We’re all guilty of spending hours mindlessly scrolling through social media channels. In fact, many of us will navigate towards our phone without even thinking about it, formed from a habit of having it near or in our hands for the majority of the day.

However, more and more of us are now aware of the negative impact this constant need to be online is having on our health and relationships.

And while technology can have a positive impact on our lives, more of us are now making a conscious effort to pull away from it a little.

Thankfully, with a bit of self-restraint and motivation, a digital detox is possible, no matter how "addicted" you might think you are. 

One of the best ways to ensure that you don’t give in too early is to tell others what are doing. No one wants to fail in front of others so share the news with as many people are possible. Many of them will no doubt want to get involved as well. 

Don’t completely cut yourself off from the internet. You’re making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of time you spend online, not try to make your life a misery! Even just slightly reducing the time you are online will have a positive impact on both your social life and your mental health. 

You don’t need to cut yourself off completely. Considering the huge role the internet plays in everyday life, it is not realistic to tell yourself that you are not allowed online at all. Instead of going cold turkey, do give yourself a limited amount of time to look at your social media platforms. For instance, 10 minutes every couple of hours is a huge achievement in itself.

If you do find yourself picking up your phone, don’t be too harsh on yourself and, most importantly, don’t think of this as a defeat and go back to your old ways. Instead, praise yourself for realising your mistake, put down the phone and simply start again.  

Things are always easier when you do them with someone else so find your detox bubby - preferably someone you live with!  You can encourage and praise each other when you're not online and pull one another up when you do find yourself on your phones. 

6. Remove the temptation

If you are the type of person to mindlessly scroll through Instagram or Twitter while watching a movie, you should remove the temptation from your life. Leave your phone outside the room, preferably where you can’t hear notifications going off!

Many of us feel that if we are without our phones for even just a few minutes, we will miss something. However, after your detox, you will realise that you haven’t actually missed anything important at all.