Join the Digital Wellness Challenge
April 28 - May 2!
On April 28th, registered participants will receive a daily email with challenges!
What is Digital Wellness?
Digital wellness is the intentional pursuit of a healthy relationship with technology,
maximizing its benefits while minimizing negative impacts on mental, emotional, and
physical well-being. It involves conscious adoption of sustainable habits aligned
with personal values and goals, allowing for a balanced integration of the digital
and physical worlds to achieve overall flourishing.
For one week, we encourage you to try a different challenge each day to be more intentional about your digital usage. We've curated daily tips, resources, and activities to help you explore and develop new digital wellness habits.
At the end of the challenge, the B-Healthy Office in Academic B will give a prize to all participants who submit their self-reflection forms! Final submission to be eligible for a prize is 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6.
Day 1: Spring clean your feed
Challenge: Unfollow accounts that make you feel drained, stressed, or insecure, follow creators that inspire, educate, or bring joy, mute or hide content, reflect on how your feed makes you feel 鈥 not just what it shows.
Why? Research indicates a significant link between unmoderated social media use and mental health issues. Users often compare their lives to what they see online, experience fear of missing out (FOMO) and may feel lonelier or more disconnected after several minutes of scrolling.
It鈥檚 easy to get caught in a 鈥榥egativity vortex鈥 where your feed amplifies shocking news and reaction-driven content, leading to feelings of fear, anxiety and depression. Being intentional about the content we consume can foster a healthier relationship with technology and social media.
Additional Tips:
- Check your 鈥榗ontent preferences鈥 to see the topics your algorithm shows you. You might find some surprising or unwanted ones!
- It's common to encounter a mix of serious news and lighthearted content on social media, which can lead to emotional whiplash. Reflect on your intent when using these apps鈥攁re you seeking updates or laughter? Consider separating news from fun content and adjusting your preferences accordingly.
- If you don鈥檛 want to unfollow a friend or creator, but find that their content lately is affecting you negatively, see if the app allows you to 鈥榤ute鈥 them for a period of time!
Day 2: Cut the late night buzz!
Challenge: Silence social media notifications after hours. Schedule 'wind down' and 'bedtime' on your phone to suppress notifications for certain periods (ex., from 11 p.m.-11 a.m., suppress unnecessary notifications). Avoid letting doom-scrolling be the last thing you do before you sleep or the first thing you do when you wake up!
How?
Why? Many of us recognize that electronic devices can disrupt our sleep due to blue light, which affects melatonin production and reduces time spent in essential sleep stages like slow-wave and REM sleep.
Using social media before bed can exacerbate this by keeping our brains active and alert, making it harder to feel sleepy.
To improve sleep quality, consider muting notifications at bedtime and using features like blue light filters or app locks that some phones offer during 鈥榮leep mode.鈥
Additional Tips:
- Create a bedtime and wake-up routine to follow daily. Consistency in your schedule can improve your sleep!
- To mute some notifications but not others, check your settings! You can allow certain contacts or apps to override 'do not disturb' so you still receive important alerts, like medication reminders or messages from family, while filtering out distractions.
- Scrolling in the morning can be tempting, but it's not the best start. Instead, try setting priorities or engaging your brain with a crossword or Wordle!
Day 3: Take back your time and set limits to gain focus!
Challenge: Today, set time limits on apps that distract you or use 鈥淧hone Downtime鈥 to block apps you don鈥檛 need during key parts of the day. At the end of the day, check your screen time and reflect on whether limiting notifications made a difference in your day.
How? How to Set Focus Mode for iPhone and Android
Why? Reducing notifications can lower stress and improve focus. Embrace JOMO (Joy of Missing
Out) by disconnecting from social media.
A randomized control study found that participants who used an app blocking mobile
internet for two weeks experienced significant improvements in well-being, mental
health, and attention, with over 91% reporting positive changes. They could still
text and make calls, and access the internet through non-mobile devices.
Setting 'focus modes' or dedicating time to limit social media access can enhance our overall well-being and mental health.
Additional Tips:
- Use 鈥淒o Not Disturb鈥 or 鈥淔ocus Mode鈥 settings on your phone. You can set times or locations for these settings to automatically switch on.
- Choose specific times to check notifications instead of reacting immediately.
Notice you get too many notifications from certain apps? Look into settings and choose which apps send notifications and which ones don鈥檛. - Switch certain notifications to only appear in your notification center, and turn off their ability to show up as a banner or pop-up.