August 01, 2023
A digital detox can help lessen anxiety, boost mental wellbeing and even improve feelings of connectedness. Find out more about the steps you can take for a digital detox.
It's easy to lose track of time when we're on our digital devices. Social media, gaming, streaming and even doom-scrolling can all feed that part of our brain that says, “More, more!" But as much we might enjoy being online, it can distract us from school, work and other responsibilities, and even prove detrimental. Research shows too much time online can lead to stress and mental health concerns..
That's where a digital detox can help lessen anxiety, boost mental wellbeing and even improve feelings of connectedness with others. While completely unplugging from your devices may not be possible or even something you or your family needs to do, you can start a digital detox with these strategies.
Track Your Screen Time
A good place to start with a digital detox is by tracking the amount of time you spend on social media and other online activities on a daily or weekly basis. You can then determine whether you want to reduce that time, perhaps by reserving certain windows for these activities or setting an alarm to remind you to take a break or power down for the day.
Parents may also wish to help their children do a similar assessment of their home screen time and help them set age-appropriate limits.
Pause Your Wifi
One of the easiest ways to start a digital detox is to pause your wifi access. With Cox Panoramic Wifi, you can pause your wifi whenever you want. This is especially helpful for parents who want to encourage their children to become readers or focus of offline activities.
Switch to a Basic Phone
Looking to disconnect from social media apps and the infinite scroll? You can remove the possibility altogether by switching from a smartphone to a basic phone.
Basic Feature phones offer key capabilities like texting, internet access and music without all of the distractions of smartphones. With the TCL FLIP 2, available through Cox Mobile, you can text and make calls, and manage your email accounts from one place. Meanwhile the minimized display and keypad help cut out the noise so you can focus on what matters most to you.
Purchase Data as You Use It
Paying for data as you use it can offer a tool to manage your screen time. Cox Mobile offers a Pay as You Gig plan, which can help you streamline your data usage and only pay for the gigabytes of data you need each month.
Detox Your Network To Protect Yourself and Loved Ones
Your digital detox doesn't just have to be about minimizing screen time. You might also want to detox your network and devices from cyber threats or outside intruders. Cox offers multiple tools to help monitor real-time security risks and protect your identity.
This way, you'll know your personal information is secure. And when you decide to plug back in, you can have the peace of mind you need to spend time online.
More Tools For Your Digital Life
- Helping Kids Navigate the World of Artificial Intelligence
- Cox Internet vs. 5G Home Internet
- What is Two-Factor Authentication
Did You know? You can change your Cox Mobile plan at any time in your billing cycle. Cox offers flexible, personalized plans data plans starting at $15 per gigabyte.
