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Ep: 46 - The Hidden Reason You’re Exhausted, Not Sleeping, and Holding Weight
0 Playsin 4 hours
How often do you pick up your phone without even thinking?
In this episode, we’re diving into a missing piece of health: how constant stimulation from your phone and devices may be impacting your nervous system, hormones, sleep, and ability to detox.
Because detox isn’t just about food or supplements, it’s about whether your body feels safe enough to function properly. And when you’re always “on,” your body stays in fight-or-flight mode, prioritizing survival over healing.
If you’re feeling inflamed, exhausted, puffy, or stuck despite doing all the “right” things, this could be why.
Where to find us:
IG @whatsmyageagain.podcast / FB - What’s My Age Again Podcast
Email us at: wmaapod@gmail.com
Where to find Tanya:
IG @tlcholistic / FB @tlcholistic
Book with Tanya:
Join the TLC Community: https://www.patreon.com/tlcholistic
Where to find Kim:
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'What's My Age Again' Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to What's My Age Again, the realest podcast for women who are done chasing trends and ready to feel empowered. Hi, I'm Kim. And I'm Tanya, holistic nutritionists and childhood best friends who've been there, done that, and bought the collagen.
00:00:16
Speaker
more than once. Each week we provide actionable steps that you can start today to help you thrive through every decade to come. We're cutting through the wellness noise to bring you honest conversations about aging, hormones, health, beauty, mindset, and everything in between.
00:00:33
Speaker
You see, we're also on a mission to age gracefully one WTF moment at a time. Backed by research and real life, we're here to share what actually works, what's a waste of time, and how to truly thrive through the messy, magical midlife transition.
00:00:49
Speaker
We're so happy you're here. Let's dive in. All right, ladies, let's be honest. How many times a day do you pick up your phone without even thinking? And I don't mean intentionally. I mean automatically.
00:01:04
Speaker
You go check one thing and suddenly it's 20 minutes later and you don't even remember why you opened it.
The Impact of Phone Habits on Health
00:01:09
Speaker
Or you're sitting somewhere for 30 seconds. You're waiting in line. Someone leaves the room. And instead of just being there and present, you automatically reach for your phone.
00:01:20
Speaker
You know, we don't sit in silence anymore. We don't process, we scroll. And here's the part that no one's talking about. What if that constant stimulation is quietly impacting your hormones, your energy, your sleep, and your body's ability to actually detox?
00:01:39
Speaker
Because if you're feeling inflamed, exhausted, puffy, or just stuck, this might be the missing piece. So today, Tanya and I aren't talking about food and supplements What we're talking about is your nervous system, your phone, and why you can't detox in a constant state of stimulation.
00:01:58
Speaker
So no scrolling, just listening. Let's get into it. Good morning, Tanya. Good morning. Let's dive into this, Kim. Oh my gosh, I love this. And as we're all, well, not all, hopefully right now as you're listening, as me and you are staring at each other through screens, I know it seems a little bit contradictory here, but this is the whole idea about how much we do rely on our screens and how it affects every single aspect of our body. No one's talking about it. And especially coming off of, you know, we're in the spring season, how it affects even our body's ability to detoxify because... no but sorry, go on. Yeah, no, i was going to say exactly to your point, Tanya. And actually, for those of you ladies listening who are in our twenty one day detox,
00:02:52
Speaker
This is one piece that we are working on is that digital detox and how it's something that most detoxes don't talk
Understanding Detoxification Beyond the Liver
00:03:02
Speaker
about, right? And why it's so important to support our body and to support our body's detoxification processes.
00:03:09
Speaker
Yeah, because when we think of detox, I think the number one thing most of us think about is our liver and us included. We did have a liver episode and it's not just about the liver, right? Detoxification just isn't a biochemical process.
00:03:28
Speaker
It's also very dependent, like everything else that we talk about on our nervous system. So again, our body can only detoxify efficiently. It can only let go of things efficient efficiently. When it feels safe enough to do so, and we've said this many, many times, your body's going to choose for you. If you're in fight or flight, your body is choosing survival.
00:03:54
Speaker
It is not choosing digestion. It is not choosing detoxification. It is not choosing housekeeping. And here is the actual truth of the matter.
00:04:05
Speaker
When we are constantly checking that phone 24 seven. Again, like you mentioned earlier, Kim, literally I've been on the phone while it's on speaker phone and been like, holy crap, I need to leave. Where's my phone?
