Accredited BACP Psychotherapist & Mental Health Consultant at John McGuirk - Bristol Therapist
Answered 4 months ago
As a accredited psychotherapist and CBT therapist, I have sometimes worked with client on digital detoxing. 1) Yes. In my work, clients often find that digital engagement impacts their mood in two main ways. First, the *quality* of digital engagement itself can produce stress, such as repeatedly consuming negative news articles or finding oneself in online conflicts. This kind of engagement *produces* stress, low mood or anxiety. Secondly, the *quantity* of digital engagement can end up leaving very little time for other positive activities that might help improve well-being, like walking, exercising, resting, and so on. This *prevents* recovery from negative feelings and moods. So, cortisol levels rise and stay high, and this negatively impacts heart-rate, blood pressure, mood, and so on. 2) Yes. The strategies for detoxing are various, co-created with the client, and depend on what works for them, but some options include: a) Digital engagement windows, where it's OK to engage for an agreed time, like 5 minutes at the end of every hour. b) Set times when digital engagement is ruled out, like no digital engagement after 10pm. c) A period of total abstinence from all digital engagement (eg. for 2 to 3 days) to reset the dopamine system, before re-engaging in a more structured way. d) Using content blocking software. e) Identifying good alternatives to digital engagement. This is vital and often missed. Just stopping leaves a huge window for 'what do I do know?'. This can result in the old habit of 'I've nothing to do, so I'll just go online'. Identifying good alternatives can include exercise, creativity, journaling, meditation, socialising irl, and going out into nature. 3) I'm not surprised by this observation. When a person reduces their digital engagement they have a chance to do other things, like enjoying nature. Being in nature is great for wellbeing. Physical exercise and increased daylight exposure alone help to regulate circadian rhythms and sleep, improve vitamin D levels and immune system strength, and reduce cortisol levels, lower heart-rate and blood pressure. 4) I regularly do digital detoxes and restrict my digital engagement using the strategies above. I am much happier when my digital engagement is both quantitatively reduce (i,.e. less time), and qualitatively improved (eg. long-form, low conflict, low crisis). 5) I think many people are still trying to find balance after COVID.
1 / I have personal experience with this phenomenon. Guests at our spa experience complete relaxation after one session because they release tension they were unaware of carrying. A woman shared with me that she had not slept through a full night for several weeks until she spent a device-free hour at our spa followed by a cold plunge which resulted in nine hours of consecutive sleep. The body shows immediate responses when people stop receiving constant alerts while spending time in complete relaxation. 2 / I activate airplane mode on my phone during most mornings until I reach 10:00 AM. The absence of digital distractions helps me achieve better mental clarity which leads to improved concentration. Our team has tested screen-free days as a strategy during periods of low activity. The team spent a screen-free Friday working on spa organization without any interruptions which resulted in a surprising energy boost. 3 / The combination of natural surroundings with digital silence provides a better experience than being trapped in an enclosed space. The natural environment of Boulder hiking trails enables my entire body to reset its operation. Several guests have reported that they visit trailheads immediately after leaving Oakwell because the peaceful atmosphere stays with them and they want to prolong the experience. 4 / Yes. My wife and I spent four days without screens at a Steamboat cabin during the previous year. The cabin provided complete network and Wi-Fi blackout while we spent our time reading books and hiking and maintaining the wood stove. The strange brain sensation which I had been experiencing disappeared during the second day of my screen-free period. I discovered that I had been experiencing continuous background stimulation until it completely stopped. 5 / People actively seek authentic experiences. The core of this matter revolves around this single point. People maintain extensive digital connections yet experience ongoing feelings of discomfort. The endless process of scrolling through content while comparing ourselves to others while receiving nonstop notifications creates a state of mental numbness. A digital detox retreat helps people rediscover their physical and mental state by removing all digital background noise.
