Most of us use some form of technology for the majority of the time we are awake. This could mean scrolling through social media, working at a computer, or just watching TV. Most of us spend hours every day looking at one screen or another. Because that is where we are as a society, that might not seem so bad. However, too much technology can lead to a loss of focus, distraction, and lower productivity – for everyone. For dancers, all of these things can majorly affect your dance career. Because of this, it is important to consider how you use technology and how it impacts your everyday life.
Regain Your Focus
Because technology is fast-paced, easily consumable, and constantly changing, it encourages us to move from one thing to another quickly. This is fine when you are using social media, but it can negatively affect other aspects of your life. Being accustomed to quick consumption can make it more difficult to have the attention span for longer activities like dance classes, rehearsals, and memorizing choreography.
Find Extra Time
Think about how much time you spend sitting around looking at your phone. That time could be dedicated to so many other things. Spending this much time immersed in technology can make it feel like you have less time in the day to get things done, but if you reduce the amount of time spent staring at a screen, you will have more time to be active and present. You can’t experience life through a screen, so free up some time to get out there and experience new things!
Reconnect with Yourself
One of the biggest things that draws us to life online is that we connect with so many people quickly from a distance. But sometimes we can spend so much time focused on what other people are up to that we that forget to focus on our own lives. When you detox from technology, you will probably learn a lot about yourself. Is your relationship with technology different than what you imagined? Are your goals as planned out and solid as you thought? Take a step back from the screen and focus on yourself.
How Do You Detox?
One of the biggest things to remember about technology detoxes is that you don’t necessarily have to give up technology completely (though many start off that way). The important thing to remember is that you need to find a healthy balance between time spent in front of the screen and time spent actively participating in the real world. Make a schedule and set goals for how you want to move forward with your relationship with technology, and make sure to consider how these changes affect you as a person and as a dancer. You have to make sure you know what you want to accomplish with your detox before it can be successful.
