Do you:

-check your phone and social media accounts first thing in the morning?

-become easily distracted with your phone’s notifications?

-constantly make yourself available through technology somehow?

-find yourself Googling every little thing?

Answered yes to more than one of these questions?

I totally understand. I am guilty of this, too.

I accidentally left my phone at home recently when I took my son to school. Normally when I realize I left my phone in the house I go back in and get it. Didn’t go back in that particular morning. And even though it was only 10 minutes it felt good. Really good.

I want you to experience the same feeling I had. Even if it is just for 10 minutes at a time. Summer is here and I think we need to take the time to enjoy it with family, not our phones.

Phone (ore even digital devices) addiction is very real and can make you anxious or cause you to lose focus on things that are so much more important than that social media post you checked five seconds ago. Your phone addiction can actually harm your mental and personal health, as well as social relationships. Not to mention constantly looking at other people’s lives through social media can lead to depression or anxiety.

Read on to figure out what you can do to reduce your phone addiction.

31 ways to take a break from the digital world:

Exercise or meditate: instead of checking your phone first thing in the morning, engage in a morning exercise routine or walk. Join a gym or transform a small space in your home into your own little gym by buying minimal equipment. Also, try conscious breathing or meditation first thing in the morning.

Call up a friend: call a friend to chat rather than text. Catch up with them the old fashioned way.

Write a letter: don’t want to talk on the phone? Instead of writing an e-mail or texting a friend, write a letter. It would be such a great surprise for them and would show that you truly care about them.

Get a newspaper: instead of scrolling through your phone while you eat, read the newspaper and have your breakfast. Yes, newspapers still exist.

Focus: just turn your phone off and focus on your work for a set amount of time.

No Googling: instead of depending on the internet for research, find alternative ways. Get out and talk to the expert, whether that is a friend or professional…and there’s always the library!

Read a book: find a book that matches your interests and spend your free time reading it to avoid the distractions that may lead you to using your digital devices.

Cook: make yourself some healthy food that you love and treat yourself. Or cook your meals for the week to save time, money, and calories.

Get a pet: get a pet to spend some quality time with. Look after them and take them for a walk.

Play board games: spend time with family and/or friends playing board games! Make it a weekly or monthly event.

Family time = no phone: Make a rule that whenever you are with your family, the phones stay away. So that means if you go out with your family to dinner, to the mall, or another special activity, leave your phone at home or hidden away in the car or wherever. Keep use of your phone limited during vacations and road trips. Focus on spending quality, uninterrupted time with your family.

Play outside: Be a kid again and get outside! Select your favorite outdoor game and join a team in your community.

Volunteer: So many places need help, many of them in your own community. You can choose to help out at a food bank, assist at your local hospital or nursing home, walk somebody’s dog, help fix a home up, build a home, and so much more!

Select a new hobby: find a new hobby. Think of something totally new like learning how to play guitar or violin, or even signing up for a dance class.

Write: Write a poem, story, a song, or keep a journal to record the important events of your life. Once you get started you can even continue to writing a novel if you have the desire and talent.

Draw or paint: Let the hidden artist inside you come out.

Do some arts and crafts: Decorate your house, make something with your kids and frame it, go through old pictures and make a collage. The possibilities are endless!

Turn your phone off for a day: try turning your phone off for one whole day and see what happens.

Turn the lights off early: the most important step towards this goal is to turn the lights off early and get enough sleep. You can achieve this goal by having your dinner earlier so you can go to bed.

Avoid anything digital 2 hours BEFORE bed: research has shown that using a digital screen right before bedtime disturbs the sleeping pattern and causes insomnia by stimulating the brain. So avoid it a couple hours before sleeping and be safe.

Avoid using technology IN bed: this can cause insomnia, too. Also, when you restrict yourself from using your digital devices in bed, you’ll feel more comfortable physically.

Keep it away during times of rest: If you have to leave your phone on at all times, just don’t keep it right at your bedside while you sleep. The closer it is to you the easier it is to use it. Keep it across the room or somewhere that is not within your hand\’s reach when you are in your bed.

Turn off your devices at night: Turn off your devices before you get into bed to avoid them from disturbing your sleep. This will also allow your brain to have some rest, promote healthy sleep, and feel refreshed the next day.

Use an actual alarm clock: Resist the urge to check your phone the second you wake up and use an actual alarm clock to wake you up in the mornings so you have no excuse to touch your phone at all.

Download apps: I know, I know. You’re thinking how can downloading apps help me stay away from my phone, right? Did you know there are phone detox apps that are designed to help wean you off your phone? You may want to check these apps out: ShutApp, Anti-Social, Freedom, Flipd, and Moment.

Create “business hours”: make a note to only check & respond to messages & posts during a set span of hours…think of them as your personal office hours

Sign out: Don’t just sign out of your office also sign out of your email to get actual rest once office hours are up.

Turn off notifications: avoid the distraction of the single beep. Put your phone in airplane mode and turn off or disable pop up notifications for nearly all your apps. Try setting deliberate times for checking any messages. You control your phone, not the other way around.

Set a timer: set a timer to spend limited time on social media websites & in email and get off it as soon as the limit is reached. If you exceed your limit, take something you like away, or make yourself do something like 25 jumping jacks, for example.

Email preference: set an email preference to receive your emails hourly or whatever suits you instead of getting them when sent.

Unfriend/unfollow: unfriend and/or unfollow anyone who is constantly posting negativity. The less “friends” you have the less posts to read and disturb your peace.