00:04:21
Speaker
I am on it. I'm talking on my phone. So when we're constantly checking our phone, when we're constantly consuming information, whether it be our phone, TV, radio, iPads, laptop, when we are jumping to react to notifications 24 seven, I want to pause on this one for a second.
00:04:45
Speaker
Back in our day, If you weren't home, you weren't home. You had an answer and someone called your house phone. I still know your house number, Kim, and I won't say it because it's still your parents' number. You called that 905-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. And...
00:05:03
Speaker
If the Newtons weren't home, it would be like, leave a message. We're going to call you back. And that was it. And how funny that one of us did not have our tones off. And right at that second, this is the perfect example, though. An alert goes off and we feel we need to jump and look at the alert. Oh, who was that? Who texted? Who emailed? And it has to be responded to immediately. Immediately. Yes.
00:05:29
Speaker
And this is affecting our nervous system 24 seven because our devices now come with us. They are attached to us. There's wifi on the plane. There's wifi at your all-inclusive resort. There's wifi camping in the middle of nowhere. Like we are always attached to our devices and this is wreaking havoc on our nervous system. And therefore our ability to do things like, detoxify properly, reset our metabolism, you know, let go of some extra weight, balance hormones. It's all a part of this constant inundation from our screens.
00:06:07
Speaker
Oh my gosh, Tanya. I love like so many things that you just said, and I love them all. i so relate. Well, okay. First of all, one of the first things you said is just that constant need to pick up a device. And I, so During our 21 day detox with our group of women, I, both of it, both Tanya and I did do the detoxes with them. And one thing I noticed about myself when we got to the week where we started, we started the digital detox is how many times my hand would literally automatically jerk out to try and grab my phone.
00:06:45
Speaker
And I don't even know what I was looking at. There wasn't necessarily a notification. It was just this knee jerk reaction to check in, but check in on what? Instagram, social media, my email, like I'm literally at my desk, but yet I feel the need to reach out for my phone. It's such, it's so interesting when we take the time to observe our behavior um and see how many times we pick up our phone in a day, number one. And secondly, I loved your point about that all access.
00:07:17
Speaker
It feels like the only time that we are without a device is literally when we are submerged in water. If we are in the shower or if we are in the ocean, perhaps we don't have a device with us giving us notifications. And that might be the only time.
00:07:35
Speaker
And not even then Kim, because now we have all of these products marketed to completely encapsulate your iPhone. So you can be with your iPhone and take videos of
Technology's Impact on Women's Health and Hormones
00:07:46
Speaker
the fish underneath the water. And I know this, you know what I mean? I've seen this and actually. When we were taking a family trip two years ago, my mother-in-law, which was cool for the purpose, bought us these cases so we could literally record the fish underwater. So, I mean, I guess I could have scrolled while I was in the ocean. And the thing is, you're so right. When we're in this state where we don't even realize why we keep going for our devices and checking,
00:08:14
Speaker
What is happening here is the blood flow is consistently diverted away from your organ and your organs, excuse me including your organs of detox and elimination.
00:08:27
Speaker
As I mentioned earlier, your digestion slows down or completely stops because again, your body's like, sorry, don't really care about digesting those overnight oats because for some reason we're in fight or flight, probably because we're feeling frantic, always looking for our phones.
00:08:44
Speaker
Our hormone balance becomes more fragile, which is quite frankly, the last thing I personally need at 45 years old. And our bodies prioritize survival over elimination. And that's just point but blank period at the end of the sentence. They're doing the one thing and they're not doing the other.
00:09:06
Speaker
Tanya, I want to circle back to your point on digestion here, because you said it so perfectly. When we are in fight or flight, our digestion isn't prioritized. So we've talked about this in future episodes where we've suggested calming our nervous system before we eat, taking those deep breaths to help our body not only break down the nutrients, but also absorb the nutrients. That's what digestion is.
00:09:28
Speaker
So think about this for a second. Where is how many people watch TV? Watch a screen, scroll their phone while they're eating, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, anytime. How many people give their kids an iPhone? It drives me insane when I see kids in restaurants and I realize I've done it before. This is no judgment.
00:09:49
Speaker
Like I myself have also wanted to have a conversation with a friend or my husband when we're at a dinner out and enjoy myself. And sometimes it feels easier to give your kids a screen. But what is that doing when on on a day-to-day basis to digestion if you are on a screen at every meal or any meal?
