Imagine waking up on one fine morning. You are in the mood to cherish and leverage the slow pace of your morning, and you hear a sudden knock at your door. You open the door and are suddenly bombarded by a crowd of unknown people, transforming your calm morning into a chaotic one within minutes. What you imagined to be a productive day gets beautifully ruined by the unwanted arrival of the chaotic feeling, leaving you overwhelmed the rest of the day.
This is precisely what happens when we don’t create boundaries and fail to understand the importance of a balanced approach in this digital age. The 21st century is where our lives are increasingly intertwined with digital technology. While technology indubitably has effectively streamlined many things for us, it can also become overwhelming and detrimental to our overall well-being. While this digital age offers us many opportunities to connect and grow, it is easy to lose sight of the broader picture where our mental and emotional health often takes the back seat and is affected. While it is essential to upgrade oneself to match the advancing technological landscape, taking care of our holistic well-being is equally important.
In this blog, we aim to highlight the importance of holistic well-being in this fast-paced technological era, when it is easy to overlook one’s emotional and mental well-being. We will examine how reclaiming a balanced approach is the way to keep going in this digital world without getting overwhelmed.
Here is your comprehensive guide for your Holistic well-being:
Understanding Holistic well-being
Holistic well-being is an approach that considers comprehensive or multidimensional aspects of wellness. It encompasses caring for one’s physical, mental, and spiritual health to achieve overall well-being. In this digital age, the importance of following a holistic well-being approach can not be stressed much. However, in this age where digital has become the new way of living, adopting a holistic approach to well-being is equally challenging for individuals. Here are some of the challenges one encounters in maintaining holistic health in digital age :
- Information overload can be seen as one of the primary factors making things challenging for people. The constant bombardment of notifications and updates makes it challenging for people to unwind and anchor their attention to the present moment.
- The FOMO of social media among youth is another reason that prevents them from reducing their involvement and presence on such platforms.
- The fear of missing something and remaining behind results in an irresistible behavior to maintain social connections.
- The fabricated pressure to match the advancement of this fast-moving world also contributes significantly to blurring the boundaries, pushing people to adopt their ‘always on’ mode.
Impact of Digital Technology on overall well-being
In the era where everyone is going digital, it is challenging to keep at bay from immersing in this overwhelming digital wave. This is evident in our day-to-day lives. From waking up to going to bed, we are deeply immersed in digital interactions. However, this constant digital mode and involvement impact our well-being to a great extent. Digital technology impacts an individual in the following manner:
Impacting their physical health: Prolonged digital involvement via various devices contributes to various physical health challenges. Experts suggest it results in various health issues, from eye strain to disrupted sleep patterns. Health issues like obesity are also an aftereffect of the sedentary lifestyle that digital technology is resulting in.
Impacting their mental well-being: Constant connectivity via digital devices can also impact one’s emotional and mental well-being. Overusing digital devices often results in information overload, which overwhelms individuals. It can blur the lines of healthy boundaries of dogmatic connectivity, contributing to mental fatigue and stress.
Impacting their spiritual well-being: The technologically advanced world, though promoted ways to connect with others seamlessly, highly impacts one’s spiritual well-being. Research suggests that prolonged periods spent on social media platforms significantly impact one’s attention span. While connecting with others has improved, the ability of an individual to connect with themselves is severely affected. People are at a loss of mindfulness and are increasingly disconnected from nature and spirituality.
It is universally acknowledged that digital technology and its dependence are increasingly advancing. People cannot avoid getting involved in this pool of advancing innovations. However, knowing how to strike a balance when taking your digital dose is equally essential. An overdose of anything impacts one badly. This next section reviews practical tips for managing your digital dose to strike a balance.
Managing digital exposure through a balanced approach
Technology is a powerful tool that can improve one's well-being. By taking advantage of tools and platforms that promote mental and physical health, one can learn to build healthy boundaries and start a journey toward holistic well-being. One can manage one's technology use through digital detoxing and setting healthy boundaries.
Digital detox involves scheduling regular breaks from screens throughout the day. This helps to disconnect, even if for a while. Establishing boundaries between your work and personal life can help avoid overlapping personal and professional space. Engage yourself in mindful technology use by focusing on where you are spending your time and thinking about whether that is important or not.
One way to use technology mindfully is to engage with online resources that help your well-being instead of ruining it. Taking online courses is a fantastic option for this. On the Solh app, we’ve recently introduced a plethora of courses like Anxiety Management, Managing Stress, Emotional Intelligence, Navigating Relationships, Supporting Others, Trauma-Informed Living, etc. You can check them out and take the first step towards your holistic well-being.
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The following are certain practical tips that you can integrate in your routine to avoid unnecessary mental fatigue and brain overload.
Physical well-being: To cope with the sedentary lifestyle of this digital age, try incorporating activities that involve some form of movement. Moving your body through exercise or walking can have a positive impact on overall physical well-being. Limit your screen time to prevent eye strain and improve your sleep patterns.
Mental and emotional well-being: For your mental and emotional well-being, try practicing mindfulness. Deep breathing while meditating helps increase individuals' attention spans. It also reduces stress and brings focus to one’s practice. Many apps and resources can help you develop this practice.
Spiritual well-being: Digital detox is the approach you should adopt to work on your spiritual well-being. Take some time for introspection and spend time in nature to connect with yourself. Try engaging in certain hobbies and activities that keep you away from screens and refresh your mood.
All in all, taking care of your overall well-being should be a necessity, not a choice. Technology can be an incredible asset if you cultivate a healthy relationship with it. Balancing your digital connectivity and your connectivity with yourself to take care of your core self can foster a healthy combination between your world and the digital world.
Solh Wellness is a preventive mental health platform that focuses on adopting practices that help improve the mental well-being of individuals. You can get the following at Solh Wellness:
Normalises Seeking Help: Solh combats the stigma connected with mental health by establishing a judgment-free zone. This can encourage someone who is struggling to seek expert help.
Anonymous Support Groups: Connecting with those who understand your problem can be helpful. Sharing experiences and realizing they are not alone can provide a great source of comfort and encouragement.
Talk Now: When dealing with overwhelming emotions, have access to a counselor who can help you guide you through any hiccup you face.
Clinical Support: The app's simple access to confidential consultations can be an excellent initial step for someone struggling to achieve goals who is hesitant to pursue traditional in-person therapy.
Other: Solh is a one-stop place for accessing and navigating different sources, such as audio, guides, and reading material, to help you deal with any ongoing stressor.
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