“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any point and be yourself.”
— Hermann Hesse
The power of a still mind in a noisy world:
When you unplug from the constant stream of information to quieten your mind:
You reduce stress and your body relaxes, activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Relaxation is a primary mechanism for healing.
You support neurogenesis. A study on mice showed that silence grows new cells in the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory, emotion processing and learning.
You create time to process your emotions.
You increase clarity and reduce brain fog.
You create a foundation for practising mindfulness which has a series of health benefits.
The science behind it
An increasing number of studies show the impact of our connected lives on our wellbeing, productivity, relationships and cognitive health. Establishing digital balance presents an opportunity to boost health and productivity, and reduce digital overwhelm and distractions.
Studies show that our digital devices impact the quality of our connection to others. They affect the amount of empathy we feel for others, and how present we feel for them in conversation.
Interpersonal
While important forms of communication, digital distractions from email and social media impact our ability to focus. Studies show it can take up to 23 minutes to refocus from interruptions.
Productivity
Cognitive and information overload can leave you feeling stressed, overwhelmed and anxious. Managing digital interactions and the media outlets and accounts you follow is key.
Stress
The average smartphone user spends 4.5 hours on their phone. Much of the time spent on our digital devices is habitual and unconscious, feeding into time we could be spending otherwise.
Time
Bluelight emitted from screens inhibits the release of melatonin, an important sleep hormone, and thus interfers with your natural circadian rhythm. Sleep, however, is one of the most important factors for health.
Sleep
Cognitive health
Distraction, left unchecked, can easily become a habit, reinforcing patterns at a cellular level. This can impact a series of cognitive processes, among them memory, problem solving and creative thinking.
Today, we can be plugged in surfing, scrolling and consuming 24/7: it is therefore up to us to create times to unplug and open a space to practise calm and mindfulness, to rest fully and just be.
Meta-Awareness
Our working memory (short term memory) can hold limited information points. When this is exceeded, our ability to retain information and draw conclusions for the long-run is impacted.
Memory
Creative thinking requires time: to think, process, assimilate and synthesize information. Creativity is driven by memory which is affected by distractions, cognitive and information overload.
Creativity
Some “noisy” facts
We need to process 72GB of information a day, the equivalent of 16 movies.
To avoid cognitive overload and mental fatigue, our brain needs regular breaks from the constant information flow to do its housekeeping.
69% of Smartphone users check their phones within 5 minutes of waking up.
Starting the day with intention and at your own pace is a small investment that changes your entire day.
86% of users check their phone when they’re with friends and family.
Investing in meaningful conversations and being fully present for loved ones increases empathy and strengthens our relationships.
The average smartphone user clicks, swipes or taps their phone 2617 times in one day.
Time is a precious resource and how you engage with technology is a decision that will lastingly impact your personal and professional life.
46% of employees think that being constantly connected via their phones affects their work-life balance.