Friday 29 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on April 5, 2021 - April 11, 2021

In this era that we live in, it is almost impossible to go anywhere without our smartphones. In fact, we are even glued to it at home. It is usually the first thing we reach out for upon waking up and many of us keep scrolling through it while we are eating and drinking, and even in between other activities.

For many of us, this is not a choice, as work demands that we be constantly on the phone. 

It would be good, however, to take a break every so often. 

Here are a few ways you can untether yourself from your device, even if for just a while.

 1  Reading

How long has it been since you immersed yourself in a good old-fashioned book? The kind with pages you have to turn with your fingers, rather than swipe on a screen? Or does your reading revolve only around news updates on Twitter and Facebook?

If you do not read books, you are definitely missing out. Good books have the potential to take you places.

But reading, although pleasurable, is not just for fun. It can also enhance your analytical skills. Say, you get into a particularly compelling murder mystery. Maybe you can solve the case before the end, following the trail of clues and applying logic, à la Hercule Poirot. The little grey cells, my friend, use the little grey cells. 

 2  Arts & crafts

What about making art? All you need are some colours and paper, and you are good to go. Try to do it without referring to some YouTube video and just go with what comes up. Perhaps it is something you want to express. Either way, it will be not only fun, but therapeutic.

Some interesting ideas to consider are resin art, DIY coasters and luminaries with Epsom salts. You may need those YouTube videos to show you how at the beginning but, then, put away your phone and just go wild.

Other than coming up with something you can stick on a wall or present as a gift, when you create with your bare hands, you improve the blood flow and dexterity of your fingers, hands and arms. It will also boost your self-esteem and give you a sense of accomplishment.

 3  Go outdoors

When was the last time you enjoyed nature with no distractions or went for a walk without your phone?

Being outdoors does not necessarily mean you have to do extreme sports. You could easily just have a picnic or watch a sunrise (or sunset).

A University of Michigan study found that participants who took a memory test and then went for a walk in nature performed 20% better than those who went for a walk around town. 

Keeping your phone at home gives your brain the much-needed break. It allows your mind to relax from the relentless stimulation of modern life.

 4  Cooking

These days, more people are getting into the culinary arts, if Instagram (or Netflix) is anything to go by. You find people at supermarkets asking for exotic ingredients (such as shishu leaves) because they want to recreate something they saw on Izakaya Bottakuri.

Although the screen may lead you there, once you get stuck in the ingredients, textures and smells of cooking, you will find it an immensely immersive experience.

Cooking is one of those hobbies that can be monetised later, if you get good at what you do. But, sometimes, simply preparing a menu and cooking a meal for your family or friends — and listening to their oohs and aahs of delight and appreciation — is reward enough.

 5  Spending time with others

You may not realise this, but the use of technology has damaged relationships. There is even a word to describe someone who is more interested in scrolling through their phone than talking to you when you are out for a meal or a get-together. It is “phubbing”, a portmanteau of “phone” and “snubbing”.

So, the next time you catch up with your friends, maybe you can all agree to put your phone on silent and not check it for, say, 30 minutes to an hour. And, then, really give them your attention, and get theirs in return.

Who knows? You may come to a better understanding of each other or repair a relationship that has been broken and ignored because of technology. Perhaps connections should not only happen on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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