We spend a lot of our time online: according to recent statistics, the average American spends three hours and 30 minutes daily on the internet on their phones alone. Add desktop internet usage into the mix and you’ve got a huge chunk of each day.
This means that digital wellbeing is a crucial part of wellness that you need to consider. What is digital wellbeing? In essence, it’s a set of healthy habits that can reduce the stress that being online causes.
Are you ready to learn more and enjoy your time online a lot more? Then read on!
- Don’t Be Afraid to Quit Social Media
Social media can be a blessing and a curse. Sure, it lets us keep in touch with people we otherwise wouldn’t, but it also shows us a highlight reel of other people’s lives, which can lead to us comparing our life to these highlight reels and coming up short.
If, for instance, you’re having financial difficulties but your Instagram feed is full of people going on expensive vacations, it’s easy to feel inadequate.
If social media is making you more uncomfortable, quit it. Not tomorrow or next week, right now: your mental health will thank you.
- Make the Most of Block and Mute Buttons
We talked about how social media helps you stay in touch with people you otherwise wouldn’t. Well, sometimes you wouldn’t keep in touch for a good reason.
If someone is being cruel, brags all the time, or is otherwise making you uncomfortable, you don’t need to put up with it. You can block them, which will unfriend them and stop them from seeing your profile!
If you want to take a more subtle approach, you can mute them. If you mute someone on Instagram, for instance, they’ll still be able to see your profile and vice-versa, but you won’t see their content in your feed.
- Find Analogue Ways to Spend Your Time
Think of how you would be spending your time right now if you didn’t have access to the internet or electronic devices. Would you be cooking a new recipe? Trying a new musical instrument?
Think of all the ways that you might be occupying your time if you were to be without the internet, and try out some of these activities! You might love getting a break from your phone.
- Try Monotasking
We’re all familiar with the experience of multitasking. Yet sometimes we try too hard and end up trying to balance too many tasks at once.
Instead of multitasking, adopt a radically different approach: monotasking. Think about the tasks that you need to take care of and focus on them alone. Don’t try to read Twitter or do another job at the same time: take the slow approach to life.
Your Digital Wellbeing Is Important
We spend so much time online but it’s easy to neglect our digital wellbeing. By following the tips that we’ve given you, you’ll be able to live a more balanced life. It’s waiting for you: you just need to seize it.
