Being plugged in is a normal way of life now. If you’re like most people, your smartphone alarm wakes you up in the morning. You get ready with the TV news on and then scan your text messages. Throughout the day, you check email, chat with friends, and scroll through Facebook and Instagram. In the evening, you watch your favorite TV shows while online shopping and checking in on social media. And, at bedtime, you use smartphone apps for meditation or white noise.
That’s just a typical day for many people. In fact, Americans spend an average of four hours watching TV and about seven-and-a-half hours on digital devices. Unsurprisingly, so much screen time is stressing many of us out.
The solution may be a digital detox, which can provide relief from the pressure of constant connection to electronic devices. Research has found that doing a digital detox may even help improve your sleep, relationships and mood.
I – Word Understanding
Plugged – being connected (to electronic devices)
White noise – a low, humming sound that results from many combined frequencies
Examples: ocean waves, rainfall, whir of a fan, hum of a crowd, etc.
II – Have Your Say
1, Describe your typical day of being plugged (to your electronic devices)
2, If you were to go on a digital detox, which digital activities would be easy to let go and which ones are difficult to stop?
3, Do you feel a need for a digital detox? State your reasons.
