Digital detox your home

Mobile phones have essentially taken over our lives, but we’re becoming better at recognising their impact on our quality of sleep and our health.  Here, natural lifestyle guru and author, Janey Lee Grace, discusses how to detox our home environments when it comes to ‘e-smog’.

With increased technology we are exposed to all kinds of ‘electro smog’ that could be having a detrimental effect on our health and wellbeing.   Of course most of us aren’t going to give up our gadgets or phones but it’s worth having a complete break even if only for a short time.

Spend time with the people around you

Of course, this hasn’t been possible in recent months, and we are lucky to have the opportunity to communicate digitally. However, even when it isn’t imposed by a pandemic, how often do we find ourselves sending or responding to virtual greetings rather than connecting with friends next to us?  When we can, take time and renewed pleasure in spending time around real people and really being present in that moment rather than being on your phone.  If you find it hard to switch off from work, it’s especially important to ensure that when you’re on holiday, it’s just that - a break away from anything connected with your work life.

Mobiles stress you out

It’s important to realise just how stressed our mobile phones can make us physically too, I’m not just talking about repetitive strain injury from too much texting or hot ear from speaking on the phone for too long, we are so wired most of the time that we simply can’t remember how it feels to switch off - literally.   If you’ve ever been in a remote place with no electricity at all you’ll remember the feeling.  Standing by a waterfall similarly gives off negative ions and greatly increases wellbeing.  It’s unlikely you’ll be spending time near a remote waterfall or without electricity, but you can at least give yourself a quick mobile phone detox at the weekend.

Put your out of office on

When you go on holiday, or take time off, really go on holiday.  Add a signature to your emails and adapt your voicemail message so that you alert people to your phone detox.  Switch off the Wifi in your home too, and get out into nature as much as possible.  At first you will probably feel bereft, but take some deep breaths and relax!

Alarm bells

Don’t use your mobile phone to wake you up!  Get an old style alarm clock, bedrooms should be ideally for sleep and sex (most of us have an overstuffed wardrobe in there too) but unless you live in a studio apartment, have no electronic equipment or phones in your bedroom.  We cannot function without restorative sleep, and unless we can really switch off, it’s hard to get the deep sleep we really need.

Long-term detox

A detox is one thing, but you can reduce the impact of all things digital on your world in the longer term as well.  Don’t use your mobile for too long, wear a protective device such as Sosatec Wellbalancers which reduce electromagnetic stress, phone shields and Wifi shields for computers and cordless phones, and Green 8 protective devices for mobile phones.  Guys, don’t carry your phone in your trouser pocket.  At home, minimise the effects of e-smog by having a few house plants around - NASA scientists will tell you that the common Peace Lily can have a neutralising effect and can remove formaldehyde from the air to a tune of 30 feet. So, have one next to each piece of electronic equipment (although that could mean wading through a jungle if you are very techy!