Jenni Gilbert The digital age is rewiring us. It’s already changed the way we shop, work and play – but it’s also having an insidious effect on physical and emotional health.
Searching websites, texting, checking emails and uploading to social media sites has become, in some ways, an essential preoccupation to keep abreast with one’s job and competitors, grow a business and just stay relevant and attractive to clients and consumers at large.
But the downside is that it can easily infiltrate every part of a person’s life – whether you are a business owner or team member – to a debilitating degree. In essence, it becomes addictive behaviour, hard-wired into the psyche, and as difficult to tackle as perhaps alcoholism, gambling and compulsive eating.
Many of us wake up and reach for our phones to check in with the outside world before checking in with ourselves.
And then, once “plugged in”, many of us find it difficult to disconnect until our head reaches (or crash lands) on the pillow each evening, often preceded by last minute social media browsing, updates or posts.
Research shows overuse of digital devices can have a negative effect on our appearance (take, for instance, new age symptoms such as Phone Face and Tech Neck) and our mental health, but being connected via technology is essential for most business owners.
But it’s just not healthy to be wired-in and “on” all of the time. We all need downtime and regular breaks from our digital devices, to reconnect with our inner world – oh, and other people in the real world.
Indeed, no matter what your relationship with technology is, everyone can benefit from learning simple tips to create healthier ways of relating to the changing world around us.
While we need technology to run our businesses, service our customers, and communicate with family members and friends, we also need to create ways to take a technology break before we reach breaking point.
GLOBAL WELLNESS SUMMIT TACKLES THE EPIDEMIC
The upcoming Global Wellness Summit*, to be held in Palm Beach, Florida October 9-11, takes on The Good and Bad of the Intersection Between Technology and Wellness – a harbinger of a major wellness trend for 2018 and beyond.
“Technology has seeped into every aspect of our world, including wellness,” says Susie Ellis, Chairman and CEO of the Global Wellness Summit.
“At this year’s Summit experts will weigh in on both the positive and negative influence technology is having on individuals as well as the $3.7 trillion wellness industry, and where intersections between wellness and technology are headed in the future.
“Technology and wellness are interesting bedfellows: we may all crave a periodic “digital detox”, but we also yearn for the latest in technology that promises to alter and improve our health and wellness – whether that’s the analysis of our DNA and personal biomarkers or the latest ingestibles, embeddable or wearable technology.
“This year’s Summit will feature a host of experts that will help delegates come to terms with tech’s role in the evolving wellness landscape – and within their businesses.”
During the 3-day event, delegates will hear from leaders in DNA and biomarker testing and experts in technology will lead discussions about virtual reality, augmented reality and even artificial intelligence and their role in wellness.
A roundtable discussion of global experts will explore Good News/Bad News: Mental Wellness and Technology.
`IT’S KILLING US’
At the Global Wellness Institute’s Round Table in New York last year, one of the key topics of discussion was How Technology – Enabling 24/7 Work – Is Killing Us.
“Technology has spawned new, global work realities: imprisonment by screens, and a powerful erosion of the line between now always-on `work’ and `life’,” a GWI paper recapped after the event.
Harvard Medical School scientists have found that “using a cell phone or laptop before bed can disrupt the body’s production of melatonin and negatively affect sleep quality”.
Another study published by the Public Library of Science found that “the more time a person spends on Facebook, the more dissatisfied they ultimately feel with their own life”.
“Assembled experts agreed that we have not yet begun to grasp the wide-ranging impact on employees’ physical and mental health – and productivity,” said the GWI paper.
“Shawn LaVana, head of marketing, Virgin Pulse, said: `We’re checking our smartphones 150 times a day. How focused can we really be? All of this time in front of screens, for work and in our personal lives, means we’re not exercising and eating well. All of this feeds into a vicious cycle of poor health choices. These are negative habits we’ve built, but we can build positive habits in the same way’.
“James Brewer, workspace consultant for Steelcase, added: `The disintegration of work-life boundaries is also being driven by globalisation. 24/7 connectivity is making the divide between work and life a blur, where people are constantly `on’. The roundtable heard that `this is killing us’. When you have teams distributed worldwide, you have new realities like workers having to virtually collaborate with colleagues and business partners in the middle of the night’.”
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR SALON, SPA OR CLINIC?
There are two key streams:
- If you are an owner encouraging e-interactivity to drive business, and to keep connected with staff during and after hours, looking out for the wellbeing of your team will become a priority in this respect. Or, if you are a team member, so will taking responsibility for monitoring and drawing lines around your own e-activity, to ensure it stays within healthy bounds. Easier said than done, of course. Which is where a new era of “digital detox” philosophies and services is fast gaining ground.
- In-treatment services at salons, spa or clinics aimed to create safe havens for clients/consumers (more emphasis on the “hands-on” approach than “express” services for the time-poor). Or dedicated off-site programs.
DIGITAL DETOX INITIATIVES
Medical, wellness and aesthetics practitioners around the world are embracing ways to loosen technology’s vice-like grip on the physical and emotional wellbeing of its “addicts”.
Take, for instance, the Digital Detox initiative that were launched by the luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel chain at all its spas worldwide in September last year.
The program is designed to help guests find new ways to manage their relationship with technology and the stress that can come with a constantly connected digital lifestyle.
“Technology has brought us many great advances,” said Jeremy McCarthy, Group Director of Spa and Wellness, “but the expectations for instant communication and the increasing pace of change in the world can have a negative impact on our wellbeing.”
By booking any treatment at a Mandarin Oriental spa, guests can also access a range of wellness advice and activities designed to help them disconnect from technology.
