE8HHB8Y/VVJTYx72REI/AAAAAAAAE6o/1_Dpbt6zIc0/s1600/WEMBLEY.gif)
My Community Engagement questions to you, today, if you have read this far are simple and will evolve over time:
--
-- Did you INTENTIONALLY "unplug" or stay offline this week? How many times? Give yourself 1 point for each day in your reply!
-- Did you unplug with a family member / friends intentionally this week and thus CONNECT to them meaningfully? If yes, give yourself a point!
-- Have you realized this is a problem in your life, because that is the FIRST step! If so - 2 points for you!
-- Are you aware of this problem around you and your friends and family and have you addressed it with others? If so, you get a point also! ( Note I have always used the word "addressed" in this series, some people confuse this word with telling others what to do.... this is not the same thing. Dialogue with others is the goal. Awareness.)
-- Did you put your devices in another room at dinner time and at bedtime this week intentionally? That's a point each time, champ! List it! Think on it!!
--
Please tally up your points, list it in a reply and please open up about how you feel about these issues in your life and the world today!!
Why??
Because this is a Community Resource and I care and we are all in this together. None of us are getting out alive.
That is the end of today's post in this series. I wanted to cover all the basics in the Series constants, as usual, for all the new people reading this post for the first time,
If you are still reading -- thank you very much and have a nice day. I hope something here helps you.
Thanks for reading, have a nice day.
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWGQ9N7Ysr3o9dir4G6hXrK9s7dfAoCbjmf6YQz4Uthdw/image.png)
![](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/http://i.imgur.com/68SXQpW.gif)
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeMsokLJHgvoqfQt44Zy7Kvmvjr68x51nGqfrtm65zqoe/image.png)
If you liked this blog post - please Resteem it and share good content with others!
--
Some of my recent blogs:
--
Most Images: Gif's - via Giphy.com , Funny or Die.com / Pixabay. Today:
If you feel my posts are undervalued or you want to donate to tip me - I would appreciate it very much.
--
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Please note -- I will have limited internet access for awhile -- so PLEASE do not be upset that I cannot reply right away, or to everyone. I am dealing with some changes, and will have limited time online and will be happy if I get a few blog posts up a week.
This has really upset some people but I do not force my opinions on others, or need to communicate every detail of my life or issues, most people do not care anyways. I invested around 10 hours or more a day on Steemit most of my first 13 mths here, I just do not have that time in my life right now, and that includes for replies and voting/curation.
I have done my best, sorry if you do not understand like some are clearly having a problem with. It's a blogging platform, and I will do my best at everything, and to keep blogging.
Carry On.
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWGQ9N7Ysr3o9dir4G6hXrK9s7dfAoCbjmf6YQz4Uthdw/image.png)
I have taken this subject pretty seriously over the years. You need time offline.
Regularly & Intentionally. For lots of reasons.
THE DIGITAL DETOX SERIES OBJECTIVE SERIES CONSTANTS:
My plan with this series is to intentionally remind you, daily to get offline, give your brain, eyes, soul a break and time to reset and remind you that relationships with people can suffer if you are always on your phone and not PRESENT -- in every sense of the word.
The irony of bringing this series to you online, asking you to get offline, on an online blogging platform, is not lost on me.
There have been limited studies done on some of the effects of this digital hold on our lives and they are concerning to say the least. Social media use appears to encourage some of the following negative effects, some of which we hear about regularly now:
-- Narcissism
-- Screen time/white light/activity appears to be causing insomnia/broken sleep cycles (circadian rhythm)
-- Detached reality making our society and kids less empathetic and in touch with reality
Results from the few studies that have been done are troubling. Social media appears to promote narcissism, smartphones could be causing insomnia, and screens seem to be making our kids less empathetic.
Earlier posts in this series covered that in more detail.
TODAY'S DIGITAL DETOX TIDBIT:
The Moroccan Desert Study:
--
A study was done, by taking influencers to the Moroccan desert, where their tech was left behind for a few days.
I will break these next posts in this series up by showing the results and hopefully you can ponder things and then apply these results to your life, in your own way!
There will be text directly quoted from the study unedited.