00:10:11
Speaker
Right. That's such a good point. And further to that, let me piggyback off of that. What
Creativity and Emotional Processing in the Digital Age
00:10:17
Speaker
is it doing to digestion? Also, what is it also doing to the rest of our body systems? And there is growing research around these electromagnetic fields, these EMFs. And I think this will be, you know, there's a lot of different ways we can go talking about this and we can dive into that in different podcasts, but in general,
00:10:35
Speaker
These EMFs are increasing oxidative stress, which is very disruptive for every single cell in your body, which leads to disruption to cellular signaling. And we know our body always needs to communicate constantly with, you know, all of the other systems in the body. um This one's a big one.
00:10:56
Speaker
Potential effects on sleep. especially melatonin production, which we do talk about in the sleep episode. um So while melatonin is known as that sleep hormone that peaks in the evening, you know what I mean? And then should be dropping in the morning so that we can wake up. um It's actually a powerful antioxidant and that supports what?
00:11:24
Speaker
Detoxification, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. And why? So Number one, as we as you said, it's an antioxidant, so that helps to eliminate free radicals. Number two, it helps with that activity of glutathione, which is our body's master antioxidant. And it also protects our liver and our cells. So when we say things like our body is detoxifying at night, melatonin has a big piece of that.
00:11:50
Speaker
And if we are also, ladies, if we are watching and scrolling our screens at night, This is impeding our are melatonin production. So not only is it disrupting sleep, but it's also disrupting detoxification and you're not getting that antioxidant support.
00:12:10
Speaker
Right, because again, detox is relying on efficient cellular communication, the antioxidant capacity, and then that deep restorative sleep. So we're not saying that EMFs are the only issue, but they are absolutely a massive and dare I say growing layer ah of a load that your body needs to deal with and process, right? Right.
00:12:36
Speaker
100% Tanya. And there's so many conversations out there where people are saying like, just wait a few years from now, they're going to look back and be like, look at all the risks that were associated with these devices and being close to our bodies and in the rooms that we sleep in and constantly on and around our bodies.
00:12:54
Speaker
And so we don't have that necessarily enough research right now. As you said, Tanya, there is growing research. So just being aware of this is really, really important.
00:13:06
Speaker
Yeah, and I feel like we just exchanged a glance. And I think we're going to save talking about things like corded headphones to a phone conversation about EMFs. Let's stay to the point on this one. But being aware, and I love how you said it, Kim, because at the start, alcohol and smoking, that wasn't that big of a deal. There was smoking in hospitals, no problem, you know, Smoke to reduce stress.
00:13:32
Speaker
Exactly. So I feel much like you, Kim, that EMFs are going the exact same way. And in how many years, five, 10, whatever people to be like, can you imagine where our parents didn't know that like the ah disastrous effects of EMFs?
00:13:51
Speaker
I have this conversation with my husband on the daily about corded head bones versus And can I just say corded headphone problems? Yes, I use corded headphones. And every time I open a door or go through a door, yes, they got cut. Yes, everything smashes to the floor. But...
00:14:08
Speaker
I won't go back. I won't go to the non cordless headphones. 1000%. You should see me walking the dog. I have like the crossbody fanny pack with my bear spray and like a bear bell. And then I have poop bags in there. And like, if I'm listening to my phone, my, my podcast, my headset gets
The Influence of Technology on Children
00:14:25
Speaker
wrapped around the fanny thing, the dog moves, the phone falls in the mud. And I'm like, yeah, going cordless, not for noing problems. And we're proud of them. okay We digress. So listen, that will be another podcast. But I think for this podcast, one thing that's really important to talk about is why this hits women.
00:14:48
Speaker
in perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause harder. Because during these times, we are in such a massive transitional stage with our hormones.
00:15:02
Speaker
So this means our nervous system is a lot more sensitive. Ladies, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that. I'm sure you definitely have signs that your nervous system is more sensitive than it was 10, 15, 20 years cortisol patterns are our cortisol patterns are shifting, we know our sleep is already more fragile, and our detox pathways can be more so sluggish, right? So then we take these, these little odds that we're up against, they're odds that we're up against, they're things that we can fight through.
00:15:33
Speaker
But then we add on top of that, constant stimulation, inundation, picking up that phone, scrolling that phone, making sure, oh my God, who's texting? Is it my kids' school? What's going on? That almost panic we're creating for ourself with every little chime of our phones. We're doing blue night during the day and especially at night. And here's another part, which we're going to talk about in a second.
