We are always logged in, online, posting, commenting, and responding almost every minute of every day. It may be because of necessity or we might want to ensure that we are not missing anything that is happening around us. Sometimes, this gets you feeling that you are actually addicted to social media networks and you are having a social overload.

You may also want to take a break from all the emails, texts, messages, comments, posts, and updates, but you may not know how to do that. Let's see some simple ways by which you can actually go for a digital detox.

Create a Plan for your Digital Detox

1. Keep yourself motivated: 

It may be a big decision to go on a digital detox. You will feel guilty about missing things that are happening all around you when you will first log out. You will also get a feeling of having too much free time, and you will be wondering how to do a time-pass. You will only be able to do a Digital Detox if you will keep reminding yourself about the good things that you are going to achieve with this.

• Create a list of around 3 to 5 things that you want to get completed during your digital detox. This will help you be a focus on what you want to achieve with this process.
• For Example, you can write that you want to meet your old friends or you want to get your clothes done during that time.
• Remind yourself about the good things that are happening because of the digital detox. Like you might be getting more time to spend with your friends and family etc.
• Also, motivate yourself by thinking that digital detox will help you get rid of information overload.

2. Decide when to detox:

It is important to decide when you want to go for a digital detox. This is because you don't want to be absent during an important office or school meeting online etc. You can choose a convenient time, when you have lesser responsibilities, like on weekends when your office or school might not interfere with your detox.

• Look at your calendar and choose a time, when you don't have any upcoming deadlines or important events. 
• Also, you can choose holidays to spend more time with your family and friends and can also keep your online profile deactivated for some time.

3. Think about alternatives:

This is also an important step to understand because you might be using your phone for several other activities, like;

• You might be using your phone as an alarm clock, so ensure that you have one in place.
• You might have a hobby to practice music or songs. So, you will have to make sure that there is a radio or some other music playing option available for you.
• Will you require the help of mobile GPS because of the work on your detox day.
• Also, decide how long are you going to have this detox. Ideally, detox lasts for one or two days. This gives you time to connect with your family and friends in a much better way.

4. Inform in Advance:

If you are including work or school in your digital detox, you may need to let others know what you are doing. This way they can let you know what's going on and you won't miss messages about major deadlines or other important information.

• Do you have a landline so that someone can call and reach you in case of an emergency? You might also want to let family members know that it is okay to show you unannounced if there is an emergency.
• Ask someone to contact you with important messages if your digital detox is going to last more than 12 hours. 

5. Log Out of Social Networks:

Nothing can ruin a digital detox or any peaceful time like an electronic device that is beeping, binging, and chirping every two minutes. Staying logged in will make it easy for you to quickly turn on your device, especially if you have widgets, and check your social networking updates. Logging out and turning off all notifications for social media can help you stick with your detox.

• You don't need to disable your account, but you can log out of the app on your device. You can log back in once your digital detox is over.
• Make sure you know your login information before you log out of the app.
• Turn off your alerts and notifications if you can't or don't want to log out of your apps.
• Also, keep your mobile phone out of reach. Remember the old saying, "Out of Sight, Out of Mind".

Making the most of your Digital Detox

1. Help Someone:

One great way to make the most of your digital detox is to spend some of your time doing something to help someone else. It doesn't have to be a big thing like repainting their house, but you can take an hour or two to do something that benefits someone else.

• Volunteer for a cause or organization that you support or attend a charitable event in your neighborhood.
• Offer to go grocery shopping for your parents, or help wast the car.

2. Meditate:

A digital detox is a great time to practice relaxation techniques and calming strategies. When your detox is over, these strategies will help you release stress and tension when you begin to feel digital overload or stress in general.

• Try spending just five to 10 minutes meditating. Get comfortable and try to focus on your breathing. If you find your thoughts drifting, gently bring them back to your breathing.
• Practice deep breathing techniques. Slowly inhale into your belly, hold it, and then slowly exhale. Repeat these steps for a few breaths.

3. Learn Something New:

One of the challenges of doing a digital detox is boredom. You may be so used to being online that you don’t know what to do with your time. You can use your time during your digital detox to try a new activity or learn a new skill.

• Read a book or article about a topic that interests you. You can even go to the library to look at a hard copy instead of a digital one.
• Take a class or lesson to learn a new skill or talent. For instance, take a gymnastics class or sign up for foreign language lessons.

Easing back on Digital World

After you have done a lot of work detoxing yourself from the information overload, ensure that you don't jump into all the social networks at once.

Log in applications one by one. Take time to see what is happening and then reply slowly. Don't rush into things.

Also, you can actually get rid of all the social media networks by deleting your accounts on them and can join a social media network that is gentle on your brain and mental health.

There are several Social Media Networks, that are ensuring that there are minimal advertisements and no biased content. Those websites actually help you learn new things without getting frustrated because of all the information overload.

You can try thewiki Network, this is an example of the age-old idea of connecting people around the world without spamming with targeted advertisements and biased content.

It is also only a website-based platform, hence you won't get troubled on a daily basis because of notifications. There are notifications, but via mail only, hence you actually don't feel stressed out because of too many notifications.

To register click here.