Unplug To Recharge: Why A Digital Detox Is The Real Power Move For 2026
Our phones promise connection, convenience and control, yet most of us feel more scattered, stressed and sleepless than ever. The constant pings, scrolls and notifications have rewired our brains for distraction. The fix? Not abandoning technology altogether, but reclaiming balance. Experts say that learning to unplug with intention might just be the smartest — and healthiest — resolution you can make for the new year.
“We weren’t biologically created to take in this much input, between social media, emails and the internet in general,” says Vail Health licensed therapist Matt Lawson.
But that doesn’t mean we must reject technology completely. We just need to find more balance, which typically includes taking breaks.
“It doesn't have to be something we completely take out of our lives,” he says, adding that going cold turkey doesn’t usually work.
The Hidden Toll of Technology
Oftentimes, it helps to understand exactly how technology changes us physically, mentally and emotionally, in order to muster the motivation it takes to change habits around our use of phones and other devices.
Mentally, too much cell phone use risks our attention span, says Vail Health Behavioral Health Innovation Center's Dr. Charles Raison. Most people don’t linger on a single page or post — we scroll quickly, click away and multitask. Maybe we’re working on a project when an email pings, a text comes through or a phone calls pulls away our attention.
“The way that it kind of splits up our brain — our ability to focus — it causes cognitive fatigue and decreases performance in general,” Lawson says.
Additionally, the brain can’t distinguish between reality and imagination, so looking at anything disturbing can push us into fight or flight responses, which physically releases cortisol, in addition to dopamine.
“So, we're upregulating our system, upregulating our brains, too, because it thinks that we need to deal with something or we need to prepare for something,” Lawson says.
Physically, technology can promote sedentary habits, and, as the saying goes, sitting is the new smoking in terms of health risks.
Exposure to blue light and the constant stream of small dopamine hits can also contribute to exhaustion by disrupting melatonin production and circadian rhythms, both essential for quality sleep.
“Even though we’re not excited, it’s excitatory. It creates some semblance of ‘doing.’ Our brain looks at it as: oh, we're doing something. So, especially right before bed, you are kind of pumping yourself up. I've heard people describe it as: I might as well just take a cup of coffee right before bed,” Lawson says. “And then, things like blue light — our brains very much take cues from our environment around lighting as to when it should start winding down. When we create these false lights by engaging with our phones or tablets, our brain's saying: oh, it must not be time to wind down. There's still some light going on, so I’m going to stay up. Social media also upregulates our system, and with every up comes a down.”
The Social Media Trap
Emotionally, depression and anxiety often result from technology use, whether that’s due to overall exhaustion, or looking at social media posts with perfect-looking people and perfect-looking lives.
“There's something about the online world where it makes people feel less than. And of course, that works very well for selling things,” Raison says.
It also makes people feel as though there should be something to feel anxious about. In other words, it distorts our perception of ourselves and the world.
“If I were to evaluate the mental health of the world right now, I would say that, as a society, there's a lot of anxiety out there — and a need to do something about that anxiety,” Lawson says.
“It’s a little bit like drug abuse,” Raison says. “Every drug of abuse basically accesses evolved pathways by which humans got a signal: ‘Hey, you're doing the right thing’ — the pleasure signal.”
Like any drug tolerance, eventually, people need more digitally-induced dopamine hits.
“The cost is that over time, you quit getting the benefit, and all you start getting is the downside. And so then you're kind of always chasing the high, right?” Raison says. “I know so many kids who have told me over the last couple years that they’re bored out of their minds. They're scrolling all the time. They're chasing that high. They even recognize it, but once you're hooked, it's really hard to stop.”
Social media has become a key way people — especially the younger generation — feel connected, but Raison points out that we’re missing out on longer conversations and interaction with people in the real world. And, when an online community turns against a person, which often happens in middle or high school, it can feel devastating. One of the largest, long-term studies regarding brain development in kids showed that the second biggest predictor of developing depression and anxiety stemmed from losing status with one’s peer group.
Finding Balance in a Digital World
So how do we find balance?
It often begins with family norms and rules, such as putting all phones down at the dinner table and at a certain time of the evening.
“I can't stress this enough,” Lawson says. “There has to be a conversation between parents and kids about what good hygiene looks like with social media.”
One Denmark study showed that when family members only used their phones for three hours a day, kids’ anxiety and depression decreased, and well-being and functioning increased. Raison also encourages waiting as long as practical and possible to give children smartphones.
“You want them to use the phone as a tool, and not as a companion, and not as a diversion, and not as an addictive time suck,” Raison says.
Using digital devices mindfully in terms of what we’re consuming and for how long is akin to eating habits. As Lawson points out, you wouldn’t eat several Snicker bars every day.
“It’s junk food. And that's kind of what social media is for our brains,” he says. “So, you have to create parameters around that and say, ‘this is how I allow social media into my world.’ It's not a regular thing. It’s a treat.”
Of course, sometimes it’s necessary for work, research and communication, but accessing how and when we use it results in a strategy for a healthier relationship with technology, so that we control technology, rather than it controlling us.
Healthier Habits for a Healthier Mind
Setting alerts on your phone to tell you if you’ve been on it too long is one strategy. Also, avoid picking it up first thing in the morning — where it can begin to hijack your day with email demands or emotional posts — and put it down at night to ensure a good sleep.
Lawson recommends tiny bits, maybe 10 minutes, throughout the day, versus big chunks of time, the latter of which is how we lose ourselves, he says.
Likewise, waking up or going to bed with the news can also cause anxiety.
“I get these reports from people that I work with in therapy that every single day they're waking up and just dreading to turn on the news to see what shoe dropped overnight, that they now have to deal with,” he says.
Spending time enjoying the morning, doing a little exercise, reading a cherished book or even writing down goals allows you to be in control, as opposed to the media. If you want to stay informed, reading headlines might be easier on your nervous system than hearing newscasters’ emotional tones and seeing videos of destruction.
No one’s saying it’s easy, but, like any worthy positive habit, healthy digital use begins with informing yourself about how harmful it can be and then taking small steps to reduce use through adhering to time limits, turning devices off at night and using them as a tool, rather than a distraction. And, when you do want take a break, or “distract,” consider approaching what you’re tuning into online in the same way you would choose which movie to pay for at the theater — because any digital use has its cost; it can be more positive or more harmful, depending on your choices.
5 Mindful Tech Habits to Try
Delay the scroll. Wait 30 minutes after waking before checking your phone.
Dim the glow. Turn on night mode, or use blue-light filters after sunset.
Pause before posting. Ask if it adds value — or just noise.
Batch communication. Check email and texts at set times instead of constantly.
Power down nightly. Set a “digital sunset” with devices off an hour before bed.
Learn more at vailhealth.org/news.
This spotlight is a sponsored partnership.