{"id":530613,"date":"2026-07-03T06:06:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T06:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/530613\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T06:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T06:06:12","slug":"getting-off-the-phone-and-back-to-real-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/530613\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting off the phone and back to real life"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s high summer, and life feels a little easier. Most of us are moving to a slower rhythm as holidays free us from the rigid routine of work, and long evenings give us more opportunities to relax and reconnect with the people and world around us.<\/p>\n

This slower rhythm allows us to reset. A reset that can restore our energy levels while also prompting us to consider how we live during the rest of the year and question whether we might cultivate healthier habits as we move into autumn and the busy final quarter of the year.<\/p>\n

Starting today and continuing every Friday throughout July, we will look at five aspects of modern life where many of us would benefit from making changes.<\/p>\n

This week, the focus is on phone detoxing.<\/p>\n

According to the latest Deloitte Digital Trends report, our relationship with our phones is not a good one. The report surveyed 1,000 adults in Ireland in 2025, and 70% said they spent too much time on their phones. Some 34% checked their phones at least 50 times daily, while 15% did so at least 100 times.<\/p>\n

Colin O\u2019Gara, a consultant psychiatrist and head of addiction services at St John of God Hospital in Dublin, isn\u2019t surprised so many of us struggle to manage our phone usage.<\/p>\n

\"DrDr Colin O\u2019Gara says phones act on the brain in a similar way to slot machines.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe applications we have on our phones have been programmed in a way that hijacks our neurochemistry, causing massive dopamine surges and neurochemical changes in our brains and bodies, which are addictive by nature,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the same way we won\u2019t always win on the slot machines; we won\u2019t always be excited by every video or post we see as we doomscroll. But we get a [dopamine] hit now and then, and that irregular hit keeps us caught in a loop of endless scrolling.\u201d<\/p>\n

We pay an emotional toll for this scrolling. Hilda Burke, a psychotherapist and the author of The Phone Addiction Workbook, says that \u201cheavy phone usage compromises our ability to focus\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt affects our ability to be present for what is happening around us, and more than anything, it steals time. It diverts and distracts us from doing other potentially more nourishing activities,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Dr Mark Griffiths is a professor of behavioural addiction at Nottingham Trent University in Britain and a leading expert in gambling, gaming and internet addiction. He points out that research such as a 2023 Australian study also shows that excessive smartphone use is associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, stress and poor sleep.<\/p>\n

Phone watch<\/p>\n

How can you figure out if you are using your phone excessively? Griffiths recommends checking your screen time in your phone settings, as \u201cbeing aware of the problem is often the first step in enabling behavioural change\u201d.<\/p>\n

Burke encourages you to delve deeper than your overall screen time. \u201cLook at the breakdown,\u201d she says. \u201cPhones are tools and everything depends on how you use them. If your screen time is spent on work or catching up with friends or selling your old clothes on Vinted, these are all beneficial uses of your time. They are not the same as hours spent scrolling through social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HildaHilda Burke: Face-to-face time or a call \u2018nurtures our hunger for connection\u2019.<\/p>\n

To check, search for the Screen Time tab in your phone settings. Click on it, and it will reveal the amount of time you spend on your phone as well as on your apps.<\/p>\n

Another way to determine whether your phone usage is problematic is to ask yourself the question O\u2019Gara asks his patients: Are you using your phone to the extent that you are neglecting other aspects of life? Is it stopping you from going out and meeting people or spending time on hobbies and activities that give you a sense of wellbeing?<\/p>\n

If it is, there are steps you can take to break the habit.<\/p>\n

It may not be easy. O\u2019Gara recognises that \u201cwe have all fallen into the trap of opening our phone to check something quickly, noticing a social media update, and then finding ourselves 10 or 20 minutes later, wondering where the time went. These apps are hard to resist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Step by step<\/p>\n

Griffiths believes the best approach to digital detox is gradual. Just as you would with an exercise programme, focus on building up your tolerance over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cStart by setting a target of 15 minutes without looking at your phone and then increase that target incrementally until you can spend a few hours every day without feeling the need to be online,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

If you think you will struggle to meet this target, O\u2019Gara says there are tools to help resist the lure of your phone, such as \u201clock boxes you can place the phone in for certain lengths of time, timers you can set to limit your use of particular apps or brick devices that block apps from your phone\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also possible to disable push notifications or turn the volume setting to silent on devices to reduce the urge to constantly check in,\u201d says Griffiths.<\/p>\n

Another tactic he suggests is defining periods of self-imposed non-screentime, such as mealtimes and bedtimes. This may be more difficult if you use your phone as an alarm clock or if you wear a smartwatch. \u201cYou run the risk of noticing you have received a text, email, or notification when you check the time,\u201d he says. \u201cAvoid that temptation by doing what I do \u2014 wearing a wristwatch and using an old-fashioned alarm clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burke points out that it\u2019s normal to experience some withdrawal symptoms as you decrease your phone usage.<\/p>\n

\u201cChecking the phone and logging into social media is a way for many people to feel involved in the world and included in a community. Stepping away from that will leave a void, which will make you feel a certain twitchiness. Overcome that twitchiness and fill that void by creating a new sense of community,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

You could do this by spending more time with family and friends. \u201cA catch-up face-to-face or over the phone creates much deeper bonds with the people we care about than liking their posts on social media,\u201d says Burke. \u201cIt nurtures our hunger for connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other options to replace screen time include spending time on activities such as taking the dog for a walk, participating in sport or fitness, or enjoying arts and crafts \u2014 all of which are next to impossible to do while on the phone.<\/p>\n

Choose green time<\/p>\n

Swapping screentime for green time may be particularly beneficial. A 2019 British study<\/a> involving 19,806 participants <\/p>\n

found that people who spent at least 120 minutes a week in nature reported significantly higher levels of health and wellbeing. That\u2019s only 17 minutes a day, and those 17 minutes don\u2019t have to be spent in bucolic countryside.<\/p>\n

The study also found that any garden, park, or area of greenery had the same positive effect. These positive effects are likely to further motivate you to decrease your dependency on your phone, says Burke.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever it is you do with the time you previously devoted to your screen \u2014 whether it\u2019s moving your body, having more conversations with loved ones, or getting stuck into a good book \u2014 as long as you\u2019re enjoying it, you\u2019ll want more of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his clinical work, O\u2019Gara sees people struggling with issues relating to phone usage.<\/p>\n

\u201cGambling, gaming, and porn are the big ones, but we\u2019re seeing problems with the likes of shopping and scrolling too,\u201d he says. \u201cWe expect phone addiction to follow the general pattern of addiction, whereby 20% of people will have a problem managing their usage. That 20% needs to know there are services and supports that can help.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the other 80% of us, he believes we will \u201cbe able to identify when we are adversely using technology and make appropriate changes so that we use phones and devices in ways that add to our lives rather than taking from them\u201d.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s your challenge for the rest of the summer. Come back next week to find out what other healthy habits you can cultivate.<\/p>\n

It affects our ability to be present for what is happening around us, and more than anything, it steals time<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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