With technology ever evolving human beings are not so adaptable to such fast paced changes. Recent technology allowed us to be connected to the world like never before, however this came with a big price tag.
More and more research is showing that overusing of a digital media effects most children and teens in physical, physiological and in social terms.
Doctors are ever reducing recommended screen time to the youngest ones. The more recent studies suggest that it can be detrimental to overall health and future development.
Coping with the digital age involves managing the challenges that comes with rapid changes that technology provides us. Not only that but following with trends and different uses of everyday technology.
Coping mechanism can involve -> digital literacy, setting boundaries, set often breaks from usage, being more selective in what are you consuming, switching aimless scrolling with micro learning, having a no zone for digital media consumption.
You should aim at balancing out the time you consuming technology with time of taking care of yourself and your loved ones. If you don’t aim for balance you will be shaken and stirred by events until you start taking care. Don’t miss that train and be late on being good to yourself.
Trends will pass, stories will fade, and technology will evolve. However, you only have one mind and body for the rest of your life.
What are Strategies to Reduce Aimless Consumption of Digital Media?
There are couple of approaches you can take in order to make your life balanced and easier.
Digital Literacy – Stay informed but filter your sources. Continuously develop your digital skills to keep up with changes. Learn what tools you could benefit from and use them.
Time Management – Set boundaries for digital usage. Avoid excessive use screen time. If it is hard at first try to use alarm or tools that are measuring your daily usage of the content. Set approx. time that you are going to have for everyday use on that particular sitting.
Managing your time will come easy once you have cleared your goals and objectives for that day, week, month, etc.
Digital Media Detox – Working remotely can be very hard on individual as it is difficult to separate work from life. Everyday use of mobile devices, laptops etc. has gotten under our skin and it is quite difficult to spend a day without the. Set clear boundaries between work and personal life.
Try to have as much time without your devices as possible. Give yourself some challenges that will help you. Start small, like go for a walk without your phone. Everyday with each new step you will rediscover that you really spend too much time on your devices.
Be Selective – Not every news is for you, or that you should know about it. As you can probably guess or know already news are there to sell you a product so they have to give you everyday a piece of their mind.
Every story is sensation, depressing outcome, fear mongering etc. However what they don’t want to admit that in most parts of the globe absolutely nothing is happening that could interest you.
Micro Learning – Instead of aimlessly scrolling to find entertainment, why not trying to fill that void with some purposeful information? It can improve retention of new information simply by being easier to digest. Instead of news, try to find new information about the topic / technology that you are interested in.
How to Reduce Time Consuming your Digital Media?
Be mindful of your internet and digital usage. Track down your time spent looking at screen. You can do that by installing apps that can calculate and track time.
Fill up your schedule – Lots of times we are losing our time by simply having nothing to do. In those terms it is easy to understand how we developed habit of scrolling for countless hours. Plan some other activities instead of doing nothing. You can fill your schedule with these activities that we recommend.
Self Care – You can’t go wrong with adding a bit of self care in your schedule. Practicing self love and self care will give you a better self image and awareness of how good you are. It will also crack down on the things that you would like to improve. If you are unsure how to start with this, this whole site is dedicated to that topic. But for starters, we recommend to start with this post.
Take care of yourself both physically and mentally. It is upmost important to take care of your body whenever you have time to do so. Mind should be constantly practiced and constantly challenged. It is a a paramount that you be and stay active.
Continue you Learning – Always search for new challenges and new courses. Broaden your field by attending some classes that you don’t know anything about it. Make new contacts by attending events that you haven’t been yet. Try to experiment with those types of things even thought they might not be to your liking on a first note. Chances are that you will find yourself a new hobby that way.
If you are under a lot of pressure, stress, and uncertainty and try to find a way out but with help, please seek professional help. That way you will receive best possible aid crafted for you.
Thanks for reading, have a nice day and take care.