00:15:59
Speaker
We're also having emotional suppression during distraction because we are never bored. We are always, there's always something to do. So this is like plus, plus, plus this, plus this equals this. So what we see, what this starts to equal is increased inflammation in the body. And this can be a route of why you're holding on to extra weight. why you don't have any energy, why you feel like your body is sore and in pain, crickety all the time.
00:16:30
Speaker
Symptoms that deal with hormonal imbalances can intensify, whether that be symptoms like PMS um and a poor detox response. So even if you're doing the perfect cleanse with your practitioner, all the food, all the supplements,
00:16:47
Speaker
you know, you're not getting that cleanse what you need, right? Yes, all of that, Tanya. I love it. And I love the point that you made about emotional because here's the thing.
00:17:01
Speaker
And especially when we're relating to detox. So when you are when you're actively detoxing, when you're supporting your liver, we know that the liver is directly related to emotions like anger. when you're thinking about it in in ah in sort of the TCM mentality, anger, resentment, when you're supporting your liver and organs and detoxifications, emotions can come up, right? You can have old memories, trauma, um old patterns of behavior. You can sort of be clear on that mental chatter.
00:17:36
Speaker
if And it's important during this time, as you said, to observe what's coming up and work through those emotions. But when we're what we're so used to doing these days is suppressing them. So instead of processing these emotions, we scroll, we numb the feelings, we push things back down by distracting ourself rather than witnessing what is coming up within us. And I know we went on a different tangent there, but I think it's really important.
00:18:05
Speaker
Well, it is really important because we're not bored anymore. Every single... And it's not just because we have busy lives and we're adults,
Being Present and Mindful in a Digital World
00:18:13
Speaker
right? My mom didn't have Instagram to fall into bed after a busy day when she was my age. We are not creating space anymore for stillness, for reflection, and for feeling. So what I mean by this is that...
00:18:32
Speaker
We fill every single second of our day, most of us, with a device. If you're watching a show ah and the commercial comes on, who doesn't grab their phone and start scrolling?
00:18:43
Speaker
I do. I'm going to be completely honest. And if you're actually still watching a show, this is a classic, this is a classic Tanya, and something comes up, I'm like, oh, wow.
00:18:54
Speaker
I wonder if they're still together as I'm watching my trashy reality. And I'm on the phone researching if so-and-so are still together while I'm watching the reality show.
00:19:06
Speaker
You know, we don't have these quiet moments anymore. Or if ah you're out, you're out with a friend, you know, and you're having a latte and your friend goes to the bathroom. Your friend probably hasn't even gotten up from the table.
00:19:18
Speaker
and you're grabbing your phone. Because somehow we've created a world where it feels awkward, weird, and unnatural to be sitting at a table by he yourself for five minutes with your latte while your friend is in the bathroom without busying yourself on your phone. So whether you feel you're consciously suppression suppressing the emotions that come up or you don't, not creating space by always being on your device, that's exactly what it's doing because you don't have the silence for thoughts to come up and for feelings to be felt.
00:19:59
Speaker
Absolutely. And I believe that emotions get stored in your body, just like toxins do. So it is a huge part piece of the puzzle. And, you know, Tanya, during our um our um detox, digital detox, one thing that I found so such a benefit. was that I had all these creative ideas. Like we joked we joked about this in the group where we were saying like, okay, our creative so many people have these creative ideas when they're in the shower. Why? Because they don't have their device with them. It's probably the one time a day where they're actually free to think without distraction and to be truly present within themselves. and we talk about being mindful and present.
00:20:43
Speaker
As you said, Tanya, we don't give ourselves the space to do that. And so I found, you know, giving myself space without technology, I needed to actually carry a little journal around because I have ideas and things would come up because my mind is busy and active, but I don't necessarily allow myself to listen to it. And and you said something really interesting too.
00:21:06
Speaker
We can feel awkward when, like, when did that start feeling awkward by standing in a grocery store line and just waiting or, Sitting at a table while a friend uses the bathroom and waiting for them to come back. Like, why do we feel awkward with being alone and present?
