i-wellness: Adapting Digital Wellness in Your Life
By: Gina N. Fico
Technology is a huge part of our lives. From socialization to business, medical care, and education it is no secret that technology has taken over. Just think about the role your phone, computers, tablets, and wearables have in your daily life.
While the integration of technology has brought remarkable benefits to how we navigate life(especially during the COVID-19 pandemic) we can’t deny the consequences. Excessive digitalization has caused many problems, such as depression, anxiety, isolation, and sleep problems. It has also caused spikes in cyberbullying in children and teens and online scams. Too much screen time has even resulted in physical problems such as eye strain and back problems.
The dependence on devices has grown so much that many people have become addicted. People often joke about it but it really is no joke. According to reviews.org,
“47% consider themselves “addicted” to their phones.” Another staggering statistic in regards to phone addiction according to review.org, is "on average, Americans check their phones 344 times per day. (That’s once every 4 minutes!)” These are very scary facts to think about.
So you might be asking yourself, what can I do about this? I think the first step is to take a moment and become mindful of your digital habits. We as a society don’t really pay much attention to how much of an impact this has. Keep a journal for a few days of how much time you are spending interacting with technology. Observe ways to replace useless screen time such as interacting with people IRL or reconnecting with nature, Tip* don’t jump on the tech bandwagon- if a platform isn’t making your life easier-don’t force it!
If this is something you like to explore more, I’m doing a virtual workshop on August 5th, 2022(Link provided below) Because together we can create a more tech-sustainable world!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/camp-co-co-i-wellness-adapting-digital-wellness-in-your-life-registration-327509308157?fbclid=IwAR0ysWCjMIUpgQH1HL7ZydEeAOvwmyiqE9MqSmHvbnYHqVAqeZ1RT92UhCY
