You may be wondering why an international hotspot device company is advising you disconnect from the internet. Well, we’ve reviewed some studies, and the data is in. Your health and wellness depend on you taking a break from the world wide web every once in a while. Granted, we want you to use the Sapphire MiFi device to connect to the internet in over 100 countries around the world, but we also care about your wellbeing.

In this article, we’ll share the five reasons for disconnecting from the internet for short periods of time.

Reasons Why You Should Disconnect Every Week

As an international traveler, whether for business or pleasure, it’s imperative you schedule “disconnection time.” Your mental health depends on it. In fact, blue light has been shown to affect your circadian rhythm, which means your sleep cycle. Here are the five reasons you should disconnect from the internet — and blue light — for at least 24 hours every week:

Reason #1 — Foster Self Control

As you live your day, your willpower will wane; it will lessen as the day passes. In fact, a variety of studies show this to be true. The ability to disconnect for a set period of time — it doesn’t have to be 24 hours, but we suggest it — fosters self control over yourself and your life. Consider how the technology we love so much controls our lives. Our phone pings, and we check it. An email wooshes into our inbox, and we’re reading it. At the end of the day, exhaustion is high, and willpower is low.

When you can build up your self control, you actually gain the ability to focus deeper on the work you’re doing. It gives you an edge others don’t have in your industry or business. One of the emerging superpowers in business is the ability to focus. Want to wield your focus? Disconnect from the internet and blue light for a set period of time each and every week.

Reason #2 — Relax Your Brain

Your brain is firing to keep up with the empirical signals our technology feeds it on a second-by-second basis. That vibration in your pocket isn’t your phone. It’s the phantom phone your brain has learned vibrates, on average, every few minutes — or seconds in the lives of some individuals. This constant stimulation tires our brain much faster than if we were to sit and simply listen to our environment or go for a walk around the block. Each and every “interruption” in our innate thought process is an opportunity for decision. If you didn’t already know, decisions deplete our ability to focus, and they wreak havoc on our willpower.

Some of the best ways you can relax your brain involve disconnecting from technology and spending time in nature. Go for a walk around the block. Take an in-person fitness class. Invite a friend for tea or coffee and enjoy some real-time conversation. These are all activities that relax the brain so that it may recover and be fully ready for your obligations and responsibilities.

Reason #3 — Gain Time Back

Have you ever tracked how you use your phone each day? On average, users in 2017 spent 135 minutes on social media. This doesn’t include other applications like games or tools. What would you do with an extra two hours every day? How would you invest that time into friends, family, or your business? If your business involves you being on social media, consider implementing automation tools that allow you to chunk all your social media tasks into one or two blocks of time. This will give you a set period to work on your accounts, and then you can regain that two leisurely hours back to use for useful activities and relationships.

Reason #4 — Bond With Actual People

One of the greatest slights in internet history has been the emergence of social media. In fact, more people report being sad or depressed while using certain social media platforms than when they don’t use them at all. What does this mean for you while your traveling internationally? Get outside. Go talk to people. Go foster relationships, even if interactions are for a few minute in a coffee shop. Engage with people face-to-face. Allow your brain to feel all the good feelings that come with interacting with other humans. Sure, you might get some awkward looks or some grumpy remarks, but your brain will thank you for reaching out.

Reason #5 — Create Space To Think

One of the biggest reasons you should disconnect from the internet for a set period of time each week is that it gives you the space to think. Can’t figure out how to make a huge business deal work? Not sure how you’re going to figure out how to solve a complex social issue in your company? Disconnect. It may sound counterintuitive. Most of the advice out there will tell you to lean into the discomfort. In fact, taking regular breaks to workout, get outside, or simply sit and do nothing, improves focus, performance, and engagement.

Ready to reconnect to the internet? Get the Sapphire MiFi device now!