Blog 8: A Day Without the Pleasure of Electronics

Welcome everyone to this week’s blog! Last week, I talked about how walking is a great way to exercise as it is beneficial to your health and it is also a great form of exercise conducive to all body types and ages, since it is considered low intensity, especially on the joints of the body. This week I want to emphasize how electronics in your daily household, such as iPhones, TVs, computers, iPads, gaming consoles, etc. can also play a role in causing stress in your life, preventing you from being productive and causing distraction. It also inhibits your exercise routine. Let’s just say that electronics within the household can be a negative strain on your physical and mental health. That is why I suggest that every once in a while, you take a day to yourself to be without your electronic technology. You can use this time to think, self-reflect, exercise, enjoy the outside, go out with friends, read a book, or complete something that you have always wanted to do, but could not when you were using your time to be on your electronic device. So, to speak, you can create a personal bucket list for yourself that is achievable. The harsh reality is “High users of screens were significantly more likely to display poor emotion regulation (not staying calm, arguing too much, being difficult to get along with), an inability to finish tasks, lower curiosity, and more difficulty making friends” (Twenge & Campbell, 2018, p. 279). Unfortunately, internet use can result in addictive behavior. Trust me, I am fully aware of the compulsory and appealing qualities Netflix has after a long day of school. According to UNICEF, this behavior is known as “. . . ‘addictive use’, ‘pathological use’, ‘compulsive use’, or ‘disordered use’” (Kardefelt-Winther, 2017, p. 21). In addition, “. . . the presence of smartphones can lower enjoyment during social interactions” (Twenge & Campbell, 2018, as cited in e.g., Dwyer et al., 2018; Kushlev et al., 2017, p. 281). Keeping this in mind, know when your limit is reached when spending time in front of a screen because your health can be greatly affected otherwise. And lastly, enjoy your time being outside or without being in front of a screen. I think you will find that you will feel better and a weight lifted off of your shoulders. Stay tuned and stay healthy!

#adaywithoutelectronics #adaywithoutyourphone #stressreliever

Please reach out or comment below on any personal experiences that you feel comfortable sharing!

References:

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study. Preventive Medicine Reports, 12, 271-283. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6214874/pdf/main.pdf

Kardefelt-Winther, D. (2017, December). How does the time children spend using digital technology impact their mental well-being, social relationships and physical activity. UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, 1-28. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/Children-digital-technology-wellbeing.pdf