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Take This 30-Day Self-Care Challenge to Reduce Screen Time + Improve Your Life

How much screen time do you log each day? For some, the answer can be more hours than we care to admit. . .

Research tells us that waking up and immediately checking our phones creates anxiety and can leave us feeling unhappy. Using our work breaks to check Instagram or answering emails until we fall asleep at night are no different.

We need time to reduce screen time and unplug from technology.

Yet, many of us never do. I think we all know that an easy way to up-level our self-care is to down-level our screen-time! Yet, decreasing our screen time can feel impossible. We are SO used to being SO connected.

The average Instagram user (ahem, me) spends 53 minutes a day staring at their phone, while the average Facebook user spends 58 minutes staring at some sort of electronic device.
 

Most of us are connected to our technology virtually 24/7.

 
On top of that, let’s be honest, most of us are connected to our technology – whether for work and/or by choice – through the internet, texts, social media, and email virtually 24/7 . . . every. single. day! Think about that for a moment.

Are you spending hours every single day on social media, checking out people’s seemingly “perfect” lives, stressing about their political rants, and/or feeling guilty about not joining a friend’s multi-level marketing business opportunity or donating to their GoFundMe campaign?

Or, perhaps you are the one creating the online content or answering work emails at all hours of the day and night. Either way, if engaging in information overload feels like a daily ritual for you, it is time to break that habit. And, this 30-day self-care challenge to reduce screen time is here to help!

Addicted to Your Devices? Here’s How to Combat the Negative Effects of Technology
 
 

Unplug From Technology With This 30-Day Self-Care Challenge:

Try this 30-day self-care challenge to reduce screen time and replace it with positive daily rituals for improving your health!

This challenge is based on three premises:

  1. We live in an age of information overload
  2. Repetition creates habits
  3. A great way to break a habit that we could do without is to swap it out for an act that will benefit our well-being

 

This 3-for-30 challenge focuses on making realistic and effective shifts during three critical times in your daily schedule: morning, midday, and evening.

It helps you unplug from technology by replacing a few minutes of screen time here and there with scientifically proven ways to up-level your wellness and watch yourself thrive (without feeling entirely out of the loop).
 

 
 

1. Start Your Morning With a Cup of Warm Water and Lemon

What to do: Before reaching for your cell phone, pour yourself a glass of warm to hot water, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and consider dropping the rest of the lemon right into the glass. You could even sneak in a short meditation practice while you wait for the water to boil.

Why do it: As previously mentioned, our morning routines set the tone for the rest of the day. So, why not start the day off right!?

The Cleveland Clinic calls lemon water a “simple habit that yields big results!” Lemon water is said to help increase Vitamin C intake, aid in digestion, and increase potassium levels among other things. Stressing yourself out with early morning screen time can wait a few minutes.

This Morning Routine Will Set You Up for Success Each and Every Day
 

2. Take a Mindful 5-Minute Midday Work Break (Or, Gasp! An Actual Lunch Break)

What to do: By “mindful,” I mean leave your cell phone at your desk. Get your legs up the wall. Step outside and take a few deep, full breaths without distraction. Or, maybe do both.

If you really can’t step away from your desk, invest in some headphones and try a short meditation video or podcast.

Try This Guided Mindfulness Meditation for a Calm and Peaceful Mind

Why do it: Point being, make sure that you are taking a few minutes every day to step away from the hustle and bustle (and screen time) and refocus.

Studies show that we actually need even more of a daily break than a few minutes or else our productivity and health will begin to suffer.

But, especially if you are used to utilizing the term “working lunch,” start small and practical and at least take a few minutes to combat the potential for stress and burnout. Something IS better than nothing.
 

 
 

3. Make Your Bedroom a No Technology Zone

What to do: Create a home for your cell phone charger and your cell phone, outside of your bedroom. Need to make sure that you wake up by a certain time? Invest in an alarm clock.

Why do it: This may be the hardest change to make, but it may just be the most important. Research shows that our evening phone use is destroying our sleep.

Using our electronic devices at night not only makes it more difficult for us to fall asleep, but screen time also negatively impacts our vision. Screen time at night can also impact our metabolism, brain health, and, according to at least one study, even our risk of developing cancer. Yikes!

Too Much Screen Time? Go Unplugged With a Digital Cleanse – Here’s How In 6 Simple Steps
 
 

Try This 30-Day Self-Care Challenge for a Much-Needed Unplug From Technology

In all honesty, can any of us afford to NOT do this challenge? And, reducing our screen time needs to be a lasting lifestyle change! Is 30 days even enough?

Here’s the thing: The investment is small. Ten to 15 minutes a day plus the cost of a weekly bag of lemons. Ideally, we would all adopt these daily rituals forever and always. But, change is hard. And, big sweeping changes often don’t last. So, start small and build real, long-lasting change.

Need more self-care? Try these 5 Self-Care Rituals to Boost Your Mood (And Keep It There!)

Consider making all three changes to your schedule at once. Or, if that feels overwhelming, pick the one ritual that seems the most attainable for you and try tackling that first for 30 days. Then, add a second ritual 30 days later, and finally the third 30 days after that.

One way or another, strive to make it work. Make the committment to reduce your screen time and unplug from technology. Your health and happiness depend on it!

This article has been read 1K+ times. Feelin’ the love!

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Lauren Beth Jacobs

Lauren Beth Jacobs is a yoga, fitness, and wellness coach who aims to help people to identify fun, realistic ways to integrate healthy practices into their everyday lives. She is a certified Power Yoga for Sports coach and Holistic Nutritionist. Find Lauren's health and wellness offerings, favorite gluten-free recipes, and free tips for transforming your health on her Instagram.

laurenbethjacobs.com

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