13 Things You Should Know About Unplugging

About Unplugging

- Anna-Kaisa Walker

1 Need a digital detox? Feeling irritable without your smartphone, losing sleep due to your tech usage and noticing an inability to sustain a real-life conversation without checking social media are signs you need a break. “If you’re stopping everything for a notification, ask yourself if you really have control over your life,” says author and Kingston, Ont.–based productivity consultant Chris Bailey.

2 One 2017 University of Pittsburgh study found that heavy social media use can lead to a nine per cent increase in the risk of depression.

This may be due to a psychological phenomenon called “social comparison.” When everyone else’s (heavily edited) lives seem happier than one’s own, self-esteem can nosedive.

3 Delete all but your most essential apps (bye-bye, Clash of Clans). “Which ones are you using to pacify your attention, rather than to connect with others?” Bailey asks.