PLAYHow To Break Unhealthy Digital Habits And Tune Into What's Really Important

Hey everyone! As recent high school graduates, part of the team here at YOMM know the struggles of school and trying to maintain a healthy relationship with technology. Being in control of your usage and knowing when you’ve gone overboard and need to come back to Earth is extremely important. Also, knowing how to do this can be hard when you don’t know where to start, or you’re not familiar with recognising when you need to tune into your surroundings. So, here are some easy ways to break those unhealthy digital habits and tune into reality.

Take All Technology Out Of Your Room An Hour Before Bed

Depending on how bad your habits are, this one can be very important to help show you that technology is not in control of your life, and you don’t need to scroll that one last time before going to bed. “But my phone is my alarm!!” I hear you say. And yes, you may have a strict sleeping schedule – and that is important for pretty much everyone when you’re in school or have to wake up in time for your weekend work shifts. For this reason, investing in an alarm clock instead of using your phone can be really important to make sure you’re not using your phone to reassure yourself of the time and checking it for comfort.

Get Out Into Nature

When you’re trapped in technology, and can recognise that it’s taking over a bit, and influencing your lifestyle choices, this can really help. Let your parents know where you’re going and that you’re leaving your phone behind – and if they’re a bit stricter and want to make sure you’re safe, take it – but try your best to refrain from checking it.

Get in your car (if it’s safe for you to be driving) and take a trip to your fave nature spot. If you don’t have your license or aren’t old enough to drive, grab a bus or go for a walk to a nature spot near you. And if you’re not sure where to go, just leave your house and go for a walk – or your phone can help – look up nice places near you!

Take a book, or put your phone on Aeroplane Mode and listen to some tunes that bring you back to Earth – bringing me to my next point.

Make A Playlist Of Tunes That Bring You Back To Earth

Now, this one can be tricky – you need to be confident you won’t be distracted by your phone – the way I do it is downloading my playlist on Spotify so I can play it while on Aeroplane Mode. This way, you won’t receive notifications – or you could opt for the ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature – so you can choose which notifications come through – like calls from mum and dad.

Anyway, find some songs that help you chill and make you feel calm – able to forget anything that has been clouding your thoughts, and helping you tune into what’s really important again. Some of my fave artists for this are Ziggy Alberts, some Sticky Fingers, Jack Johnson, George Ezra, Matt Corby, DMA’s and Dope Lemon – but it’s really up to you (check out my playlist here for inspo). You may already have a playlist that does this for you, and that’s great. Just make sure you can separate yourself from the phone, chuck in some earphones and have a listen wherever you are. It can help minimise stress and anxiety too on the go.

Plan A Trip With Your Best Mates

Now this one is obvi a little more long term, but if you’re finding you need a break from the busy lifestyle school brings, mention this idea to your mates and chances are they’ll be feeling the same.

Find somewhere you can camp for dirt cheap or if a friend has a holiday home nearby, drive up with your friends for a weekend or longer of reading, listening to music and going to the beach (if it’s warm enough). This can be great, especially with people you’re close with – it’s not just your brain thinking of things to do – visiting local markets, eating fresh fruit and a little bit of retail therapy never hurt anyone.

Also, cooking for yourselves will be a great activity to bring you closer and make you feel more connected. It’ll also reveal who just cannot cook! Great things to know for the future. Also, at the end of the trip, you’ll feel ready to get back into everyday life fresh with a new perspective – and you’ll gain better understanding of yourself and when technology is taking over too much.

Have you tried any of these things? What works for you? YOMM wants to know! Let us know in the comments!