‘Digital detox, social media breaks are important for mental wellness’

Psychologists point out that it’s high time we acknowledged the need to improve our digital health. “Digital wellness refers to the state of one’s mental and physical health in a digital age. During the pandemic, the world connected, survived and healed via technology and all the benefits that come with it. It’s safe to say that being in a digital world has now become more than a luxury. It’s a necessity. One cannot imagine going about their day without using their smartphone. There is a dependency attached to it that is easily available. Looking at how this digital age is just getting started, it’s safe to assume it’s not going anywhere. Therefore, we need to take preventive measures to try and balance the use instead of calling it harmful and hoping to get rid of it. We can take small measures like taking a digital break over the weekend were for a big amount of time instead of binge-watching something you may want to read or make something even. Stay away from the screen - give yourself 60-90 minutes of break each day and stay away from the screen, this can be substituted with family time or listening to music, etc., Use blue light if you’re working for longer hours,” says Nikita Vyas, a psychologist and mindset coach from the city.

She points out that being too addicted to social media apps is due to loneliness, anxiety or even FOMO (fear of missing out). “It wouldn’t be impossible to schedule a set time to visit social media apps. Monitoring the time will help you a lot. If you have a tablet, you can switch all the apps from your phone to your tab and keep the tab in a different room to avoid temptation. Instead of chatting which can go on and on, pick up the phone and call and talk Include more if not equal amount of time for walks, meditation, hobbies, spending time with family, etc. It would be ingenuous to say that being in a digital age is bad. One needs to learn how to take charge and make it work for them rather than feeling helpless about it,” she adds.

Mental health professional and counsellor Raushni Khanna informs us that a term called ‘zoom fatigue’ was discussed among many working professionals in the past year. “Though working from home was a boon to many, this also brought in a lot of mental health issues. Continuously sitting in front of the laptop/computer is not just physically exhausting but also mentally tiring. This made people think about the importance of digital wellness. What I have noticed is that in the past year many have started using social media apps many times more than the pre-COVID times. Overuse of social media leads to anxiety and productivity guilt Seeing other people’s posts, one often feels like they are not doing good in life. This will hugely affect mental health. Your sleep pattern will also get affected. Mindful usage of social media and other digital mediums is recommended,” says Raushni Khanna, who is also the executive director of a mental health NGO Onelife.