Summer break is as important for students’ education as a well-constructed and balanced curriculum. If students had to study non-stop throughout the year, it would be ineffective due to the intellectual and emotional overload.
One must constantly process, memorize and analyze the information while communicating with peers and teachers online. Such a tempo, if not slowed down, would eventually lead to burnout because human capacity is limited.
To avoid burnout, students can benefit from practicing digital detox.
What is a Digital Detox?
Essentially, the point of digital detox is in its name: it is reducing the toxic effects of the digital world on one’s personality and psyche. Many people, especially hypersocial students, may find themselves glued to their phones. Their mobile device becomes nearly an extension of their hand, and they are online non-stop. This term usually concerns the uncontrollable use of social media, but a distraction from reality with video games may be the same.
Whether it is for studying, personal purposes, or both, one’s brain can once be overdosed with information constantly streaming from the screen.
Sometimes, the effects of digital “intoxication” may be so severe that one can find it difficult to complete even the easiest type of homework. It is also the problem of lack of concentration combined with the background anxiety it brings.
For it not to damage your grades, keep a note to yourself, “I can always get help to write my paper on paperwriter.com” and focus on what is important to you. However, if social media reduces your concentration and academic success, look closer at the benefits the detox brings.
What are its Benefits for Students?
Any type of detox means a certain way of healing from the damage. However, the effects of the digital one can be noticed after some time and consistency.
Here is what you can expect from it.
#1 Improved mindfulness
Constant staring at the screen separates a person from what is going on around them. One can eat while staring at the phone without paying attention to the meal and the ceremony. Then they walk the street without looking around (which can be dangerous) the world around them.
Such a habit makes an individual merely absent in the world they live in, which separates them from their daily physical experiences and increases anxiety or even causes derealization.
Digital detox helps to improve mindfulness and to be more present in every moment to its fullest.
#2 Less FOMO
If you keep track of everything that happens in the life of people you follow, you may catch yourself thinking that all the fun happens somewhere outside your life. Such a rhythm of using social media makes one feel that they always observe something significant but never participate in it.
This feeling is called fear of missing out, or just FOMO. It is also followed by anxiety that one’s life is boring compared to what they see people post on social media.
The detox and the mindfulness will ease one’s FOMO, teaching them to be present in their own life instead of stalking the life of others.
#3 Improved self-image
When it comes to comparing one’s life to the ones of others, social media can be harmful psychologically in terms of self-image and self-esteem. People, especially online celebrities, usually post only the bright and idealized side of their life online. It makes their online presence look like a better version of life than their followers have.
For a young mind, it can morph into a message that someone’s lifestyle or appearance is better than theirs. It leads to insecurities and troubles with self-esteem. Again, digital detox and mindfulness will help that.
#4 Better sleep
Many constant social media users go to sleep and wake up with their phones in their hands. Scrolling social media feed until one falls asleep is harmful to their sleeping pattern and, consequently, to their productivity at university and overall cognitive capacities.
Plus, the blue light from the screen two hours before bed also contributes to the reduction of the quality of sleep. If a person stops staring at the phone at least two hours before they go to bed, the quality of their sleep will significantly improve. As a result, they will have more energy to study.
#5 Improved cognitive capacities
Another type of harm that social media does to our brains is affecting our learning capabilities. Social media posts or videos are usually very short pieces of information that are perceived in a matter of a few seconds.
A person sees hundreds of small fragments of information while scrolling their feed. It can limit their concentration and make it difficult to stay focused on something more complex and coherent, which is essential for studying. Reducing social media consumption will minimize the damage and even improve one’s grades.
Where to Start?
For people whose lifestyle has an online presence as an inseparable part, cutting down on digital devices may be a challenge. That is why it is important to approach it in a smart way and not try to just drop it at once. In this case, it may end in failure followed by frustration.
To start small, follow these simple tips.
- Turn off unnecessary notifications when it must be your productive time. You will have fewer distractions.
- Try not to use your phone an hour or two before bed.
- To use the phone less before bed, buy an analog alarm clock. Now, most of the devices we need are all in a smartphone, but it increases the risk of spending the evening scrolling.
- Try easing without using your phone. It is a widespread habit to scroll or watch videos during lunch. If it is difficult at first, schedule lunch with your friends at least on weekends and spend time communicating offline instead.
- Track your screentime. It will give you an insight into how much time you spend using social media.
Dropping the habit of constant use of the phone may be a challenge. However, summer break is the best time for students to take care of their mental health and build a better relationship with the ever-present internet.
Take small steps and pay attention to the real world around you, and you will see how the quality of your life improves.