Today I would like to point out another paradox in our conversations about digital wellbeing. Most mainstream articles blame social media platforms for the mental health state of our nation. Now, aside from a simplified, unsupported argument about mental health in general, we need to start thinking about how the social web actually works.
Our online and offline experiences are interconnected. Digital is part of our reality – it’s not out there, but here…honestly, it’s been here long enough to take it seriously instead of demonising it.
Working as a digital wellbeing consultant, coach and counsellor I come across the idea of complete unplugging almost all the time. The conversations around digital wellbeing are almost fixated on the idea of switching off the Internet…as if our online identities and belongings were clearly defined online and very separated from our offline reality.
Well, that’s simply not the case.
This month I reflect on our journey so far. So many of us walk this path making choices based on mainstream myths around the impact of digital technologies on your wellbeing that I have decided to write more about the facts. Facts are…complicated.
If disconnecting from social media and online news is not the right fit for you, here are my personal top five digital wellbeing tips for travelling.
With longer days and snowdrops here, in the U.K., change is up in the air. That can mean a good thing: hopefulness, joy and lighter reality. We start to move more, leave comfy blankets at home and enjoy long walks or biker rides. However, the pandemic is still here, and many still experience loss. We need to be aware of the quiet, underlying impact of their and our collective trauma, especially now that the healing begins for many of us.
A huge thank you for joining the celebrations of the first global Digital Wellness Day 2020 last Friday.
The Coronavirus-enforced lockdown presents a really difficult challenge for our individual and collective mental health. Being isolated in this way stops us from doing a lot of the things that keep us well, like being physically connected to friends, hobbies and the outdoors – and this withdrawal can exacerbate feelings of anxiety, loneliness and low mood.
Many of us will now be spending a significant amount of time in front of screens and will have reverted to digital alternatives in an attempt to retain some sense of normality. Such an increase in online activity in itself comes with its own impact on our wellbeing, so here are some ideas and tips for keeping ‘well’ online and managing our digital usage sensibly throughout this weird time
Join us in celebrations of the Digital Wellness Day this Friday, 1 May, at 7 PM GMT over on our Instagram account
Today I would like to look at how to manage our mobile notifications because it is the device most attached to us during the day. Here are my personal tips, but I would love to know what works for you.