Be Well-Release the World, Embrace Nature with a Media Fast

March 2023

By Samantha Steele

Surely we have all heard of fasting, but usually only in the context of fasting from food. We can, however, fast from activities as well. Just as food is good for us and necessary for our growth and well-being, taking a break from food allows our bodies to reset and spend energy repairing internal processes and materials. Fasting from an activity will also allow for a reset and offers potential for a new perspective on life in general. What types of activities would be beneficial to fast from? How about media? Or more specifically, your smartphone. Sounds preposterous?  Unheard of? Impossible in today’s world? Then maybe you need this more than you think!

All day long, from the moment we wake until our heads hit the pillow at night, we are constantly enslaved to these little devices in our hands and pockets. We open them first thing in the morning to check the weather, or to see if a friend texted us back, view who liked our image on Instagram, take a peek at Twitter, and so on. Then all day long with “bling” and “cricket” sounds, we just check again to see what’s new, resulting in us gazing at our phones upwards of 20-30 times per hour while at work, in school, at restaurants, even while driving! These “just checks” are harmful to your brain, mood and overall well-being. They reduce your ability to concentrate and work most efficiently.  

While technology can do incredible things for us in nearly every area of life, it is neither all good nor benign. Both a correlational and causal relationship between tech use and various mental-health conditions has been established. Research from the University of Pittsburgh found higher rates of depression and anxiety among young adults who engage many social media platforms.  Due to the rising draw of tech engagement, psychologists have found that the psychological development of adolescents is slowing down dramatically and depression, anxiety and loneliness are on the rise. And for the older generations who already struggle with a decline in mental acuity, the reliance on, and dare I say addiction to, our smartphones can potentially cause a much more rapid decline in cognitive function. Many of us have noticed with age comes a slowing down of brain function, and evidence is showing that technology further attributes to this decline. Additionally, multitasking, a behavior that our smart phones encourage and reinforce, is consistently correlated with poor cognitive and mental-health outcomes for all age groups. Clearly, our technology use is affecting our psychological functioning and we must be aware of this in order to promote positive change. 

Technology now reaches deep into our psyches and our lives. Our constant interaction with the digital domain shapes the way we learn, the way we form relationships with others and ourselves, the way in which we offload our own bodily “message indicators” onto things such as fitness trackers, and the way in which we are rewarded for focus and regulation, or lack thereof.

Our attention spans are very short, our ability to focus on one task at a time is severely impaired, and our boredom tolerance is non-existent.

In 2008, adults averaged 18 minutes on their phones every day; by 2015, the number climbed to almost three hours daily. This year, the prediction is that we’ll top five hours per day, with Millennials slurping up at least six hours per day!

So are you ready for a break yet?  How about a fast from your phone and/or your computer? Consider how that might be done with the following ten steps. For a more detailed description of these steps, see http://www.listeningflower.org. 

1. Manage email for quick processing.
2. Make your phone work for you, not the other way around!
3. Delete Social media for a while.
4. Remove or organize other apps that you look at daily.
5. Buy a printed daily planner. 
6. Consolidate your media devices.
7. Meditate often.
8. Choose refreshing activities such as reading a book or hiking.
9. Embrace boredom.
10. Assemble a “Media Fast Kit.”

Media Fast Kit:

• Light Phone
• Printed daily planner
• Printed calendar
• Clock with an alarm 
• Disposable or small camera
• Notebook with a pen
• Binoculars
• Media basket to hold phone, power cords, earphones so they are out of sight

Are you struggling with the thought of just sitting quietly rather than scrolling through Facebook?  You’re not alone.  For most people, being left alone with our own thoughts can be quite uncomfortable, so escaping that discomfort is the driver of the need for distraction. Instead of a moment of meditation, we turn to a phone, for no other reason than it’s always within reach. In one literally “shocking” study, it was discovered that some people would rather electrocute themselves than sit quietly in a room for more than a few minutes! 

When we as individuals, as a community, and the Health Care System as a whole, resist fully exploring the costs associated with constant technological interaction, those who struggle with compulsive or potentially harmful use of their devices have few places to turn. Technology infiltrates our relationships, both personal and professional, and may stunt our growth and ability to interact with the natural world. Devices can drive so much of our anxiety, short attention spans and alienation. While for many of us these habits may never roam into the domain of addiction, at the very least they can undermine our humanity. We need human interaction face-to-face. It’s a natural part of being human. Many of us are in an age group that remembers exactly what it was like to live without the current forms of media and smartphones. We know that it is very possible to survive, and, as I am arguing here, actually thrive with less technology. Are you ready to give it a try? 

