From election primaries to Facebook posts, there are many ways that technology can be a double-edged sword. It’s made information sharing and connecting with others easier in many ways, but it’s also a serious source of stress and can kill productivity.
Around the holidays it can be tempting to kick back and veg out with multiple screens going at once, but it may not be as relaxing as you think. Plus, when you’re connected to devices you aren’t fully engaged in what’s happening around you. If you want to make this holiday season more memorable you may want to consider unplugging as much as possible. Here’s why!
5 Important Reasons You’ll Want to Unplug for the Holidays
Many health experts will greatly encourage you to unplug any time of year, but the holidays may be one of the best times. Here are five of the top reasons why everyone can benefit from unplugging around the holiday season.
Unplugging Saves Energy
The most obvious upside to unplugging is you’ll lower your energy bill. Using less energy is a natural byproduct of reducing the use of electronics. And the holidays are a time when saving energy is important for a few key reasons:
- Electricity use tends to increase around the holidays for many people due to decorations, get togethers and being at home more.
- There are usually extra expenses during the holidays when you’re paying for gifts, decor, special events, etc.
- Cold weather can cause an increase in energy rates, especially the cost of natural gas.
You’ll definitely maximize the savings if you also charge electronic devices efficiently. For most people, the energy savings is reason alone to unplug over the holidays. But if you need more motivation, keep reading.
Unplugging Helps You Focus on Self-Care
There are a lot of electronic distractions that aren’t the best for our well-being. A lot of time can be spent on things that aren’t that productive and can even be stressful. Social media is a perfect example. While social media can be enjoyable and keep us connected to others, it’s also a serious source of stress and can be a huge time waster.
Wouldn’t that time be better spent on self-care that’s certain to reduce stress and make you feel better? Instead of spending an hour perusing TikTok and Instagram you could workout instead. Or you could practice mindful meditation for 15 minutes a day in the morning instead of scrolling through your newsfeed. Reading a book is also known to be much better for stress, sleep and cognitive function compared to watching TV.
Try to find at least one way you can trade 30 minutes of screentime for 30 minutes of self-care this holiday season. Trust us, you won’t miss a minute when you’re taking care of yourself.
Unplugging Helps You Connect With Loved Ones
Technology is amazing for helping you stay connected with loved ones that are far away, but nothing beats in-person interaction. It’s been shown in a number of studies that social interaction with others is great for mental health, but face-to-face interaction beats out online socializing. It’s the better of the two in terms of connection and boosting your mood.
Text and audio-only communication just can’t compare because the communication isn’t as rich. Face-to-face interactions allow for body language cues, making it easier to put all of the communication cues together. Online socializing is better than no socializing at all, but interacting in-person is much more beneficial, especially if you’re completely present in the moment. Putting down the devices to hang out with friends and family one-on-one will be much more rewarding than any interaction on social media.
Unplugging Can Get You More Involved With Your Community
If you’re looking for more people to interact with outside of friends and family you should consider how you can get involved in your community. You’ll meet people with similar interests, and you can help out neighbors who are in need or improve quality of life for everyone in the community.
There are so many benefits associated with community involvement in addition to it being a positive social interaction:
- Volunteering has mental and physical health benefits.
- You’ll better appreciate what your community has to offer.
- You can take pride in helping improve your community.
- You can learn new skills.
- It increases your sense of happiness.
- It helps reduce your stress levels.
Bottomline – being more involved with your community and giving back is great for your wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
Unplugging Can Help You Create Healthier Habits
Many health experts are concerned about people’s screentime. Being glued to a screen for hours on end is starting to become a bad habit for many Americans. When you are engrossed in whatever is on the screen in front of you, you aren’t connecting with the people and places around you. It’s also a sedentary activity that’s horrible for physical health. Not to mention it can be a huge time suck that can keep you from doing more productive activities.
Disconnecting from your devices can help you create healthier habits. Start by spending one less hour a week looking at a screen. Fill that hour with walking out in nature or walking around your neighborhood. Low-intensity cardio like walking is very good for your health, but experts recommend adults do 150 minutes of low to mid intensity cardio a week. So if you can substitute 2.5 hours of screen time a week for walking that’s even better.
Walking is just one example of a healthy habit that can replace screen time. You could also use the free time to take a professional course to advance your career or take up a new hobby. Even daily meditation or reading time in place of screen time is a better habit for your cognitive health.
At Provider Power we fully support anyone who is trying to minimize screen time this holiday season. With a fixed rate energy plan you will notice a difference in your energy bill when you unplug before you unwind.
Take a few seconds to check for energy plans that are available in your area.
