What Is Digital Wellness and Why Is This Important?
Digital technology is a double-edged sword that can be used for both good and bad. When it’s used to enhance our lives and the lives of others, it’s called digital wellness. From boosting productivity to helping us lead healthier lives, the importance of digital wellness can’t be stressed enough.
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Think about all the ways you use digital technology in your life. You may use your smartphone to browse social media, spend 8 hours a day in front of a screen at work, glance at your smartwatch, etc. With each passing day, digital technology is becoming more integrated into our daily lives.
While there are certainly many advantages to digital technology, overdoing it is never a good idea. The string of health problems associated with too much device usage is long and serious. It includes the likes of eye strain, wrist pain, back and shoulder aches, poor sleep quality, and so much more.
The good news is there is a way out – digital wellness. In this Pacific Prime article, we’ll elaborate on what digital wellness is and why it is so important.
What is Digital Wellness?
Digital wellness (also known as digital wellbeing) is when technology is used to ensure one’s physical and mental health. It’s a concept that is rising in popularity in the workplace as employers realize the harms of too much device usage on their employees’ health and, thereby, productivity.
But digital wellness doesn’t just mean taking time away from devices. Rather, it’s about one’s relationship with devices. It’s a comprehensive way to think about one’s use of digital technology and the impact it has on other areas of our lives, as well as a chance to come up with workarounds.
Digital Technologies to Improve Digital Wellness
Digital technology can help us improve our digital wellness. It can simply be putting our phone on silent or in ‘Do not disturb’ mode to prevent us from getting distracted by notifications. There are also apps that calculate how long we’re spending on our devices and remind us to take a break.
Android users will be happy to know that Google offers a digital wellbeing app to help find a balance with technology. The app has many features like pausing/setting time limits for distracting apps, customizing notifications, turning off work-related accounts, switching to bedtime mode, etc.
Why is Digital Wellness Important?
Digital wellness is important for a number of different reasons, chief of them being that too much usage of digital devices comes with a string of health concerns like eye strain, wrist pain, back and shoulder aches, poor sleep quality (which leads to its own sets of health concerns), and more.
Practicing digital wellness can improve not only our physical but also our mental and emotional health. It gives us a boost of energy and makes us feel good. When we’re healthy and happy, we’re also more productive at work and are able to positively contribute to the economy and society.
How Can We Improve Digital Wellness in the Workplace?
As one of the benefits of digital wellness is increased productivity, it’s important to improve digital wellness in the workplace. Luckily, employers are leading the way and taking steps such as reducing online meetings and encouraging employees to switch off in order to promote digital wellness in the workplace:
Here are some examples of how to improve digital wellness in the workplace:
- Taking regular breaks at work to stretch, practice mindfulness, go for a walk, etc.
- Being able to switch off to focus on deep work.
- Be selective about digital tools used at work.
- Conduct face-to-face meetings where possible.
- Limit communications that aren’t important.
- And so much more.
Conclusion
If you understand the importance of digital wellness and are taking active measures to reduce your usage of digital technologies, then kudos to you for taking your health and wellbeing into your own hands. After all, health is one of the most important aspects of our lives and one that we can’t take for granted.
To be more proactive with your health, it’s vital to ensure you have access to the best medical care without having to pay for it out of pocket. One way of doing so is by knowing the terms of your employer-sponsored health plan (if you have one) and potentially securing your own policy as well.
Looking for private health insurance? Pacific Prime can help you compare plans from leading insurers and help you find the best plan for your needs and budget. We’ll also provide many value-added services like claims assistance and insurer liaison to support you throughout your insurance journey.
Contact us to get started today!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some healthy digital habits?
Healthy digital habits include using digital technology to make life better for yourself and the people around you. For example, using it to help you learn and grow personally and professionally. Moreover, healthy digital habits include limiting the amount of time spent using devices.
Is it vital to have a healthy and balanced digital life?
It’s vital to have a healthy and balanced digital life because doing so benefits your physical and mental health. Limiting device usage can also improve your sleep and mood, and lower your stress levels. In addition, maintaining a healthy and balanced digital life increases your productivity.
How can digital wellness be promoted in the workplace?
Digital wellness in the workplace can be promoted by encouraging employees to be active throughout the workday and at their workstations, establishing some digital boundaries, addressing and preventing office syndrome, providing health benefits such as health insurance, and more.
With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
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What are some effective strategies for maintaining digital wellness while working remotely? Are there any community groups or resources dedicated to promoting digital wellness that I can join?
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