00:21:23
Speaker
And then the other piece of that is, or is it that we can't be alone with our own thoughts? Where like, there's just, there's so much to unpack in that. Kim, good one. I wasn't even thinking about like the grocery store lineup. That's a big one for me as well. Like a thousand percent. And now you're, I'm reflecting and like, maybe you guys can reflect too as you listen. I don't know when that became unacceptable because we're on that generation, you and I, Kim. being 45, 80s babies were like, thank God. And we say this all the time. We did spend the bigger chunk of our young life without technology, right?
00:22:05
Speaker
And it wasn't until mid-20s where all of this, you know, smartphones were really coming out. And I don't want remember in my youth, feeling awkward doing anything waiting. I feel like I waited so much in high school. You'd be like, you know, meet me outside and someone doesn't come for like 20 minutes and you're just yeah right. And now here's another one. How about this too? I don't have kids of my own, but I walk the dog in the morning. I see i see kids, every single kid waiting at the bus stop. No one's talking to one another.
00:22:36
Speaker
They're all hunched over scrolling on their phone. So it just begs that point that we, are definitely creating ourselves to be in fight or flight all of the time, this low-grade inflammation, not even realizing that a big part of the puzzle to why we might be stagnant in our health goals, even though we feel like we're doing everything right and we're really trying, comes down to technology.
Managing Digital Boundaries for Well-being
00:23:05
Speaker
And it is something that don't think that a lot of people are talking about right now. And if you reflect on this, ladies, could this be your missing piece? So if you can ask yourself right now, make a list or kind of run through this in your mind. How many times a day do you think you pick up your phone without even thinking?
00:23:22
Speaker
I'm still, I can't even count. So maybe that'll be part of, you know, something that I'll be reflective on. Again, watching TV when you're alone, when you're waiting in line, when you're on the phone, I mean. Some of you are probably being like, I've done it.
00:23:39
Speaker
Exactly. But you hear, you feel heard. um When someone's talking to you, like, here's the big thing for me. That's the worst. This is what I want to say. Ladies, how many times are you not in the moment? And here's an example that comes to my mind as someone who travels back and forth to Ontario all of the time.
00:24:00
Speaker
My people in Ontario are so important to me and my people here are so important to me. So why would it be that when I'm in Ontario and I have these people in front of me that I don't see very often, what is so what can be so important that I would ever find the need to be scrolling on my phone or maybe texting Alberta people and vice versa? When I'm hanging out with my Alberta people, there's no need for me in the moment to be talking with my Ontario people. It's that immediate gratification that stresses people out. Like my husband, for example, he hates when he has alerts showing on his phone. They always need to be at zero. My phone stresses him out to no end. He's get a heart palpitation, seeing that every single
00:24:51
Speaker
app that you have, email has thousands of alerts. And this has been my transition. i said, then don't look. And I said, and the easiest way for me is that I have all of my alerts off and I can sit still successfully be a human that is reachable for the people that need me, my friends and my family. I can still run a successful business and not miss emails and group messages from what I do with my clients and not have my alerts on 24 seven and not feel like I am bound to that phone so I can allow my nervous system
00:25:27
Speaker
to relax and know that we were never meant to answer everybody right away. That's just not how we were designed as humans. Again, it's 2026, but our body is still archaic.
00:25:38
Speaker
We still have that archaic brain that isn't used to this inundation 24-7 without any micro moments of stillness. We've removed all of the micro moments of stillness in our lives.
00:25:52
Speaker
For sure. And the ability to be bored. I say that to my kids when the kids are like, I'm bored. I'm like, that's good for your brain. Go find something to do. And it takes them sometimes 20 minutes to get into something, but they normally do. Right.
00:26:04
Speaker
Because it's also that and and that kind of can be applied to adults as well. You know, when you feel that urgency, I need to check my phone. I'm sitting at the table. Give yourself a micro moment, as you just said, give yourself a second to let that feeling pass.
00:26:21
Speaker
Take a deep breath. Tanya, I see you're taking deep breath right now. And it's so true. Take a deep breath. Let that moment pass and see if you can be present in the moment. And it's so interesting. I love what you talked about doing the inventory and sort of thinking about how often you reach for the phone. But also, if you start to sort of give yourself those micromap moments of of breaks from it, pay attention to what you observe.
00:26:47
Speaker
If you're going for that walk, do you really observe the nature around your house or do you just take advantage of it on a day-to-day basis? Those moments with your kids, those moments with your partner, as you mentioned, Tanya, or like sitting across from your best friend over a coffee or a latte, like observing those moments of presence and how good that feels can kind of help, you know, be the evidence of why you need to keep going with paying attention to how often you use your phone and maybe leaving it behind every once in a while.
