A useful way to prevent stiff shoulders and headaches. Everyone can do this so easily!
How long have you been looking at your phone screen today?
1 hour, 2.. maybe 3?
I was surprised when I looked at the usage history on my phone - turns out my 5 minutes of social media and youtube videos was actually nearly half an hour!
Today I want to share with you a tool on your phone that can help monitor and cut down your scrolling time.
It is easily accessed from your ‘settings’ - these links will help you with how to access and use all the features and functions.
Digital Wellbeing (for Android) https://wellbeing.google/
Screen Time (for iOS) https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT208982
image from Apple
image from Google
But why do we want to monitor our usage and spend less time on our phones?
Bad posture
You may not notice it, but when you are using your phone or tablet your neck is pushed forward and your shoulders are most likely to be rounded. When in this position for a long time throughout the day, it is a very common cause of stiff shoulders and tension headaches.
image from Freepik
Time flies
Maybe you planned to do some exercises or stretching today, but that ‘10 minutes’ on your phone became 30 or 40 minutes. It is so easy to accidentally scroll through things out of habit or get caught on fun videos don’t you think?
So how can these tools help?
You can’t fix what you don’t know
Ahh.. you might be a bit surprised when you first see a breakdown of how long you’ve spent on your phone (I know I was), but once you are aware then you can decide how you want to change your scrolling habits.
Set time limits
Once you know what you want to change you can set a time limit for each app. When the limit is reached your app will be disabled for the day. You can still extend this time but at least you’ll know you’ve gone overtime.
And what do I do instead of looking down at my phone?!
Let’s say you’ve finished your chores and just sat down.. you unlock your phone and start checking notifications.. maybe spend 5 - 10 minutes catching up on what your friends are up to and replying to messages.
Then instead of looking at your phone for the next 30 minutes you can daydream, breathe, enjoy a cup of tea, people watch or look out the window (without your phone). You never know how powerful the small changes can be for your body and mind!
How long have you spent looking down at your phone today, and what are your favourite ways to pass time without your phone? Let me know in the comments below :)