Digital Wellness: Maintaining Sanity in Digital Times
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- August 21, 2024
We are in the digital age, an era where technology is involved in almost every aspect of our daily routine. From the moment we wake up until we call it a day, it’s virtually impossible not to carry out a task without technology enabling us. There’s no doubt that technology plays a vital role in our daily lives, but while it offers numerous benefits, excessive use hurts our mental and physical health.
We will help you understand digital wellness and how to find a balance in your technology use to ensure it enhances your well-being rather than detracting from it.
Grasping Digital Wellness
First, we need to understand digital wellness. Simply put, it involves the mindful use of technology to maintain a healthy balance between our online and offline lives. Just like most things in life, there has to be a balance because no matter how good a thing is, too much of it doesn’t always end well, especially if it leads to addiction.
The Impact of Technology on Mental Health
Social Media Stress
With so much enticing lifestyle and extravagance shown on social media, this can create unrealistic expectations and make you feel inadequate. They say comparison is the thief of joy, and so many people compare their lives with what they see on social media so much that they forget their progress and judge their lives based on the progress of others. This sort of stress goes deeply into your mind and affects your mental health.
Digital Burnout
Digital burnout is the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion one feels due to the prolonged and extensive use of digital devices and online platforms. Studies have shown that excessive use of digital devices affects an individual’s level of productivity, concentration, and overall well-being, especially with the constant influx of notifications, emails, and other digital distractions. These burnouts can get worse and lead to a severe decline in health.
Strategies For Digital Detox
Managing Screen Time
Managing your screen time takes discipline. To monitor and limit daily screen time, you need to set limits for the usage of different apps or built-in features on your devices. You should also take breaks using the 20-20-20 rule, which says, “Every 20 minutes, you take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away to reduce strain on the eyes.”
Set Digital Curfews
This may sound odd, but you need to set a curfew when using your devices. This approach helps ensure that you get enough rest for your eyes and enough hours of sleep.
Every aspect of your life is connected, and a decline in one aspect leads to a decline in another, as they are all connected. Your mental health, just like your physical health, needs to be taken seriously to avoid a mental breakdown. You know what they say: Health is wealth.