Mandarin Oriental has worked with the renowned Mayo Clinic in the US on the creation of a range of tips and guidelines that can help establish personal boundaries on the use of technology, clear mental chatter and establish a healthy, digitally balanced lifestyle.
The program encourages guests to surrender their phones on arrival at the spa, thus removing any online distractions.
In the spa relaxation rooms, guests can access a full range of mindfulness activities such as journalling, note card writing, colouring, meditation or simply relaxing and enjoying the silence.
There is also a selection of curated spa retail offerings, ranging from crystals and eye masks to meditation pillows and a selection of calming teas and oils. All have been chosen to encourage mindfulness and digital disconnection.
An 80-minute Digital Detox Retreat focuses on grounding both body and mind through the power of human touch, and is designed to provide a calming and peaceful respite from the outside world and the stress of repetitive movements. The treatment includes relaxation in an aromatic bath, followed by a massage that concentrates on the head, eyes, neck, shoulders, hands and feet.
“The spa is one of the few places left in modern society where it is acceptable and even encouraged to disconnect from technology,” says Jeremy McCarthy. “The spas at Mandarin Oriental provide a perfect haven for people to escape from technology, even if only briefly, to rest their minds and reconnect with themselves.”
On departure, inspired by tips on how to achieve a more digitally balanced life, guests can reclaim their cleaned device from the spa, repackaged in its own protective digital shielding.
WAYS TO A DIY DIGITAL DETOX
Alison Nancye is a sought-after speaker and media expert in mind wellness, meditation and mindfulness, life skills and healthy living.
She offers some top tips for digitally detoxing when you’re time poor – turns out there’s even an opportunity to get some space from your smart phones during work hours.
“When you give yourself permission to take a little time out to breathe, take a walk in the fresh air (without the phone!) and eat a meal without photographing it or texting or talking, then you give yourself the space to recharge,” Alison says.
“A mini detox can be a genuine start to looking and feeling great. Like a mini-facial or lunchtime-peel, this a mini digital detox can be factored into your everyday life no matter what day of the week.
“If you want you, your business and the staff running your business to be genuinely healthy, present and productive, then why not consider taking regular digital detox breaks?
Start with one digital detox tip and refine it to work best for you. Then, build a new tip into your repertoire and keep going until you reach a place where you feel like you are running your life and your life is not running you!”
Don’t turn your phone on the second you wake up
When you wake up, give yourself time to wake up in body and mind organically. It could be gentle yoga stretches, meditating, an invigorating shower scrub, a walk or run in the fresh air or simply having a warm cup of something in silence or journaling or goal setting with a pen and notebook.
Turn your phone on silent regularly
It can take a lot longer to do tasks if you are continually interrupted by phone calls, texts or alert updates. Turn your phone on silent for specific intervals throughout the day to complete pressing tasks.
Eat without phone interruptions
Choose one meal a day where you are not connected to your phone. Turn it on silent or put it to one side so you can eat mindfully and be present to the food or anyone you may be dining with.
Schedule technology times into your diary
Hanging out on your phone on social media and browsing online shopping sites can be a great way to spend time or a great time waster. Remember the social media posts will always be there, you won’t miss anything by giving yourself a little more space in your schedule to be present to the people and tasks around you, minus the social media. Choose certain time slots throughout the day to check in and then check out of social media.
Disconnect from technology well before bed
There is enough research out there reminding us that the light from the phone and computer screens is not a great way to wind down our brain before bed. Turn off your screens at least one hour (ideally two) before you wind down for the day. Read physical books, meditate, listen to music, leisurely cook, hang out with loved ones, friends and family, journal or simply let go and relax before bed.
THE FULL MONTY
“Once you’ve given the mini digital detox a trial, if you’re feeling really courageous it may be time to really go cold turkey and digitally disconnect for a longer time period,” says Alison.
“This is a guide to applying a full digital detox at certain intervals in your life to regroup, refocus and recreate a whole new relationship with your technology and yourself in the process.
Choose 1-2 days to Digitally Detox
Make a commitment with yourself to disconnect from technology for 24-48 hours (more if you’re really courageous). Stay committed to this timeframe. Prior to going on your digital detox make a list of projects or activities you would like to do during your break. It could be going on a holiday, renovating a room, getting a massage or pamper treatment, or spending time in nature with loved ones (minus the pics to prove it).
Alert People
Notify relevant people that you will be having a vacation from your technology and when you will be back online again. Put an alert on social media, your phone message service or where people regularly contact you to let you know you are having a technology vacation and when you will reconnect.
Turn off the Television
The TV can be a massive time waster and energy zapper. Have TV-free evenings or weeks to really free up your space at home and create more space to just relax and be.
Resist the Urge
You may find it hard not to check your phone but if you genuinely want a break from being digitally connected you need to be strong. It’s like taking a sugar or alcohol detox. If you break the commitment you haven’t done what you set out to do. If you are really finding it difficult, then start with (say) ½ a day digitally detoxing and then build on that skill.
Find New Interests
We can get in a rut in life doing the same thing day in day out and checking in with technology can be part of that mundane rut. At various intervals throughout the year (the change of season is a great time) pursue new interests. Have new projects to look forward to, holidays to take, home projects to immerse yourselves and you will find you will naturally feel less drawn to waste time on technology.
- The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) is an invitation-only international gathering that brings together leaders and visionaries to positively shape the future of the $3.7 trillion global wellness economy. Held in a different location each year, Summits have taken place in the US, Switzerland, Turkey, Bali, India, Morocco, Mexico and Austria. GLOBALWELLNESSINSTITUTE.ORG