00:27:20
Speaker
Right, because i love that, Kim, these micro moments is where the regulation happens. This is where the body starts to say, OK, we're safe.
00:27:34
Speaker
um Let's actually start getting on to all of this amazing food that you're eating and all of these nutrients you're taking in. Let's actually use them and put them towards, you know, what they're supposed to be used for. And then we start to notice this is where we can start to see some subtle changes.
00:27:54
Speaker
When you are already doing the things, again, we love to say this, this isn't the only, the EMFs aren't the only problem, but they're a big problem. Trust us. So on a consistent basis, when you start to have these micro moments, and hopefully they start to turn into longer than micro moments, this is where things like detox can, can actually occur. This is where the body starts doing what it's supposed to be doing. And you're like, huh, isn't it interesting? I have more energy, something I've been blocked on for months.
00:28:27
Speaker
Wow, I'm feeling a little bit less puffy. And I think my clothes are fitting better. I think my weight shifting, something I've been working on for
Strategies for a Successful Digital Detox
00:28:35
Speaker
months. Huh? I just had a really good sleep.
00:28:38
Speaker
Just these little simple shifts and it's hard to do. i will tell you it's hard to do because I've said this quote unquote Tanya. I would rather lose my wallet with all of my credit cards and cash in it than my cell phone. That is me.
00:28:55
Speaker
I can own it. So this is the society we're living in It's like attached to us. It's like our security blanket, but I promise she'll be waiting for you. If you leave her behind a bit, she won't be angry about it and your will will start to change and your goals will start to shift along with all of the other pillars that you are doing to get to those goals.
00:29:20
Speaker
I love that, Tanya. I love that. Why don't we end on, let's give some strategies here and maybe we can give it as a challenge. Let's see, for all of you listening, let's see, and Tanya and I are in this with you, let's see if we can do this this week. or let maybe even want pick one of these strategies to implement in your life. And then as Tanya said, pay attention, pay attention to how you're feeling. And if anything is shifting for you.
00:29:50
Speaker
So here's a good one. One that I consistently fail at. I consistently start it every two weeks or so, and I fail within a couple days. So this is going to be mine.
00:30:01
Speaker
um the morning. And I know this. So many can relate to that, Tanya. So many people relate to this. Not only am I screwing my eyes because the first thing I'm looking at is blue light and not natural light. The morning, the first 10 to 20 minutes, just start there. You can extend it later.
00:30:21
Speaker
10 minutes. You can do it. Ladies, I can do it. No phone. Okay. So step one, 10 to 20 in the morning, no phone. we can do this.
00:30:32
Speaker
And we've talked about this one in another episode, because we talked about starting your day with intention. And what happens when you look at your phone in the morning, your energy gets shifted to whatever you just looked at. If you looked at, you know, the news about the world, your energy shifted positively or negatively. You look at an email from a client or work.
00:30:54
Speaker
Wow. You're, you're, you're on, you're actioning that item. So Love this. There's so many benefits to this one. Morning, first thing, we can do it. 10 to 20 minutes, no phone. Okay, what's next?
00:31:07
Speaker
And also, before I go to the next one, I wanted to add, you look at the weather and you see it feels like minus 60 in April. Another thing that drains your energy.
00:31:19
Speaker
100%. But here's another one. And I will say in all honesty, I don't know about you, Kim. I've been good with this one. This one I've been able to stick to is even one moment or longer if you can, depending on the lineup and where you are. One moment of waiting. Whether you are waiting for your kids in the pickup line after school or whether you're waiting at Costco in that long line, you got this. Just do nothing.
00:31:43
Speaker
Keep your phone in your fanny pack and wait. Yep. Let that awkward moment pass. Give yourself 60 seconds because that emotion, that that feeling will pass through and stay in it. I love that one. And also just to add on to that, one thing that I like to do when I'm paying attention, and if you are doing an inventory of how much time you're spending on technology, you can set yourself time limits. Set yourself time limits on your socials um and don't exceed it. Set yourself a time limit if you enjoy Netflix or or a show. Like don't let yourself watch the next episode.
00:32:20
Speaker
Let yourself experience. And because let's face it we all love our screens. There's also a purpose to them. There's some relaxation and enjoying like one of your trashy reality shows or whatever.
