Carol Vorderman’s switching her phone off to avoid burnout. Should we do the same?
It can be hard even at the best of times to set boundaries with our phones, but this constant pressure to be ‘on’ is impacting our wellbeing and leading to burnout.
Carol Vorderman says her recent health scare was caused by burnout, after working seven-day weeks for “as long as [she] can remember” which resulted in an overnight stay in hospital. To ensure it doesn’t happen again, the 63-year-old presenter has reduced her workload and commute into London and introduced a daily digital detox.
Vorderman now switches her phone off for “12 hours a day” to make sure she has some much-needed time disconnected and isn't tempted to have a quick scroll on her phone while in bed.
"I had a little bit of a health scare a couple of weeks ago," the Mirror reports she said at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. "It was just burnout, I’m quite fine, I had checks and everything, but I can’t work seven days a week anymore… I now switch my phone off for 12 hours a day, like physically off.
"It tends to be over the night time hours. But it’s quite a good thing, you know when you just have it by the bed and you just reach out. I’ll just have a little look… Ahh, two hours later."
Vorderman isn’t the only one guilty of losing time to so-called 'doom scrolling', as research found that the average adult spends around six hours a day on their devices. Though our phones are now an integral part of our lives, there is a correlation between higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression when we spend too much time using them.
Mental Health UK found that 91% of adults experienced extreme levels of pressure and stress associated with burnout this year alone, so could we all benefit from a digital detox?
Benefits of turning your phone off
You'll sleep better: Scientists believe that the stimulation from our phones can disrupt our sleep pattern and keep us awake for longer. Instead, try to swap out a late night scroll for reading a book or journaling, which can help you relax and reduce any spikes in cortisol or dopamine for a more restful night ahead.
You'll be less distracted: Limiting your screen-time can also help you improve productivity and focus during the day, and the phone-free time could be used to have conversations with friends and family in real life to boost your sense of connection to others.
You'll be happier: In a study published on Psychology Today, psychologist Dr Jolanta Burke found that individuals who turned off their phone for a period of time each day had higher satisfaction with life and a stronger level of happiness, as soon as a week after implementing this rule.
You'll have time away from social media: The negative effects of social media tend to outweigh the positive ones. There's FOMO, comparison culture, obsessing over likes/shares/saves and more. So, time spent doing something else is likely going to benefit you.
Read more about digital detoxing:
7 signs you need a digital detox, according to an expert (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)
How the 'right to switch off' can benefit mental health (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)
London 'digital detox' spots where phones are banned including traditional pub and prison restaurant (MyLondon, 3-min read)