--
Part 3 Today:
( See next Digital Detox series post out about once/week to follow along, and check all the past posts in this series I run for lots of tips )
Improved Memory:
--
Even with just a few days without technology, people were more apt to remember even very small details about each other, like the names of distant relatives or other things mentioned in passing.
The neuroscientists feel that this is because people were more literally present in the conversations. Their brains were just more able to store and process new information and more easily.
The technology distractions have affected cognitive functions. Our brains have been trained to not register potentially minor details. These minor details actually are pretty important in the processes of learning about / bonding with others.
--
From last week's post about using search engines on a device all the time, vs. just talking:
“These are the conversations that really form bonds between people,” the project organizer points out.
“You gain insight into the way someone’s mind works, and it is not typically a conversation anyone has had before, so it is engaging and memorable.”
My Digital Detox Moroccan Desert Study Series:
Sources show the avg. adult now spends about 8.5+ hours online every day. A good portion is at work or looking at a screen.
Give a long hard look at where you are spending the bulk of these waking / working hours, with regard to your workstation/chair and posture, just like you need a good bed for all the sleeping hours!
Find a Digital Detox buddy as was mentioned earlier to do these things with, it helps to have support in place for little things like this.
Support and accountability again.
I've blogged here and in the past about this, but new people are finding the posts, or searching online, so I am saying this again today because it is VERY very important:
--
Switch OFF or to Airplane Mode During Breaks or Workouts:
--
Unless you are using an iPod or no device during workouts or lunch breaks.....(both are good ideas) - chances are like most - you use your phone to listen to music. Yes, music has been proven to improve your mood etc. during workouts but think of it.....
-- stopping mid- exercise all the time, to answer a text or social media notification is terrible and stealing your experience, tech break and focus from you, as well as lowering your heart rate, which is key to working out in the first place. It can wait an hour.
This is an easy way to take back your Digital Detox freedom and stay in the zone, and focused on YOU and what you are doing, during a work out or even doing nothing..... taking a complete break for your lunch break etc.
--
A constant tip is change 1 habit at a time, so I will keep this in the series.
Reminder: (see past posts) -- Try to use proper, healthy posture techniques always and be purposeful about this.
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/posture-for-a-healthy-back
Stick with it and make notes daily about how you feel doing this! Share thoughts with a friend or 2!
--
I don't embed my sources like "professional bloggers" -- 9/10 times -- people don't click the sources anyways, let alone hover the cursor to even check quickly, and this way, they can SEE the sources / url's -- that's what I prefer myself anyways, so if i get flagged, I get flagged, I am trying to appeal to the masses here.
--
It is more than just unplugging intentionally as I call it -- it is a return to some societal values that we have abandoned in favour of having all the access to data and online resources we have -- a shift is required. However:
Intentional Unplugging as I call it -- is a huge and necessary step.
--
As a reminder of what we see daily in the PHYSICAL realm of problems, here is a graphic showing the damage of the neck and spine as it relates to pounds of pressure looking downwards all the time:
--
--
--
(Sorry this is grainy but I enlarged this 2x, so you could see it better. This is right from the Ontario Chiropractic Association (hard to read but that is the source) -- and I wanted this unedited, it was a jpeg and resizing those means less quality)
Don't Risk a Crash in Your Health!
--
My Community Engagement questions to you, today, if you have read this far are simple and will evolve over time:
--
-- Did you INTENTIONALLY "unplug" or stay offline this week? How many times? Give yourself 1 point for each day in your reply!
-- Did you unplug with a family member / friends intentionally this week and thus CONNECT to them meaningfully? If yes, give yourself a point!
-- Have you realized this is a problem in your life, because that is the FIRST step! If so - 2 points for you!
-- Are you aware of this problem around you and your friends and family and have you addressed it with others? If so, you get a point also! ( Note I have always used the word "addressed" in this series, some people confuse this word with telling others what to do.... this is not the same thing. Dialogue with others is the goal. Awareness.)
-- Did you put your devices in another room at dinner time and at bedtime this week intentionally? That's a point each time, champ! List it! Think on it!!
--
Please tally up your points, list it in a reply and please open up about how you feel about these issues in your life and the world today!!
Why??
Because this is a Community Resource and I care and we are all in this together. None of us are getting out alive.
