Influencer shares ‘ultimate wellness hack’ you should do every night

A TikTok influencer has shared her top tip for living her best life, and you can try the six-second, totally free wellness hack tonight!

As you ready yourself for slumber, set sail for sanity by setting your alarm and switching your phone to airplane mode … and keep it that way.

Wellness expert Rebecca Leigh explains, “When you wake up, don’t turn your phone off of airplane mode for the first 30 minutes of your day. Since it’s on airplane mode, you won’t be tempted to check notifications.”

Leigh recommends utilizing that first distraction-free half-hour of the day to meditate, journal and/or spend time outdoors. She assures, “You will have a significantly different day than if you start it by looking at your phone first thing in the morning.”

Leigh’s simple solution comes as we face the negative consequences of lots of screen time, which has been directly linked to the development of borderline personality traits and psychological distress.

Disconcertingly, the average American spends nearly 2? hours per day on social media, and research suggests that all of that scrolling mimics the effects of substance abuse and can lead to anxiety and loneliness.

Further reports link late-night phone use to social jet lag and sleep disorders.

In terms of mental health, Leigh calls her switch to airplane mode “life-changing” and reports that it has significantly improved her focus and anxiety levels.

And she’s not the only one to notice a positive change.

Hannah Jane Parkinson, a columnist at the Guardian, similarly praises airplane mode as the ideal way to unbind and unwind the mind. “It is the way we switch off — without actually switching off,” Parkinson writes. “It allows us a pause in the constant chatter of life. It is a deep breath of the analog. It’s a small toggle that allows the brain the equivalent of kicking one’s shoes off when home and sprawling across the sofa.”

Just as airplane mode can be the sweet relief that leads to a better night’s sleep and a brighter tomorrow, additional strategies like taking a stroll after dinner and keeping a gratitude journal can help you wake up refreshed and ready to conquer the day.