Burning eyes, anxious fingers and what feels like small knots on the middle of my forehead are all signs that I need a digital detox. It seems impossible for many, as our phones have somewhat become our third arms – almost impossible to live without and so central to how we live our lives. Even if one is not in such a position, FOMO ( Fear of missing out) always seems to reign supreme.
There is a particular shame associated with acknowledging that you have become locked into the digital prison. It’s like admitting that you have no self-control and give in freely to casual time wasting. However, phones and the applications that accompany them have been wired in such a clever way that they function to give us small hits of Dopamine, the “happiness” neurotransmitter that transfers signals across the brain which are responsible for reward-seeking behaviour.