How To Break Your Bad Digital Habits
On average, Americans check their phones 144 times every single day, that’s a lot! According to CNBC Make It, there are ways to break these bad digital habits.
Smartphones were first introduced in 1992 and since then they have become a major part of our lives. The problem with this is that they are damaging a lot of our communication skills and taking away the opportunity to connect deeply with others in person.
“If I had my smartphone next to me, it would attract my attention, consciously or unconsciously,” says Anastasia Dedyukhina, a digital wellbeing expert. Dedyukhina ditched her smartphone for a year and a half and she has a few tips on how you can practice digital mindfulness.
“Rather than trying to limit the bad habit, I would very much encourage you to have more good habits,” Dedyukhina states.
She recommends adding a few healthy habits to your routine including: spending more time outdoors, moving often, and scheduling more time with family and friends.
When you put your phone on silent you might subconsciously wonder if you’re missing something. “Remember, it’s a high priority, the phone, so subconsciously your mind is thinking, ‘What if I’m missing something? What if there is something interesting?’” Dedyukhina says. This way of thinking leads to a lower work ethic and prevents you from putting 100% effort into the task at hand.
One of the best practices is to completely remove your phone from the room when you don’t need it. Doing this can increase your productivity by helping you to focus.
A study done in 2017 had over 500 undergraduate students randomly assigned to put their phone on their desk, in their bag, or completely out of the room while they completed a cognitive capacity task. All phones were put on silent for the experiment so there were no interrupting sounds. Those who had their phone on the desk scored the lowest and the participants with phones in a separate room scored the highest.
Another good thing to do is ask yourself why you feel like you need to be reaching for your phone all the time. Thinking this before you grab your phone can help you to recognize what the problem is and replace your screen time with better habits.
Signs You'll Live a Long Life
There are some special signs you’ll live a long life and even possibly make it to 100. When you’re in your teens, you might feel like you’re going to live forever. But, as the years ago by, you’re probably getting more aware of your fallibility and the inevitability that one day, you’ll no longer be on this Earth. Not to sound depressing, but the good news is that there are these signs you’ll live a long life and things you can do to increase your chances of doing so.
The Average Lifespan of Americans
Before we get to some signs you’ll live a long life, let’s talk about the average lifespan of Americans today. According to the experts at Healthsystemtracker.org, “In 1980, life expectancy at birth in the U.S. and in comparably large and wealthy countries was similar, but over recent decades, life expectancy improved by much more in peer nations than it has in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic increased mortality and premature death rates in the U.S. by more than it did in most peer countries, widening a gap that already existed before the pandemic.” So, the lifespan of Americans is trending in the wrong direction. In fact, according to their numbers, life expectancy in the U.S. went down by 1.3 years from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic to 2022. But, in “peer countries,” life expectancies dropped by an average of 0.5 years in that same time window. Life expectancy in the U.S. went up by 1.1 years from 2021 to 2022, following the pandemic, but it’s still “well below pre-pandemic levels and continues to lag behind life expectancy in comparable countries, on average,” they note.
According to the CDC, the life expectancy for both sexes at birth is 76.4 years. For males, it’s 73.5 years, and for females, it’s 79.3 years. The CDC also notes that, “The infant mortality rate was 543.6 infant deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. The change in infant mortality from 2020 was not statistically significant.” They add that, “Nine of the 10 leading causes of death in 2021 remained the same as in 2020. Heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19 remained the top 3 leading causes.” If you’re wondering about infant mortality, the leading causes of infant death in 2021 according to the experts at the CDC were “congenital malformations, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, unintentional injuries, maternal complications, cord and placental complications, bacterial sepsis of newborn, respiratory distress of newborn, diseases of the circulatory system, and intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia).” But, enough about death. Let’s get into some things to look out for that are signs you’ll live a long life. Hopefully you’ll make it to 100 or older.
Signs You’ll Live a Long Life
Country 103.7’s funniest guy in town is none other than Rob Tanner with Tanner in the Morning! Rob Tanner has been the host of WSOC-FM's Tanner in the Morning Show in Charlotte, NC for 20 years. The show was named the 2018 ACM Major Market Personalities of the Year. He is well-versed in all topics in country music. Tanner also is a sports junkie who writes about any Carolina sports team, and he and his wife Missy spend most of their down exploring theme parks. He writes Disney insider content.