7 Steps to Enhance Your Digital Wellness

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We are surrounded by technology, day in and day out, and studies are finding that being constantly plugged in can have serious mental and physiological health effects. In fact, researchers say that we’ve now gone beyond the ability to quantify screen time accurately, because screens are so ubiquitous. We move, sometimes within seconds, from smartwatch to smartphone, laptop to car console, streaming video to Facebook, and on and on. The so-called “screenome” influences our attention, our environment, and our health. 

Because adolescents are on the front lines of tech use, they have been the first to manifest technology's negative impact on mental health—like canaries in a coal mine. Experts claim that the insidious effect of social media, the lack of time outdoors as a result of tech use, and the constant stimulation provided by devices have all contributed to the rise in depression, anxiety, and suicide in teens and young adults. In terms of brain function, technology acts like a drug: Online distractions have been shown to potentially create addictive habituation patterns.

Along with the mental health concerns are the physiological effects—the larger potential impact of devices, especially cellphones, on our physical health. One area clearly at risk: Our sleep. Sleep issues impact 50 to 70 million Americans, and digital saturation makes it worse. Research reveals that the blue light emitted by devices disrupts serotonin and melatonin regulation, which directly affects sleep patterns. Also, phone time in bed messes with our natural rhythms and hampers our ability to relax. 

“Misuse and overuse of the senses create imbalance in the nervous system,” says Erin Casperson, Dean of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda. “Every time you engage on email or social media, it stimulates the circuits in your brain and nervous system, activating the stress response and making it difficult to rest and restore.”

The good news is that we can change the patterns. Allotting time specifically for no screens is an intentional way to limit exposure.

Digital Wellness as a Way to Connect

Digital wellness zones are areas, locations, or time slots dedicated to untethering from tech and experiencing life in real time. For some, it may be an hour each day when we turn off all notifications. For others, it’s a retreat and renewal spot, like Kripalu. The idea is to unplug to plug in. When we put down our devices, we look up, engage, and come back to the world, and to ourselves. We have the opportunity to connect with the natural world, to savor face time instead of FaceTime, and to be creative. 

“We all want to feel connected,” says Coby Kozlowski, Kripalu Schools teacher-trainer and a certified life coach. “Often, people rely on their devices to get plugged into life. But the truth is that it doesn’t fulfill us in the ways we long for. To me, it is critical to unplug, in order to actually plug in.”

In addition, unplugging resets our nervous system. When we’re constantly being Slacked, emailed, texted, DMd, or tagged, our sympathetic nervous system goes into fight-or-flight mode. But when we reduce the stimuli and give ourselves space to get quiet and breathe deeply, we ignite the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the rest-and-digest functions that regulate heart rate, gastrointestinal activity, and systemic restoration. 

Unplugging takes some effort and discipline; when we set boundaries and limit habits that may run counter to our health, it can feel hard at first. But the payoff is immeasurable.  

“Like breaking any habit, you need to know that putting down your phone may be uncomfortable,” says Coby. “But the benefits on the other side include less anxiety, more space, more time to ground, deeper connection, and more creativity.” Give it a try!

Kimberly Jordan Allen is an award-winning writer, editor, and content strategist.