00:32:33
Speaker
But give yourself that time limit and stick to it. Kim, i okay I love this for so many reasons. First off, Again, ninety s problems.
00:32:46
Speaker
Do you guys know for any younger listeners, streaming wasn't always available. And can you imagine we had to wait every week for a new episode? We couldn't just be like, oh my God, that was so good. Next episode. We had to be like, oh my God, did you know that Brendan Dylan broke up and we needed to wait till next week to see what happened on 90210. So let's bring that back. Like we can do that for sure, right? That immediate gratification. And the other thing, Of course, I saw it on social media, but bear with me. This makes sense.
00:33:19
Speaker
I love this. One of my dear friends posted this and it was this post saying for every moment that this person spent on social media, which they tracked because you can do that through your phone.
00:33:32
Speaker
had to mirror that time with something creative. So that helped not only so mindless scrolling and creativity, but also they knew they couldn't get to four hours of scrolling because they couldn't commit to four hours of painting or something. So there was two kind of balances there. So I really liked that.
00:33:51
Speaker
That's a good strategy too. I love it. I love it. It goes back to what I said to my kids. Like, you know, it's okay to be bored. Right? It's okay to have those moments. You're going to get into something. Let your brain, like, let's see what comes out. And again, with that creativity, right? You never, like, you've got to give yourself those moments of silence. Also to really be in touch with that inner voice.
00:34:14
Speaker
Love it. Okay. Last one that's my issue is the evening wind down. This has always been my issue and it's taken a long time. And by all means, like,
00:34:27
Speaker
i Like I find the screens at night are the hardest thing. And we talked about this one on the sleep episode as well. Give your phone a bedtime. i think that was Mel Robbins who said that one. And it's so true. It's really hard, especially after a long day when you're just like, I want to zone out and just like enjoy this Netflix series or catch scroll on my phone or whatever. But that 20 minutes turns into two hours and then your bedtime is late and then you've had all this blue light exposure and we talked about the results of that.
00:34:59
Speaker
So evening wind down. Evening wind down. Yeah, no screens at least 30 minutes before. we would prefer an hour before bedtime.
00:35:11
Speaker
I agree. i also stumble here, not with my phone. I am good with putting my phone to bed. I'm like, bye. I turned my alerts off really early, but I do like to enjoy a show before bed. So all of these things we can keep in mind and all of these things.
00:35:28
Speaker
Every time, if maybe you're searching for your why and it's really hard to give up this screen time, but remember, these could literally shift everything for you, starting to really support your nervous system and peel back on the screen time. This could literally be the hidden reason, the missing piece.
00:35:49
Speaker
why you're exhausted, why your hormones aren't balancing, why you're in pain, why you're holding on to weight. It's not the only piece, but when you're so frustrated and you're doing everything and something's still holding on, I think there's something to be said about doing this kind of, like we said, a digital detox to help, you know, let go.
00:36:09
Speaker
Absolutely. And of course, like, of course, one thing that you should be considering and realizing is that it's not necessarily going to be comfortable just like when we do a detox to support our liver, you might get these healing reactions or these symptoms.
00:36:28
Speaker
You might experience symptoms. So be prepared for that, right? Like when you're taking away that dopamine, you want like that, you're you're craving that dopamine, right? You've got that dopamine addiction that when you're reaching for that phone. So it's not going to be comfortable always, but push through. And I guaranteed you will start seeing and feeling the results of of of this digital detox. You will start feeling, it but you have to push through the uncomfortable feelings. So I hope we inspired you. I hope this was an episode that made you think a little about your own relationship with your devices. Right, Tanya?
00:37:08
Speaker
Absolutely. And give it a try. You have nothing to lose. Absolutely. We'll talk to you all next week. Have a good one, everyone. Bye guys. Hey guys, thanks so much for hanging out with us today.
00:37:21
Speaker
If this episode resonated with you, we would love it if you would hit like, subscribe to the podcast and share it with a friend. We love to hear from you because let's be honest, this show is for you. If you have a topic you'd love us to tackle or want to learn more about something we talked about today, send us a message. We got you.
00:37:41
Speaker
Stay connected with us on social media at what's my age again dot podcast for even more knowledge and inspiration between episodes. Kim and I aren't doctors or your healthcare practitioners.
00:37:54
Speaker
Everyone's body is unique, so always consult your own healthcare provider before starting something new.