From election primaries to Facebook posts, there are many ways that technology can be a double-edged sword. It\u2019s made information sharing and connecting with others easier in many ways, but it\u2019s also a serious source of stress and can kill productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019re connected to devices you aren\u2019t fully engaged in what\u2019s happening around you. If you want to make this holiday season more memorable you may want to consider unplugging as much as possible. Here\u2019s why! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most obvious upside to unplugging is you\u2019ll lower your energy bill<\/a>. 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: <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll definitely maximize the savings if you also charge electronic devices efficiently<\/a>. For most people, the energy savings is reason alone to unplug over the holidays. But if you need more motivation, keep reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a lot of electronic distractions that aren\u2019t the best for our well-being. A lot of time can be spent on things that aren\u2019t 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\u2019s also a serious source of stress and can be a huge time waster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wouldn\u2019t that time be better spent on self-care that\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019t miss a minute when you\u2019re taking care of yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Technology is amazing for helping you stay connected with loved ones that are far away, but nothing beats in-person interaction. It\u2019s 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<\/a>. It\u2019s the better of the two in terms of connection and boosting your mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Text and audio-only communication just can\u2019t compare because the communication isn\u2019t 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\u2019re 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for more people to interact with outside of friends and family you should consider how you can get involved in your community. You\u2019ll 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are so many benefits associated with community involvement in addition to it being a positive social interaction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bottomline – being more involved with your community and giving back is great for your wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many health experts are concerned about people\u2019s 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\u2019t connecting with the people and places around you. It\u2019s also a sedentary activity that\u2019s horrible for physical health. Not to mention it can be a huge time suck that can keep you from doing more productive activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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> a week. So if you can substitute 2.5 hours of screen time a week for walking that\u2019s even better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At Provider Power we fully support anyone who is trying to minimize screen time this holiday season. With a fixed rate energy plan<\/a> you will notice a difference in your energy bill when you unplug before you unwind. From election primaries to Facebook posts, there are many ways that technology can be a double-edged sword. It\u2019s made information sharing and connecting with others easier in many ways, but it\u2019s also a serious source of stress and can kill productivity. Around the holidays it can be tempting to kick back and veg out with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":1726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy-savings"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/10\/iStock-1409876130.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7rbwO-rP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/providerpower.com\/power-to-help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Unplugging Helps You Focus on Self-Care<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Unplugging Helps You Connect With Loved Ones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Unplugging Can Get You More Involved With Your Community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Unplugging Can Help You Create Healthier Habits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Take a few seconds to check for energy plans<\/a> that are available in your area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"