References:

https://www.braininstitute.pitt.edu/using-lots-social-media-sites-raises-depression-risk

https://kommandotech.com/statistics/how-much-time-does-the-average-person-spend-on-their-phone/

https://www.science.org/content/article/people-would-rather-be-electrically-shocked-left-alone-their-thoughts-rev2

Samantha Steele has a degree in Food Science and Nutrition and is passionate about promoting the treatment and prevention of disease through diet, lifestyle and supplementation. With a perspective of mind, body, soul and spirit combined, she advocates supporting each person as a whole being, created in the image of God.  She can be reached at cmlmag3@gmail.com or her website, listeningflower.org. 

Be Well-Release the World, Embrace God with a Media Fast (Longer version)

Be Well with a Media Fast!

Surely we have all heard of fasting, but usually only in the context of fasting from food.  We can, however, fast from activities as well.  Just as food is good for us and necessary for our growth and well-being, taking a break from food allows our body to re-set and spend energy repairing internal processes and materials. Fasting from an activity will also allow for a reset and offers potential for a new perspective on life in general.  What types of activities would be beneficial to fast from? How about media?  Or more specifically, your smartphone.  Sounds preposterous?  Unheard of? Impossible in today’s world? Then maybe you need this more than you think!

 All day long, from the moment we wake until our heads hit the pillow at night, we are constantly enslaved to these little devices in our hands and pockets. We open them first thing in the morning to just check the weather, or to see if a friend texted us back or to view who liked our image on Instagram, take a peek at Twitter, and so on.  Then all day long with “bling” and “cricket” sounds, we just check again to see what’s new, resulting in us gazing at our phones upwards of 20-30 times per hour, while at work, in school, at restaurants, even while driving! These “just checks” are harmful to your brain, mood and overall well being. They reduce your ability to concentrate and work most efficiently.  

While technology can do incredible things for us in nearly every area of life, it is neither all good nor benign. Both a correlational and causal relationship between tech use and various mental-health conditions has been established. Research from the University of Pittsburgh found higher rates of depression and anxiety among young adults who engage many social media platforms.  Due to the rising draw of tech engagement, psychologists have found that the psychological development of adolescents is slowing down dramatically and depression, anxiety and loneliness are on the rise. And for the older generations who already struggle with a decline in mental acuity, the reliance on, and dare I say addiction of, our smartphones can potentially cause a much more rapid decline in cognitive function. Many of us have noticed with age comes a slowing down of brain function, and evidence is showing that technology further attributes to this decline. Additionally, multitasking, a behavior that our smart phones encourage and reinforce, is consistently correlated with poor cognitive and mental-health outcomes for all age groups. Clearly, our technology use is affecting our psychological functioning and we must be aware of this in order to promote positive change. 

Technology now reaches deep into our psyches and our lives. Our constant interaction with the digital domain shapes the way we learn, the way we form relationships with others and ourselves, the way in which we offload our own bodily “message indicators” onto things such as fitness trackers, and the way in which we are rewarded for focus and regulation or lack thereof.

Our attention spans are very short, our ability to focus on one task at a time is severely impaired, and our boredom tolerance is non existent.

In 2008, adults averaged 18 minutes on their phone every day; by 2015, the number climbed to almost three hours daily. This year, the prediction is that we’ll top 5 hours per day, with Millennials slurping up at least 6 hours per day!

So are you ready for a break yet?  How about a fast from your phone and/or your computer? Consider how that can be done with the following steps.

Manage email.

If you are choosing to fast for multiple days, create an automatic response to all emails with your new rules for communication.  YOU can set the boundaries that YOU need to reduce time spent on the computer.  One suggestion is to have a response like this: 

“Hey!  Thanks for your message.  I’m currently away from my phone/computer for a few days, and I will not be checking my messages and emails until <insert date>. At that time, I’ll respond.  If your message is urgent, please indicate in the subject line so and I’ll prioritize my response to you when I’m back online. Thank you!” 

If you just want to narrow down your daily media interfacing, then you could let everyone know that you are limiting your phone and computer time and set office hours for return emails and phone calls. For instance, you may choose to open your computer and respond each morning from 9-10 am, and then again from 4-5 pm. 

Furthermore, if you want to expedite your email sorting processes, you can create a “rule” for your emails to automatically file them into folders for quick viewing later. For instance, for the messages with urgent in the subject line, create a rule to have those messages filed in your “urgent” file that you will view first.  For email senders that you would like to prioritize for other reasons, like emails from your boss or business or bank, create a rule to file those away in your “priority” folder.  For more tips of organizing gmail, simply google “how to organize incoming emails in <fill in the blank with your server, such as gmail>. 

Make your phone work for you, not the other way around!

You control your phone instead of it controlling you. Try the “Do Not Disturb” feature on your phone when you need a break.  Many cell phones have a “Focus” setting where you can set up a schedule to limit interruptions and even send a notification to the outside world when they are trying to reach you.  If you are worried about missing a very important call from a loved one, you can add them as “exceptions” and their call will still penetrate the Do Not Disturb and Focus settings even though all other calls are sent to voicemail. Take the time to set this up and you won’t leave others hanging about why you’re not responding. You could also simply turn off your ringer for parts of the day and enjoy the silence! 

