Digital wellness involves managing how long we spend using devices and taking regular breaks from screens in order to reduce eye strain, back and wrist pain, and improve sleep quality. Encourage healthy habits by restricting email after hours, advocating ergonomic best practices, and organizing offline activities. Educators can set an example by setting boundaries and unplugging during non-work hours.
1. Limit your screen time
Please consider using digital devices responsibly and take a moment to honestly assess how you are utilizing them. If you find yourself spending too much time focused on tasks or scrolling social media during breaks, consider restricting these activities. Opting out of technology at least an hour before bed and replacing it with relaxing activities such as reading a physical book, journaling, or mindfulness meditation may help avoid sleep-disturbing blue light and promote better quality restful slumber.
Digital wellness practices also involve restricting the number of apps you download, setting daily app usage limits, and developing a calming nightly ritual to promote restful sleep. Tools like Digital Wellbeing, screen time monitors, and focus modes can assist with tracking device usage.
2. Take a break
Breaks from screen time can help you refocus, relieve fatigue, and increase productivity. In addition, taking breaks allows your eyes to take a breather from looking at a computer monitor while providing you with time and space to move around, exercise, or enjoy some fresh air.
Many online tools enable you to track your screen time, provide guidance for healthy behaviors, and encourage unplugging. Digital wellness involves finding balance and adopting healthy practices into daily routines. Establishing a healthy relationship between technology and human well-being is critical. Start small by setting screen time limits, developing routines, setting aside device-free zones, and using tools designed to promote digital wellness.
3. Move your body
Sitting for long hours each day, whether in an office setting or at home, can have serious repercussions for both physical and digital well-being. Moving throughout the day is key for digital well-being.
Exercise doesn’t need to be high-intensity or intense to make an impactful difference; adding small movements like stretching or walking every hour can make an enormous difference in how we feel throughout our days. Socializing IRL is another effective way to move your body. From meeting friends or classmates for coffee or lunch to reaching out to coworkers, reaching out is an essential part of digital wellness and will help form connections while supporting mental well-being as well.
4. Set boundaries
Many apps and phone features allow you to track how long you spend using each website or application, giving a comprehensive picture of your digital habits as well as providing ways to make improvements. This data provides a wonderful snapshot of digital habits while pointing out areas for improvement.
Setting tech-free zones and times, such as a digital curfew before bed or screen-free mealtimes, encourages healthy behaviors. Engaging in activities other than screens – like physical reading or outdoor hobbies – may also foster healthier screen time habits. Eliminating digital distractions can help increase focus and productivity and decrease anxiety levels while simultaneously improving digital wellness. When practicing mindful digital wellness, it’s essential that goals are regularly assessed and altered accordingly.
5. Turn off notifications
Turning off notifications is key to creating a balanced screen time routine and avoiding distractions. You can do this either through your Settings app or with apps like ‘Digital Wellbeing,’ which monitor device usage and provide tools such as app usage timers.
Utilizing these tools helps users become aware of their digital habits and can be tailored according to individual goals and needs. Establishing technology-free zones and scheduling regular breaks from screens also help reduce dependence on devices while encouraging healthier habits. Promoting real-world social interactions as well as hobby activities may replace online entertainment, providing students with a sense of connection.
6. Limit your screen time before bed
Nightly scrolling of social media or email can have adverse effects on sleep quality; electronic screens emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin production, leading to poor-quality restful slumber and daytime fatigue.
Try turning off all devices at least an hour before bed to create a peaceful evening routine and unwind from a long day of electronic use. Instead, switch it up by reading a book, taking a bath, or engaging with people face-to-face, as human interaction has proven effective at relieving stress and improving mental well-being. Also, taking part in group activities or even just spending time alone is often enough to recharge our energy reserves!
7. Turn off blue light
Blue light from screens can cause eye strain and interfere with your sleep cycle, so most phones and tablets come equipped with features to filter out blue light — either manually or automatically at sunset and sunrise. To lessen their impact, many phones and tablets feature filters to reduce this form of illumination. To minimize its negative impacts, many have features that filter it out – either manually or automatically when they detect sunset and sunrise.
Digital wellbeing apps also provide ways to monitor screen time by tracking how long you spend using specific apps and websites, setting usage limits for yourself or children in your family, creating healthy habits, and finding an equilibrium that suits your lifestyle. These apps can help create healthy routines while finding balance.
8. Turn off social media before bed
Social media can be a wonderful way to stay in touch with family and friends, but it is essential to disconnect before bed. Viewing highly curated, idealized content before sleeping may cause upward social comparison, leading to stress levels rising while decreasing melatonin production—ultimately leading to insomnia or poor restful sleep.
To prevent yourself from reaching for your phone an hour before bed, try placing it somewhere apart from your bedroom and using One UI 5’s Digital Wellbeing feature to set timers for apps that you use frequently. Or consider replacing social media with more relaxing activities, like listening to soothing music or reading a book.
9. Set goals
Striking a balance in your relationship with technology is essential to reaching optimal wellness. The process includes limiting screen time, prioritizing physical activity, and creating meaningful connections in real life. Technology-free zones and timers can help individuals set digital boundaries to avoid screen addiction. Encouraging hobbies that don’t involve computers, such as cooking, reading, or sports, can also reduce screen time, while engaging in face-to-face interactions, such as regular coffee dates or community groups, can strengthen relationships while supporting wellness.
Encourage your team to take a break from screens by sharing resources on mindful tech use, time management tools, and mindfulness practices. Furthermore, you could organize workshops or training sessions to educate about the benefits of digital wellness.
