Power off: Simple strategies for healthier digital boundaries

By Jill Edmonds

Let’s be honest — our digital lives? Kind of a mess. Between work emails, social media, and endless notifications, it can feel like we’re tethered to our devices 24/7. And we’re not alone! The average person checks their phone every 12 minutes. Since the pandemic, employees have tacked on about five extra hours of screen time daily. And all together? Most U.S. adults clock 11 hours a day on some kind of technology. Yikes!

Our “always on” culture perpetuates tech addictions. But what is all this screen time actually doing to us? More than we realize; it’s linked to anxiety, sleeplessness, headaches, eye strain, neck pain, isolation and much more. The effects of tech dependence are similar to the symptoms of burnout.

The good news: Once you recognize the signs, there are many strategies you can implement to regain control. Your body and mind will thank you!

Digital wellness

Ultimately, technology isn’t going anywhere — we just need to set boundaries and learn healthier habits. Achieving digital wellness is all about finding your healthiest balance with technology. It’s the sweet spot where you’re making the most of tech without letting it take over your well-being.

The Digital Wellness Institute has coined a term for this mindful, balanced approach: digital flourishing™. It’s about thriving in all areas of life while using tech intentionally, enjoying the benefits and avoiding the burnout.

Reclaim your body domain

Let’s break down a few of the biggest tech-related issues we face, plus easy ways to tackle them. Reliance on technology has a variety of negative effects on our bodies, from sitting at a desk to eye strain.

We sit. A lot. We’re a sedentary nation, spending an average of 9.5 hours a day in a chair. Prolonged sitting correlates to a host of nasty stuff, like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Combatting a sedentary lifestyle requires sweeping social change. But you have control over your day, and small changes can help:

Develop a movement plan. The gold standard is getting up and walking for five minutes every half hour. That may sound like a lot, but tailor that idea to your workday. When can you get up? How often?
Switch from video calls to the phone. It may seem antiquated to just talk on the phone, but some video meetings can really just be calls. Touching base with your boss? Consider switching to a phone call, pop in headphones and walk and talk. In person? Walking meetings work great too.
Get creative. There are other ways to build in movement throughout the day. Many people find success with standing desks or a combo of a standing desk plus walking treadmill. Take stretch breaks at your desk. Working from home? Do a quick at-home workout during your lunch break. Even squats while putting clothes in the dryer help!

Give your eyes some love. By 2030, 40% of people worldwide are expected to be near-sighted. Blame it on all that screen time. Myopia rates jumped almost 20% from 1971 to 2017! Additionally, continual screen time diminishes our blink rate. Normally, we blink 15 times per minute; while staring at screens that rate cuts in half, creating eye strain. Here are a few tips to protect your eyes:

Adjust your screens. Make sure they are at a healthy distance and you’re not squinting because they are too close. Play around with your settings to reduce glare and look into matte screen filters. You can also dim the lighting and adjust the brightness/contrast.
Do eye exercises. Yes, these are a thing, and they are very easy; you need to “exercise” your distance vision. Each day, make a concerted effort to spend 3–5 minutes staring at the horizon outside (don’t do it inside — your brain knows walls are there and you need to look as far as you can). Or give the 20-20-20 rule a shot: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Use artificial tears. This may sound basic, but keep eye drops at your desk. Using throughout the day will help with lubrication and dry eyes caused by less blinking.

Not-so-sweet dreams. Bright screens at night mess with our body clocks; repeated use of a bright screen over five days can delay your body clock by 1.5 hours. Using technology close to bedtime is a no-no. Using your computer, phone, or even an e-reader for more than 1.5 hours at night can delay the onset of melatonin, keeping you from feeling sleepy and promoting alertness. Here are ways to reclaim your sleep:

Set a tech curfew at night. Develop a plan that works for you specifically. Whether it’s putting your phone down an hour before bed, avoiding using any screens for a specific time, or something else, make a commitment and follow it.
Switch your devices to “night mode.” Play with your phone or tablet’s setting to automatically enable night settings at a specific time, switching from bright to dim.
Go old-school. Do you really need your phone right next to your bed? Consider getting an alarm clock and keep your phone out of the bedroom. This will keep you from picking up your phone first thing in the morning (or even worse, in the middle of the night if you can’t sleep — perpetuating your sleeplessness).

Reclaim your brain

In addition to the above physical effects of prolonged tech use, the mental strain can also wreak havoc on your emotions. There are tools you can use to maintain your focus and avoid burnout.

The doom of Zoom. If you’re drained after video calls, you’re not imagining it. Too much close-up eye contact, watching yourself constantly, and sitting still can zap your energy. Turns out there are real reasons why: excessive amounts of close-up eye contact (more than you would ever have in a traditional, in-person meeting), constantly watching yourself (would you normally stare in the meeting at your face in a mirror?), and reduction in mobility (you’re captive to keeping your body and face in a small window). All of these things overwhelm your brain and create a higher cognitive load. You can fight back! Try these:

Minimize your viewing size. Play with the settings in your video conferencing software so people’s faces are not so large, and your eyes don’t have to flit from square to square.
Hide your self-view. Find the setting that allows you to see your own face and turn it off. No more self-critical thoughts!
Turn your camera off totally. If you can, consider listening to meetings with headphones and get up and move your body a bit, even if it’s just a few stretches.

Curb your anxiety. Studies show that almost half of Millennials worry about how technology is affecting their mental health. Several studies show that excessive social media use can cause loneliness, unhappiness, and potentially depression. Higher frequency of phone checking is also associated with lower mental health levels. Start to take control back:

Use your tech mindfully. Be intentional about how and why you use your devices. Are you looking at your phone because you really need to, or be cause it’s there? Avoid passive scrolling.
Track your habits. Use tech to fight tech. There are a variety of apps you can download to help track what you’re doing. Armed with the knowledge of how much tech you actually consume, you can begin to make more mindful choices.
Set app limits or use blockers when needed. You can often set app time limits right in the app or phone itself. And there are a variety of app blocker tools that allow you to blacklist certain apps during specific, tech-free times. Options include apps like Freedom, Flipd, AppBlock, and StayFocusd.

Digital detoxing

Sometimes we just need to unplug — literally. A digital detox means taking a break from electronic devices to reduce stress and reconnect with the real world. A true digital detox is usually a weekend or longer, but you can craft your detox however you like. Maybe you just take a social media break for a week. Maybe you power down your phone during your entire beach vacation. It’s up to you. Tips to make it work:

Let friends and family know you’re offline.
Use the time away from tech to get outside.
Be intentional — use the break to build healthier habits. Once you’re done, consider what you learned. What did you miss? How can you reset your relationship with technology in the future?

The Digital Wellness Institute has great resources to help you with a digital detox.

Ready to power off?

Our devices aren’t going anywhere — but by setting healthy boundaries, we can make sure they serve us, not the other way around. Whether it’s a five-minute walk, a tech-free bedtime, or just remembering to blink (seriously!), small steps add up.

Jill Edmonds, VSCPA senior director of marketing and communications, joined the Society in 2003. She has decades of experience in association communications and reporting, and has acted as managing editor of Disclosures magazine since she began. She lives in Leesburg, Va., with her family and three teenagers, one of whom attends Virginia Tech. She is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia and her favorite punctuation mark is the em-dash.