Delete Social media.

Did you know that you can delete all social media applications off of your phone without deleting the account? Take a second look at applications such as Instagram, Facebook, Facebook messenger, Twitter, Snap chat, etc. and consider what to fast from.  You can easily delete these off of your phone while maintaining the accounts.  When (and if) you are ready to re-engage with these platforms, its very easy to re-install and access from your home screen. At that time, you might consider organizing them into a “social media” category button on your phone and make sure all notifications are turned off in order to reduce temptation to reengage as often. 

Remove other apps that you look at daily.

This includes games, weather apps, Pinterest, anything that you are tempted to open and “just check”. If you aren’t ready to delete and remove, even for a fast period, then at least turn off all notifications.  You can also move apps away from your home screen, to the third and fourth screens so that you do not see them at first when you look at your phone.

Buy a planner.

Use this for the every day activities you might have used your phone for.  The one that I have found to be very useful has a calendar space for several months at a time, daily calendar pages for daily details, and goal setting activities that help me stay on track with short and long term goals. Use your planner to keep a list of what you need to do that requires screen time, like reply to emails, text messages and phone calls.  Be disciplined to accumulate a decent list before you log on and stay focused on that list only during your limited screen time. Also keep track of things you might need to look up on the internet and “budget” your time to get online and offline again as quickly as possible, in order to stay within your personal boundaries for screen time.

Also use your new planner for recording notes, lists, and even things that you want to take a photo of.  By doing this, you are consolidating all of your activity into smaller “blocks” 

Simplify your media.

Consider buying a new, smaller phone with less options.  Try it out during your media fast to see how long you can go without the most updated media options. I did this with a little phone called the Light Phone, and I forwarded calls from my regular iPhone to my Light Phone.  Text messages can’t be forwarded, and although I can text on this minimalistic phone, it’s quite cumbersome, so I just found that responding to my tests from my iPhone once a day worked for me. 

Meditate.

I must admit, I used to wake each morning, reach for my phone and start scrolling.  Statisitics show that 89% of the population has this habit too! Text messages and emails, Instagram and then the weather. Now I have changed my routine and re-wired my brain to look forward to my time of meditation each morning.  It’s an opportunity to center my thoughts and my heart with intention, not compulsion.  

Choose refreshing activities.

Set aside times in the day when you have no interruptions at all, no phone or computer or other device and choose a subject or a book or a person to spend time with.  Go on a walk, yes, without your phone, and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Spend an hour or two with your children and/or grandchildren, giving them your FULL ATTENTION, and see how they respond!  This is very rare in today’s social climate. And for the love of Pete, GET OUTSIDE and enjoy the fresh air!  Nature has so much to offer in the realm of refreshment and rejuvenation.  If you missed it, check out my Forest Bathing article in a previous Carolina Mountain Life magazine. 

Embrace boredom.

If every single moment of potential boredom in your life—for instance, having to wait five minutes in line somewhere or sit alone in a restaurant until a friend arrives—is relieved with a quick glance at your smartphone, then your brain has likely been rewired to a point where it’s not ready for long periods of concentration—even if you regularly schedule time to practice this discipline. Staring aimlessly into space is not a worthless endeavor. Consider it a time to recharge.

Assemble a “Media Fast Kit”.

• Planner
• Calendar
• Clock with an alarm 
• MP3 player for podcasts and music
• Disposable or small camera
• Notebook with a pen
• Binoculars
• Media basket to hold phone, power cords, earphones so they are out of sight

Are you struggling with the thought of just sitting quietly rather than scrolling through Facebook?  You’re not alone.  For most people, being left alone with our own thoughts can be quite uncomfortable, so escaping that discomfort is the driver of the need for distraction. Instead of a moment of meditation, we turn to our phone, for no other reason than it’s always within reach. In one literally “shocking” study, it was discovered that people would rather electrocute themselves than sit quietly in a room for more than a few minutes! 

When we as individuals, as a community, and the Health Care System as a whole, resists fully exploring the costs associated with constant technological interaction, it leaves those struggling with compulsive or potentially harmful use of their devices few places to turn. Our current society is so entrenched in technology to survive. It infiltrates our relationships, both personal and professional, and stunts our growth and ability to interact with the natural world. Yet these same devices drive so much of our anxiety, short attention spans and alienation. While, for many of us, these habits may never roam into the domain of addiction, at the very least they undermine our humanity. We need human interaction face-to-face. It’s a natural part of being human. Many of us are in an age group that remembers exactly what it was like to live without the current forms of media and smartphones.  We know that it is very possible to survive, and as I am arguing here, actually thrive with less technology.  Are you ready to give it a try?