As we enter Lockdown 2.0 there’s a good chance you’ll be spending more time online, interacting on social media and scrolling through your newsfeed.
The first lockdown showed us just how brilliant virtual connections and the online space can be.
Online communities have the potential to make you laugh, cry happy tears, feel inspired and be part of a shared experience. Matt and I still chuckle at this meme we saw on Facebook…
That said it’s also easy for the posts, headlines and life events to trigger anxiety, jealousy, fear, and guilt, not to mention send your mind racing in the wrong direction.
For the foreseeable future with it’s offline restrictions, technology has the potential to keep us all sane and socialising to some degree, however, it’s important to put measures in place to ensure your online experience is generally a positive one.
To do this it helps to contemplate how you use devices, how much time you spend online and how you react to any content that comes your way.
It might help to observe what default habits you’ve picked up first of all and then consider adapting them to ensure your time with technology supports your mental health
It’s also important to acknowledge that technology and everything it promises is addictive.
The reward centres in your brain are activated when you head online so you’re literally hunting for something you feel you need… interactions, information, connections and maybe something more problematic, validation.
This is why you need to establish a degree of competency and self control around your gadgets to avoid slipping into mindless usage, jumping on notifications and automatically scrolling at every opportunity, spending hours on there with no idea what you’re looking for, but likely finding something you didn’t need to see.
Here are some simple steps to help you recalibrate and ensure you use technology sensibly, but also have some quality time offline to maintain a better balance:
⚠️ 01. Limit your news intake if it’s causing you stress. It’s a good idea to stay informed of updates, but remember you don’t need to mindlessly scroll all day long if it’s triggering.
📱02. Turn off data/wifi on your mobile periodically to spare yourself the temptation of notifications. Make your phone just a ☎ again and call a friend for an old fashioned catch up.
👏 03. Do a mini audit of your newsfeed, unfollow or mute anyone who triggers you to think negatively. Remember you’re in charge of your social feeds, fill them with positivity and content that help you feel good.
👨💻04. Switch off the wifi in your home earlier in the evenings or place phones, laptops and iPads in another room whilst you relax. This way you won’t be tempted to jump back online.
😴 05. If you get in bed with your smart phone or iPad it’s highly likely you’ll end up scrolling for far too long, not only depriving yourself of sleep but also firing up your brain and compromising the quality of your sleep. Switch your phone to airplane mode before going to bed, don’t have the phone on the bedside table (you’ll check it again!) and start pushing back the time you come back online in the morning, enjoy having an hour or so to yourself instead.
🚶♀️06. Head out for a phone free, socially distanced walk, enjoy the break from technology and the feeling of being stimulated by your natural environment instead.
🙏 07. Join one of our relaxing online yoga sessions in our Fitter 365 Private Member’s group. A safe and supportive place to relax and unwind. Head to fitter365.com to start your free 7 day trial and join us.
Will you implement these tips? Let us know!
Matt and I will definitely be giving them a try and will let you know how we get on 👊
