Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri 
Our lives now orbit around glowing screens. The day begins with a notification and ends with a scroll. Phones are our alarm clocks, our entertainment, our companions and sometimes, our captors. We’re constantly connected yet increasingly disconnected from ourselves.
Technology has given us convenience, but at a cost, our calm. We move through the day overstimulated and under-centered, our minds buzzing with alerts, our focus fractured into fragments. We are “on” all the time, yet rarely present.
A digital detox isn’t about abandoning technology; it’s about reclaiming control. It’s a gentle rebellion, a conscious act of saying, “My peace matters more than my pings.”
Our attention has become the new currency. Every notification, ad, and algorithm are designed to compete for it. The more distracted we become, the more profitable the system grows. But while they collect our clicks, we lose something far greater, our clarity, our creativity, our calm.
When was the last time you sat in silence without reaching for your phone? When did you last watch a sunset without the urge to capture it? Many of us have forgotten the simple art of being.
Boundaries: The Modern Form of Self-Respect
Creating boundaries around technology isn’t deprivation — it’s self-respect in digital form.
Start by protecting sacred spaces: your bedroom, your dinner table, your morning routine. Make them “no-screen zones.” Let your eyes rest on faces instead of feeds. Replace late-night scrolling with something nourishing — journaling, prayer, or simply closing your eyes in gratitude.
At meals, keep your phone away. Taste your food, listen to your company, let conversation flow without interruption. Connection feels different when no one is half-present behind a screen.
The Power of the Pause
We don’t realize how often we reach for our phones out of habit, not need. Try this: before unlocking your device, pause and ask yourself — “What am I looking for?” That moment of awareness can be transformative. Sometimes, what we’re craving isn’t information — it’s comfort. But no amount of scrolling can soothe the ache for real connection or rest.
Let Your Devices Serve You — Not the Other Way Around
Not all screen time is bad. The key is intentionality. Ask yourself: does this app drain me or develop me? Replace endless scrolling with meaningful engagement, a language lesson, an audiobook, a guided meditation.
Use digital tools that help you grow instead of those that keep you glued. Technology should be a servant, not a master.
The Art of Rest, Play, and Real Connection
Rest: True rest isn’t found in sleep alone — it’s found in stillness. When we swap late-night browsing for meditation or reflection, we give our minds a chance to exhale. Rest means stepping away from constant input to hear your own thoughts again.
Play: Somewhere along the way, adults forgot how to play. We confuse entertainment with joy. Play isn’t passive — it’s active, freeing, and creative. It could be dancing in your living room, cooking something new, or walking barefoot in the grass. Play revives the parts of your screens can’t reach.
Connection: Social media gives us likes but not belonging. Real connection happens eye-to-eye, not emoji-to-emoji. It’s found in shared laughter, unfiltered conversation, or sitting in silence with someone who understands you.
The Small Rituals That Make a Big Difference
1. Try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It’s a micro-reset for your mind and eyes.
2. Take digital Sabbaths: one evening a week without screens. Let your senses wake up again: the sound of real laughter, the feel of paper, the smell of rain.
3. Turn off notifications that don’t serve you. The fewer interruptions, the more intentional your days become.
4. Rekindle offline joy: read physical books, garden, draw, play board games. Let boredom make you creative again.
The Radical Act of Reclaiming Your Attention
In a world that thrives on distraction, reclaiming your attention is a radical act of self-care. A digital detox isn’t punishment, it’s permission. Permission to slow down, to feel again, to rediscover the spaces between noise.
Your attention is the most valuable thing you own. Guard it fiercely. Because when you control your attention, you reclaim your life.
Peace isn’t hidden in an app or behind a screen. It’s waiting for you in the quiet — in the real world, the one that still smells of rain, laughter, and sunlight.
Unplug to reconnect. The world can wait — your soul cannot.
Dr. MAYMUNAH YUSUF KADIRI (aka DR. MAY) popularly referred to as “The Celebrity Shrink,” is a multiple award winning Mental Health Physician, Advocate & Coach. She is the convener of “The Mental Health Conference” and the Medical Director and Psychiatrist-In-Chief at Pinnacle Medical Services, Dr. Kadiri is a dynamic Consultant Neuro-Psychiatrist and a Fellow of the National Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria (FMCPsych) with almost 20 years’ experience as a practicing Physician.