That is the end of today's post in this series. I wanted to cover all the basics in the Series constants, as usual, for all the new people reading this post for the first time,
If you are still reading -- thank you very much and have a nice day. I hope something here helps you.
Thanks for reading, have a nice day.
If you liked this blog post - please Resteem it and share good content with others!
--
Some of my recent blogs:
--
Most Images: Gif's - via Giphy.com , Funny or Die.com / Pixabay. Today:
If you feel my posts are undervalued or you want to donate to tip me - I would appreciate it very much.
--
LiteCoin (LTC) - LKdsnvSXk9JW99EiNicFMGKc1FXiBo9tUE
EOS (EOS) - 0xD37bEFf5bf07E3aa432de00cE0AaA8df603A4fB0
Ethereum (ETH) - 0x3Ad69Ff057C9533ca667B2d7E3E557F5eeFd4477
Ethereum Classic (ETC) - 0x5ab2b08d4ce8d454eb9d1ecc65c6d8b0c5f9784c
DASH - XgZvsvSZgPkNbmGbRhc3S1Pt2JAc7QHwiS
PIVX - DA3azxQqJiX9t7EviuacpamfNhMi2zGAUh
Stratis (STRAT) - SNsJp6v1jXvKWy4XcXSXfNQ9zhSJJppJgv
ZCash (ZEC) - t1aCPEYELkGaf3GtgGTiCEDo7XfPm4QEwmL
Bitcoin (BTC) - 18J6RRuzX4V7b2CDbx7tWZYNBLkkGWsvWX
![](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmNuF3L71zzxAyJB7Lk37yBqjBRo2uafTAudFDLzsoRV5L/1.gif)
Please note -- I will have limited internet access for awhile -- so PLEASE do not be upset that I cannot reply right away, or to everyone. I am dealing with some changes, and will have limited time online and will be happy if I get a few blog posts up a week.
This has really upset some people but I do not force my opinions on others, or need to communicate every detail of my life or issues, most people do not care anyways. I invested around 10 hours or more a day on Steemit most of my first 13 mths here, I just do not have that time in my life right now, and that includes for replies and voting/curation.
I have done my best, sorry if you do not understand like some are clearly having a problem with. It's a blogging platform, and I will do my best at everything, and to keep blogging.
Carry On.
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWGQ9N7Ysr3o9dir4G6hXrK9s7dfAoCbjmf6YQz4Uthdw/image.png)
--
LiteCoin (LTC) - LKdsnvSXk9JW99EiNicFMGKc1FXiBo9tUE
EOS (EOS) - 0xD37bEFf5bf07E3aa432de00cE0AaA8df603A4fB0
Ethereum (ETH) - 0x3Ad69Ff057C9533ca667B2d7E3E557F5eeFd4477
Ethereum Classic (ETC) - 0x5ab2b08d4ce8d454eb9d1ecc65c6d8b0c5f9784c
DASH - XgZvsvSZgPkNbmGbRhc3S1Pt2JAc7QHwiS
PIVX - DA3azxQqJiX9t7EviuacpamfNhMi2zGAUh
Stratis (STRAT) - SNsJp6v1jXvKWy4XcXSXfNQ9zhSJJppJgv
ZCash (ZEC) - t1aCPEYELkGaf3GtgGTiCEDo7XfPm4QEwmL
Bitcoin (BTC) - 18J6RRuzX4V7b2CDbx7tWZYNBLkkGWsvWX
So true.
Offline time = detox and recharge time.
Great series and info.
Avoid Smoking
According to the doctor's suggestion, nicotine can be obtained in other ways rather than tobacco.
Regular exercise can quit smoking. Due to regular exercise.
Eat more than fruits and vegetables. Attention to other foods to cover nicotine needs
dear @barrydutton your good post... i love freedom...thank for sharing..
Speaking of this I am going go enjoy some of that for rest of the night.
The darn computer screens have made me very tired today.
I am hammering away man.
Last post drafted and timer set for upload.
Enjoy your night and nice to hear from you buddy!!
@barrydutton Excellent post especially the figures that you have placed. It seems to me correct to alternate connected work time with free time. From now on I am waiting for the next articles in this series. Best regards
Balance man, you are right Felix.