A Guide on How to Unplug – Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

National Day of Unplugging is coming up, 24 hours of switching off from the world

2 March 2022 | Hannah Rubery

We live in an age where new technology is constantly surfacing giving us new ways to add convenience to our lives. Whether it be social media, apps, or gadgets, it comes as no surprise that we spend around half of our days in front of the screen.

There’s no doubt that technology is helpful and has helped with achieving many tasks quickly and efficiently, it’s important to make sure that we unplug every so often. Without learning to disconnect from time to time and unplug while you’re at home, it can create anxiety and stress within you. You may not even notice until it’s too late. Feelings of being burned out, tired all the time, trouble sleeping, lack of drive to do the things you normally love, all are signs you need a reset.

And what better way to kick off improving your mind & body’s health than learning how to unplug for the National Day of Unplugging (5th March). Here’s our guide on how to unplug to give you some tips on creating healthy habits to improve both body and mind.

Unplug from work

To avoid burnout and increase productivity we need to feel relaxed and disconnect from work every now and then. Creating an effective work-life balance is key to maintaining relationships, physical & mental health, and not letting your work productivity fall as well.

Firstly, make sure to set boundaries for your workday.

When you’re done for the day avoid checking emails or workplace messaging apps. In most cases messages can wait until tomorrow and if there’s anything truly important, they will call. Along this line, turn off text message alerts, it might be hard to stop yourself from compulsively checking for messages because of it but if you schedule in a time to check messages, you’ll feel much better for it.

Make a schedule for your workday.

It’s much easier to prioritise and keep things in control when you know what you’re doing. It can also show you if there’s a day you may need to work over or work from home to catch up on a big workload. Nothing throws you off and is likely to put you in a bad mood than unexpectedly working over, throwing off any plans you may have had for the evening.

Find a way to switch off from thinking about work.

Switch off your phone for a couple of hours a day and instead of watching Netflix or TV, find a healthier more conscientious task to keep your mind busy. Take up a hobby, go for a walk, cook/bake something for your household etc.

Unplug from social media

Social media has become one of the most dominating forces that eats up our time online. It can be beneficial for keeping in touch with friends & family and more, but it’s also one of the worst offenders for keeping us hooked to our screens. Whether its endless scrolling or constantly checking for updates and notifications, unplugging from social media is vital for a healthy mind.

Turn off your phone or don’t look at it at least an hour before bed.

Make it a habit to put your phone on silent or completely turn it off before bed. If you use it as an alarm, buy an alarm clock to replace it that way you can even leave your phone in another room to avoid temptation. Instead, read a book before bed to unwind or only go to bed when you are feeling sleepy.

Do something productive with your free time.

You may already have a hobby that you’ve side-lined because of lack of time; now’s the time to pick it back up. The next time you feel the urge to check your phone when you’re doing nothing, make yourself busy with cleaning, cooking, doing a puzzle, crafting, getting artsy or many other tasks that will keep you busy for an hour or two.

Do an app spring clean.

You’ve probably got several social media apps at this point. Now’s the time to delete any that you don’t need. If you don’t post on them or simply use them for trawling the feed, there’s a good chance you don’t need it. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself switching between the apps just to check for notifications. And then set a time to do your social media posting/browsing. If you have a little bit of downtime after your evening meal, give yourself 30 minutes to do any posts or check social media but stick to the time!

Detach & Relax

Detaching isn’t browsing through Netflix or scrolling on your phone until you’re tired. To detach is to bid farewell to the day’s work along with means of procrastinating such as devices and screens. Even if you feel entertained or relaxed by them, you’re not actually easing your mind and body with these actions.

Go for a walk.

The perfect way to end the day and completely shut out technology, to detach and reconnect with nature. You might not think it at first but being around nature is one of the greatest natural ways to de-stress. Going for a walk can help you feel revitalized both in body and mind.

Create a journal.

A great way to ease mental tension and anxiety is to gather up your thoughts and pen them down. You could do this in a diary, use a bullet journal and have a section just for thoughts, or get creative and scrapbook your day. By getting out your thoughts in a physical way helps to literally release the thoughts out of your head letting you unwind.

Go on vacation.

A holiday away doesn’t need to be expensive. Plan a getaway elsewhere in the country, hire a caravan or go glamping in the countryside to really get away from everything. Otherwise, save a little money each month and use it at the end of the year to do something completely different like a once-in-a-lifetime trip abroad.

Unplugging is important, allowing you to make time for yourself and your loved ones, along with keeping a healthy mind and body. Remember to try these tips to unplug every once in a while, and you’ll start to notice the difference. At Cali Greens we look to help you find the perfect balance to ensure a healthy body and mind. Try our CBD products and introduce them with your plans to unplug to see the benefits for yourself.