Our franchising business was growing fast, and we were all getting fried. So we tried something new: no laptops on Friday afternoons. Just talking with each other or getting outside. It worked. We started coming up with better ideas, and by Friday, nobody looked like they wanted to quit. I get it. When my brain is full, nothing fixes it like a trail run. Just no screens and some time in the woods. I guess that's why people pay for those digital detox things. We all need a little room to breathe.
Here's something I've noticed. My clients feel less on edge when they cut back on screen time. We don't do anything fancy, just try simple things like no-phone nights or walks in the park together. Their sleep gets better and they just seem more relaxed. Honestly, sometimes the best thing is just getting up from our chairs and going outside. When I unplug on vacation, I come back more focused. It's worth a shot.
As co-founder of Superpower, I've watched people's cortisol levels drop when they step away from screens. Our platform makes it easy to see these changes - less screen time means lower stress hormones and better heart rate. We found that cutting back on tech, plus getting outside, really helps people dealing with burnout. I take weekends off my phone to reset, and I always tell people to start with just one morning device-free to see what happens.
1 / Our customer feedback and pilot behavioral studies have produced results that match this pattern. People who reduce their screen time activities tend to experience better sleep quality and lower stress levels and more stable hormonal patterns especially when they have PMS symptoms. The relationship between digital device overstimulation and anxiety and sleep problems remains unclear but digital device overstimulation appears to make these conditions worse which then affects menstrual cycle regulation and immune system function. 2 / I practice two of these habits by removing electronic devices from my bedroom and conducting device-free brainstorming sessions with my team. Our wellness assessments contain digital use questions which help us understand how different lifestyle choices affect our health targets. People who track their digital activities become more mindful about their behavior which results in establishing better digital boundaries. 3 / Nature functions as a biological system that restores our body to its natural state. Our research shows that outdoor activities without screen use help people achieve better circadian rhythm stability and lower sympathetic nervous system activity. The two methods create a synergistic effect which produces better results than using them separately. 4 / My 5-day digital detox during fall allowed me to detect my body's natural signals which included hunger sensations and fatigue levels and decision-making speed. The tasks I worked on required less urgency and my sleep patterns improved without any changes to my daily routine. The experience showed me how background digital stimulation affects my mental state even when I am not actively using devices. 5 / People have reached a point where they understand that digital convenience has traded off their ability to experience peace. The increasing numbers of burnout cases and screen-related insomnia and pelvic floor disorders from prolonged sitting demonstrate that modern society depends too heavily on digital technology. Digital detox retreats provide participants with both organized time away from technology and social support to achieve their digital detox goals which extend beyond phone shutdown to complete digital disconnection.
1 / I have personally experienced this phenomenon together with all the women who work at my organization. Our nervous system experiences an immediate relaxation when we spend time in nature or silence without our devices. Digital noise creates additional performance requirements and comparison challenges for numerous women. The absence of digital noise enables women to discover their authentic selves which exist beyond their screen-based activities. 2 / Yes. The studio transforms into a screen-free area during our "no phone" fittings and design days. The environment enables people to make deliberate choices while they move with purpose and maintain complete awareness of their surroundings. A woman experiences the genuine emotional impact of clothing when she tries it on without feeling the need to document or share her experience. 3 / Nature contains knowledge that screens cannot duplicate. Swimming in the ocean serves as my personal reset because it helps me shed my ego while reconnecting me to my physical body. The combination of digital rest with nature provides healing effects to the body. The goal is to understand our natural body rhythm instead of following digital alerts. 4 / The process occurs through gentle and consistent changes rather than dramatic shifts. The design retreat without screens led me to experience better sleep quality and my skin became clearer while my thoughts emerged as soft whispers instead of background noise. Our bodies reset themselves quickly when we reduce our digital screen time. 5 / People seek to experience deep connections with themselves and with nature and with peaceful moments of silence. The body requires complete attention to heal properly because devices break down our ability to focus. Digital detox retreats help people rediscover their connection to real experiences and natural rituals and peaceful rest. I believe this practice represents a natural process of remembering our true nature.