5 reasons why you need to unplug now

Too​ ​much​ ​work​ ​made​ ​Jack​ ​a​ ​dull​ ​boy and Jill a dull girl. And when the work includes round-the-clock meetings, chasing ‘dead’lines, and hovering around your electronic gadget, driven to its inexplicable magnetism like a moth to a flame, rest assured you will get burnt. Unless, of course, you unplug. True unplugging happens not when you distance yourself from your cubicle, laptop, and electronic devices but when you unplug your mind from them. It takes courage, and the following six reasons, to unplug completely.

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Electronic devices induce anxiety

According to psychology.com , “Juggling multiple devices at the same time, such as playing a game on your tablet while watching television, has been observed and linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression.’’

Our brain is a large metropolis of electronic and chemical signals. The more stimulating thoughts we think and the more interesting things we do, the more it results in synapse formation. A healthy brain is a site of consistent creative and scientific activity.

Most people fail to develop a healthy brain because they are unable to truly remove themselves from their gadgets. And even when they somehow assemble the courage to do so, by taking a weekend break or some such illusory detour from the cubicle, their minds are still plugged into the system. The reason you need to unplug now is to restore internal balance. All forms of anxiety arise when our internal constitution is in jeopardy.

Keeps you away from yourself

As per the popular blog becomingminimalist.com, “In a world where outside noise is coming quicker and louder than ever, the need for solitude becomes more apparent… and easier to overlook. True solitude and meditation will always require the intentional action of shutting off the noise and the screens.’’

It’s very easy to get used to an updated Apple computer or the latest in Lenovo’s offering in laptops, but it’s difficult to get used to being in one’s own company. And that’s the real challenge. The true need of the hour is indeed to slow down before starting up.

Will lead to addiction

An article on forbes.com says, “The frequency with which people check their social media-providing gadgets is the just the right amount to get the brain’s addiction centres engaged.” If you noticed, there’s no ‘can’ in the paragraph’s headline. Using the word ‘can’ will imply that constant use of electronic gadgets may or may not lead to addiction. And that would be a lie. If you are hooked onto your mobile device or laptop as if it were a newly evolved appendage of the human body, you are succumbing to becoming an addict. And any form of addiction is injurious to your mental and physical health. There are no two ways about it.

Impairs social abilities

We live in a culture of communication. Unfortunately, communication has become stronger between man and machine than, as it was originally intended, between man and man. The closer you go to your electronic device, the farther away you’ll be from yourself and others around you.

Machines can never replace books or dogs as man’s best friends. Books ignite in us thoughts and dogs impact our emotional intelligence. Additionally, both books and dogs also help generate interesting communication. From insights to incidents, you’ll have plenty to talk about when you are in the company of words and woofs. This will help you be yourself, no matter where and in whose company you are.

Makes you lethargic and your life sedentary

If you don’t unplug, guess what, you’ll stay plugged in. And what happens when you are plugged in? You are motionless. Some may even call you lifeless and that wouldn’t be an incorrect deduction. However, when you unplug, you will feel the need to use your body besides adjusting it to your plastic chair or unmade bed. You’ll want to move, get around, meet people, and take vacations. Anything that keeps us from moving, physically or mentally, should be taken with precaution and care.

Nobody likes to be in a box. But in any setup—politics, defence, schools, and corporates— it is an inevitability. Think of designations and paycheques as Russian dolls. The only difference—instead of removing each doll to find a smaller doll hidden inside, you add a bigger doll each time growth occurs. In essence, everyone, no matter the position they hold, is, in fact, inside a box; a box bigger than the one they were previously held in, but a box nonetheless. In order to breathe outside the box, you must unplug yourself from anything that’s holding you back.