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 — 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’s easy to get caught in a ‘negativity vortex’ 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 ‘content preferences’ 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—are you seeking updates or laughter? Consider separating news from fun content and adjusting your preferences accordingly.
- If you don’t want to unfollow a friend or creator, but find that their content lately is affecting you negatively, see if the app allows you to ‘mute’ 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 ‘sleep mode.’
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!