Why we could all do with a digital detox

Doug Moores, YandXNZ

You’re launching New Zealand’s first Digital Detox Day on Sunday 1st  July. What led you to identify the need for such a day?

I have a passion to help people find their purpose, create a new model of education and solve our mental health crises as a result. In the process of researching the best way to do this I was talking to Sir John Kirwan, Frances Valintine, Art Green and many other NZ Leaders about NZ’s alarming youth suicide rate our mental health crises and digital addiction kept coming up as one of the biggest issues of our time. And also the one that was holding people, young people in particular, from living their best lives. The more I looked into it the bigger the problem seemed to be so I thought I better do something about it and a Digital Detox Day seemed like a great place to start to raise awareness around the issue. I’m now working on the solutions including workshops for schools and an amazing 8-day / 7-night Digital Detox Course of teenagers on Slipper Island, Coromandel which I can’t wait to run in October. You can find out more about this at www.yandx.co 

Research shows most of us are spending 3-5 hours a day on our smartphones alone. What impact do you think this has on us and our daily lives

I believe, and the research is showing it to be true, that over use of digital devices has adverse affects on our mental health, happiness and overall quality of life. It can literally rewire the brain to that of an addict and permanently change the grey matter of our brain. It affects our ability to be present with others and form deep meaningful relationships which are core to our health and happiness. It increases anxiety and depression, particularly in young people. It also leads to less productive work, encourages short term gratification and reduces our ability to be creative and resourceful.  

It also has detrimental effects on our physical health including syndromes like “tech neck” where people are having distorted posture and forward head positions from looking down at screens so much, can cause eye sight damage,  and ruins our sleep and circadian rhythms if we’re up late being exposed to blue light. 

Many of these are only the immediate consequences. There are so many long term consequences of which we’re not even aware of yet.  

It’s pretty clear these days that our phones and social media are designed in a way that’s addictive. Why do you think our phones have so much power over us?

Three of the biggest and most profitable companies in the world, Apple, Google, and Facebook, employing 10s of thousands of the smartest people in the world are spending billions of dollars every year to think of everyday possible way to grab our attention and sell it to advertisers. This is their business model and until the model is changed the problem won’t. They are literally tapping into our core evolutionary needs and desires to create products that are as addictive as gambling, alcohol or drugs, all with no rules or regulations or age limits. And even if we do want to give it up phones it’s almost impossible as it’s such an integral part of our life now. 

What would a healthy daily relationship with a smartphone look like to you

No phones for the first and last two hours of the day. No phones during meals and transit. And dedicated times of the day to check emails and social media. I also think booking in regular Digital Detox Days and times away from tech should be a norm for our mental health. 

What are some small steps people can take to start to get control back over their phone usage?

Turn off phones and wifi two hours before sleeping. Leave phones out of the bedroom and get an alarm clock. Turn phones to grey scale to remove some of the addictive qualities of the colours. Turn off all notifications. Delete apps that you’re most addicted too. Leave your phone behind on walks or outing during the day. Most importantly find a purpose or something you love that’s so much more exciting than what’s on your phone.

When you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do to bring yourself back to balance?

Exercise and jump in the ocean. Ideally surf, if there’s waves. We have to change the body to change our mind. Talking to friends and girlfriend about what i’m going though helps. And also meditate! I meditate religiously every morning and often in the afternoon too. It’s one the greatest tools there is and should be compulsory at all schools. 

We are advocates of play and having fun to reduce stress and anxiety. What play do you inject into your life?

Since I've stopped playing a lot of team sport I've missed my sense of play. However, I still love to move creatively every day, jump and hang off playgrounds and trees most days which has the bonus of decompressing my spine. And am looking at picking up some new hobbies like dancing and guitar. I think play is very underrated and something we need to encourage more. I think we can bring a sense of playfulness in to everything we do. As life is really just a big game like Alan Watts would say. 

Any parting advice for how to welcome in healthy, happy, mindful living?

Find what you love to do, the thing that you’re uniquely gifted at that gives you energy and spend the majority of your life doing that to solve meaningful problems in the world or just making life better for others in some way. Also addiction is lack the of connection. So, the more we can connect with friends and family and the things we love the less addicted we will be to our devices and the things that are holding us back. And funnily enough, the quality of our relationships are also proven to be the secret to happiness and longevity.