Protecting Mental Health in a Digital World
This upcoming Saturday (Oct 10th) is World Mental Health day. And while I am all for Mental Health awareness EVERYDAY, I thought it would be a great idea to offer a few tips to help protect your mental health + energy during these virtual times.
Right now businesses both big + small are coming to the same conclusion. That an online presence is a must at this point. Whether you are working for yourself. Someone else or even a combination of the two, you may have noticed the increase in the demand to stay connected.
Connected
These last few months we have seen it all, influx for digital content, virtual school + working from home all on top of a global pandemic. It has been exhausting to say the least. As time online has increased so has the amount of exposure to daily stress + triggers.
Regardless if you are an entrepreneur or a creative of any kind, the sinking feeling of being chained to social media is being felt. This can drastically affect mental health across the board. The good news? Being connected. Promoting business all while protecting your mental health is DOABLE.
How to Manage the Virtual World
Now while a complete disconnect from social media + technology may not be possible there are some things you can do to continue to protect your mental health in this digital world.
- Manage Screen Time: Screen time and mental health can go hand in hand. Use all the tools that help break that time up. Take breaks, use apps to monitor what and when you spend time online and set up “do not disturb” times. If you are an iPhone user, there are settings that provide breakdowns of how much time is spent in various apps. There are also several apps in the app store like Moment, that help monitor online activity while helping you create healthy online habits. Manage the time you spend online to create structure + enforce boundaries.
- Manage Workload + List: I am notorious for having a to-do list a mile long. That doesn’t work. Creating long list of task can breed an environment of anxiety and being overwhelmed. And in the same breath I completely understand the satisfaction of being able to cross something off a list. There has to be a balance. Keep your workload to 10 tasks a day. 5 tasks that are personal (laundry, self-care, etc) and 5 tasks that are business related (emails, call backs etc). Prioritize the list in order of the greatest need first. Pro Tip: I like to take care of at least 2 personal items first in my days. This helps me keep my mental cup full to take on the other task.
- Self Care: There shouldn’t be any surprise that Self Care is a tip. It goes without saying that self-care should be a priority especially when it comes to mental health. Take care of you always first and foremost. This can look different each day.
- Intentional Scrolling: Calling all entrepreneurs, employees + creatives alike. Be intentional with how you spend time online. Time is the one currency we do not get enough of or get back. Do not waste it. Having a plan of action as to why you are getting online helps prevent mindless scrolling and wasted time.
Finding the Sweet Spot
While these tips can come across as “easy” make no mistake that virtual burnout is real. So real that it can take a toll on your mental health. In this new age of virtual everything we have to make sure we don’t loose sight of doing what is best for our mental health. What tricks have you been using to keep a check on your mental health?
