Digital wellness (also known as digital wellbeing) is the pursuit of an intentional and healthy relationship with technology, both in the workplace and in personal life. We live in this modern technological world where we must adapt. We must have the tools to really protect ourselves because there is this constant flux of stimulation, information, images and all sorts of things coming at us. And this isn’t something that was a concern to our forefathers but right now we need to look at our total holistic lifestyle and really make some shifts to continue to elevate our wellbeing.
Studies have shown a negative impact of excessive gadget use leading to a decline in performance rates, effect on sleep patterns, and reduction in workplace achievements thereby causing hindrance in unlocking the maximum potential of an individual. According to researchers such as Dr.Gabor Mate, he talks about how emotional stress contributes to physical illness from cancer to autoimmune conditions and how it affects our glandular system and our endocrine system. So wellness is not just about the physical body or food intake but it is a lifestyle and a personalized approach to living life in a way that allows us to become the best kind of person that our potentials, circumstances, and fate will allow.
We live in this world where our phones are with us all the time and especially during the pandemic we were all wired to our phones and laptops as we were caged at our homes. According to data studies, it states that the average person on Instagram checks the app 36 times a day and as of 2022, the average daily social media use worldwide is 147 minutes. This is a bit frightening considering that there is research being conducted. Instagram was ranked to be the most negative on mental health of all of the social media apps. According to Psychology of Popular Media Culture, it has been found in particular that Instagram users who engage in digital status seeking (looking for popularity online) and social comparison (evaluating oneself in relation to others) tend to experience negative psychological outcomes specifically with body image and self-esteem concerns, social anxiety, depressive symptoms, fear of missing out (FOMO) and a desire for plastic surgery etc.
With the use of social media apps, individuals are always thinking about what to post, how many people have commented and liked the post which means that we are always looking for that validation outside of ourselves which is fleeting and temporary. We start to crave more and more of that validation outside of ourselves and it starts to weaken our deep connection to the true self which is that our worth is not up for grabs. Our worth does not change with what is based or with what is going on outside of us. Our worth is intact, no matter what is going on in the external world. But when we are constantly on the apps, we lose sight of that and we can get sucked into this world and we become very vulnerable to that. Nowadays people are more concerned about taking the perfect picture instead of enjoying a party or a moment with friends. It has become all about the picture until we get the perfect one and then posting it in the middle of a really joyful experience in anticipation for the likes and comments. And so we can see the true energetic drain of all of these in our lives. And it’s really important that we do create healthy boundaries because we have to make a choice. Do I really want to have peace, joy, fulfillment in my life, or do I want my life to be occupied with these apps, which pull us into the external world and away from ourselves all day long?
Here are a couple key takeaways that we can all start to contemplate and integrate into our own lives. Firstly, go through all your accounts and do a detox, meaning just make sure that everybody that you are following is feeling inspiring and joyful. I just actually went through this practice myself and felt so rewarding! We can also start by practicing to unplug our phones and taking a break from technology and smartphones once a day according to our own convenience to promote balance and recharge oneself with social interactions and putting aside a day for self-reflection and regaining control of one’s life. Marie Kondo in her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” said this about tidying up. It should spark joy. And if something is not making you just feel great, then mute it or unfollow it- it’s really important to do that. Number two is about minimizing our social media use and setting an intention with our screen time. Turning off alerts and starting to get used to this is a scheduled thing. For example, we can start incorporating this practice with our parents even if they are not on social media; they always check the news constantly creating more anxiety. Number three is about cultivating good sleep hygiene. Before settling in to sleep, practice not being on social media at all. For instance let’s say one hour before bed for starters and we could start moving that up every 20 minutes or so. We will become aware of feeling more peaceful and more relaxed with the absence of social media in our lives. Hence, it is of foremost importance to be out of this “comparison culture mindset”. Lastly, doing our own self-connection practices which resonates to us individually like meditating for seven minutes, drinking water with lemon, journaling our thoughts and emotions, getting clarity about our goals etc. We are particularly vulnerable if we get up and have not set our intentions for the day and we see those work stress emails, calls and a lot of stuff going on. We are already pulled away from our center.
In fact, it is about having this connection of who we are and our true self; the less we get pushed around by social media and the external world in general. It is really important that we create healthy boundaries and inculcate actual practices and tools in our daily life otherwise we will get swept up in the chaos and our overall mental health can profoundly suffer. So it is up to us to protect our light, to protect our energy and to keep moving forward.
Aren Aier,
Assistant Professor,
St Joseph University
Chumoukedima