This week we’re chatting with Dr Charlotte Armitage, psychologist, psychotherapist and founder of No Phones At Home Day, which is on 20 January 2024.

Hi, Charlotte! If you could recommend One Good Thing everyone can do to improve their mental health, what would it be?

Put your phone down! We are all so used to spending too much time on our devices and we don’t yet fully understand the impact that these devices are having on our mental health and wellbeing. We are aware that social media can make us feel negative but there are more issues relating to device use. Being on our devices separates us from those around us and can compound feelings of loneliness and isolation, but what we need to make us feel good is in-person interaction, not online interaction.

Why is this your One Good Thing?

It encourages us to relate to people in person. We know that one of the biggest contributing factors towards feelings of happiness and longevity is the depth of the connections around us, therefore building real relationships can work wonders for our physical and mental wellbeing.

Putting down the device encourages us to seek out interaction in person. It forces us to do activities not related to our phones. These activities might involve going outdoors, meeting with others, being creative – all things that are good for our health.

What benefits could we see from putting down our phones for the day?

Reduced anxiety levels, improved feelings of connectedness, reduced feelings of overwhelm, relaxation.

How might we get it wrong? And how can we avoid those pitfalls?

The common pitfalls would be trying to go too long without your device too soon. If you set a challenge ensure that it feels achievable. It’s National No Phones At Home Day on Saturday 20 January 2024, so this could be a great day to start practising having time away from your devices. Perhaps try setting small achievable steps for yourself to have some screen-free time, even if this is just 30 minutes a day, then increase it to an hour a day. Monitor how you feel in those times without your device. It might surprise you, so don’t be worried if it feels uncomfortable at first; that is normal.

How do you personally do your One Good Thing?

I set boundaries surrounding my screen use, so I have specific times of the day and week when devices aren’t used. I have also removed all notifications from my phone and cleared my home screen so all apps are in folders, which makes them harder to get to. I also put my phone on airplane mode in the evening so I don’t face notifications first thing in the morning.

And how has doing this changed your life for the better?

I feel more able to concentrate, less overwhelmed and less burnt out. I feel that my work-life balance is much better since having more time away from my device. 

Frame Of Mind is Stylist’s home for all things mental health and the mind. From expert advice on the small changes you can make to improve your wellbeing to first-person essays and features on topics ranging from autism to antidepressants, we’ll be exploring mental health in all its forms. You can check out the series home page to get started.