Unplug to Reconnect: Finding Yourself Beyond the Screen

According to a recent study, these are the top 5 mental wellbeing problems for adolescents (13-17)1 

• Feelings of sadness, distress, or hopelessness 

• Guilt and blame 

• Fear and anxiety 

• Unwanted, strange, or obsessive thoughts 

• Sense of being detached from reality 

These problems are all associated with phone or tablet ownership at a young age.  

While it’s not always possible to go completely without a cellphone, the first step to disconnecting from the screens and reconnecting with the people and world around you is awareness. 

Most phones have a digital wellbeing widget that'll show your unlocks and screen time for the day. Just seeing how many times you’ve unlocked your phone and how much time you’ve spent on it in a day can help you to manage your phone usage. Learning how to disconnect from tech and reconnect with the current moment will help you to heal your mental wellbeing and also deepen the real relationships in your life. 

Tips to reconnect with… 

• Yourself: 

• Journaling and reflection. Try setting yourself a daily mindfulness goal, like 10 minutes.  

• Hobbies that involve your senses: music, sports, acting, paper and thread crafts, art, DIY projects, etc.  

• Think about and develop your personal convictions.  

• If you’re religious or spiritual, spend some time growing in your faith, praying, and reading holy books.  

• If you aren’t religious or spiritual, deepen your convictions that guide your life by reading and pondering books about them. 

• Your loved ones: 

• Hang out with friends in person and keep phones in a place where you can’t feel every buzz and hear every notification. 

• Engage in micro-interactions: chat between classes, talk while eating dinner, give a high five, etc.  

• Your world: 

• Walk out in nature, without earbuds in. 

• Go out to fun, free or low-cost places like zoos, conservatories, museums, parks, malls, petting zoos, animal cafes or shelters, etc.