Breaking Free: Unplugging for Mental Clarity

Written By Ann Monis

A venomous email from a former employee can poison an entire morning, its words lingering like a storm cloud. As a CEO, clinical psychologist, entrepreneur, and mother of two, I’ve scaled a medical business across Florida and Turkey, grappling with financial pressures and toxic team dynamics that left me dreading calls about resignations or emails attacking my leadership. I’ve secluded myself, shunned childhood friends, and sunk into depression, my self-esteem battered by hesitating to fire underperforming staff, passing on deals, or risking my homes and investments to cover payroll. My Harvard CEO peers, lifelong friends, family, and sons’ radiant smiles have been my anchors. I avoid social media, keep my phone silent unless expecting scheduled calls, and shun nighttime screens, relying on my team for curated articles. Yet, the digital weight of work—emails, Zooms, reports—can still overwhelm. Unplugging through digital detox offers a path to mental clarity and healing. This article explores connectivity’s toll, the liberating power of stepping back, and practical steps to reclaim balance.

Table of Contents

  • Breaking Free: Unplugging for Mental Clarity

  • What is Digital Detox?

  • Reasons to Do a Digital Detox

  • Can Digital Detox Help?

  • Stress Management

  • Anxiety and Depression Management

  • Improved Sleep

  • Other Benefits of Digital Detox

  • How to Start with a Digital Detox

  • Conclusion

  • References

What is Digital Detox?

Digital detox is a purposeful retreat from devices—emails, apps, or screens—to restore mental clarity and human connection. It’s a bold stand against technology’s pull, a chance to ease stress and rediscover presence. A 2022 survey found 32% of people take daily detoxes of at least two hours, 25% weekly, and 8% monthly, reflecting a rising need to unplug (Statista, 2022). For me, with no social media and a silenced phone, detox means carving out deeper space from work emails and virtual meetings, letting my mind find peace.

Reasons to Do a Digital Detox

Even without social media, devices dominate. My phone stays silent, but the urge to check work emails or team-curated reports can steal focus, even during my sons’ soccer games. Signs you need a digital detox include:

  • Chronic stress or anxiety

  • Trouble focusing without checking devices

  • Low productivity or missed deadlines

  • Feeling chained to work notifications

  • Anxiety when offline, even briefly

  • Work-life imbalance

  • Irritability or mental fog

I’ve dreaded opening emails, bracing for toxic rants from resigned staff spreading negativity, or felt my confidence erode reading critiques of my leadership. These moments cry out for a reset.

Can Digital Detox Help?

Digital detox isn’t just about cutting screen time—it’s about reclaiming balance, rebuilding ties with yourself and others, and healing from digital overload. Even with my tech boundaries, it’s transformative:

Stress Management

Devices amplify stress, even for the disciplined. The American Psychological Association found 18% of U.S. adults cite technology as a major stressor, with constant checkers facing higher stress (APA, 2017). My phone’s silence helps, but toxic emails from ex-staff or urgent work pings have made me snippy, misjudging a colleague’s Zoom tone. Digital detox—pausing emails or meetings—calms my mind, letting me savor moments like my boys’ laughter without the shadow of digital venom.

Anxiety and Depression Management

Device overload, even work-focused, fuels anxiety and depression. It clouds focus and isolates you from real bonds. I’ve spiraled, tying my worth to a project I abandoned or a deal I didn’t take, haunted by emails accusing me of failure. Research shows digital detox reduces anxiety and depression by cutting stress and work pressure (Hunt et al., 2018). Unplugging, I’ve turned to my Harvard CEOs, childhood friends, and family, their warmth lifting my depressive haze and restoring hope.

Improved Sleep

Screens disrupt sleep, even with minimal use. Late-night work emails, though rare, delay rest. I’ve pored over reports past bedtime, waking groggy to face my sons’ morning energy. Digital detox reinforces my no-night-phone rule, calming my mind and deepening sleep. It’s a cue to unwind, letting me greet the day with clarity for my team and boys.

Other Benefits of Digital Detox

Beyond these, digital detox delivers:

  • Stronger boundaries with work tech

  • Restored work-life harmony

  • Clarity on life’s priorities

  • Time for hobbies and real-world bonds

  • Fewer tension headaches

Unplugging has let me paint with my sons, laugh with friends, and rediscover moments drowned by digital noise.

How to Start with a Digital Detox

Digital detox takes intention, even with my tech-light habits. Start small—hours without devices, like during meals or family time—and build up. I began by skipping work emails for a weekend, basking in my sons’ soccer and swim cheers. Set goals: no email for a day or limiting apps to music. Create device-free zones, like the dinner table, and lean on the community—my friends, family, or Harvard CEOs—for accountability. Reflect offline, pausing to evaluate priorities. I’ve learned to step back, resisting digital demands, and found freedom in moments with my sons or team.

Conclusion

Digital detox is a powerful reset for mental health and balance. As a CEO scaling across Florida and Turkey while raising my sons, I’ve battled stress, isolation, and self-doubt, from toxic staff emails to risky loans. Though I shun social media and silence my phone, work’s digital tide—emails, Zooms, reports—tests me. My childhood friends, Harvard CEO peers, family, and boys anchor me, urging me to unplug. Digital detox tames stress, lifts anxiety and depression, and deepens sleep, forging resilience and joy. By starting small and leaning on community, we can break free, rediscovering the people and moments that truly light our path.

References

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1342542/us-users-frequency-digital-detox/

https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/technology-social-media.pdf

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11725043/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11392003/

American Psychological Association. (2017). Stress in America: The state of our nation. APA. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2017/state-nation.pdf

Hunt, M. G., Marx, R., Lipson, C., & Young, J. (2018). No more FOMO: Limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 37(10), 751–768.

Statista. (2022). Frequency of digital detox among U.S. adults. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1291746/digital-detox-frequency-us-adults/

World Health Organization. (2023). Social connection and health: A WHO priority area. WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/social-connection

Ann Monis
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