We’re undeniably living in the golden age of wellness. Yoga has never been more popular, wellness tools are on the rise and we’ve seen a global shift towards more sustainable work-life balancing. Unlike personal wellness, we rarely hear about digital wellness. What exactly is it and what does it involve?
Understanding digital wellness
Let’s do a quick exercise together. Pick up your phone and take a quick look at your screen-time for today. Not bad enough? Take a look at your screen time for the past week or month. Yep, we’re worried about that number too!
We’re spending more time online than ever — whether it’s on your phone, computer or television. Naturally, an overuse of these devices could lead to negative effects including anxiety, stress and mood changes. Instead of using technology to improve our psychological health by connecting with loved ones, we often fall down a path of insecurity, jealousy or exhaustion.
Besides being affected emotionally by overuse of devices, our bodies can suffer too. Hunched shoulders, dry eyes, myopia or even sore fingers are all indicators that you’re not treating your body right. Technology usage is at overdrive and it could be harming your physical wellness.
How can I improve my digital wellness?
#1 Understand your digital wellness
Understanding your online habits is the first step to improving your digital wellness. Check your screen time regularly to see the average number of hours you spend on your phone or monitor your body to spot the physical signposts we mentioned above.
#2 Too much? Don’t worry!
By this step, you’ve probably realised that your tech usage is more than what’s ideal for you. No worries! You can reduce your technology usage and improve digital wellness in a couple of ways. First, you can tackle the problem from its very cause. Yes, that means taking advantage of screen time lockdowns or do not disturb features on your devices to limit the amount of time you spend on them. A less stringent option would be to schedule breaks. Especially during this work from home period, you may find yourself on your computer way longer than you should! Try using a Timeqube and schedule a break every hour or so. And by a break, we don’t mean scrolling on Instagram! Take a stroll, grab a coffee or do some stretches instead.
#3 Rope someone into it
Making a lifestyle change is always easier with a friend. Try making digital wellness a family-wide change by encouraging each other to spend less time on your devices. Hold each other accountable and make improvements together!
Start small and grow from there
You can improve your digital wellness in a couple of quick steps — why not start today?
