Wellness In The Digital Era

By Rosita Mbanjwa

8-10 min. read

Numerous key areas of your lifestyle are perceived as measurements of your overall Wellness. They include: socialising, exercise, sleep, nutrition and mindfulness. Each one can directly or indirectly have an impact on your physical and mental health. Making simple healthy decisions everyday will help towards reducing stress, having positive social relationships and achieving excellent wellness.

The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health.

This definition can be broken down in two various aspects. First, wellness is not a stationary state, but rather an active chase associated with choices, intentions and actions as we seek to practise excellent health and wellbeing. Second, there is a universal approach to wellbeing which goes beyond physical health but encompasses various dimensions that should function harmoniously together.

Wellness is an individual pursuit - we have obligations for our choices, behaviours and lifestyle but it is immensely influenced by the physical, cultural and social environments we are exposed to. Wellness is associated with an active process of awareness and decision making that lead towards excellent overall health and wellbeing.

Wellness dimensions

Wellness involves the awareness of our current state of health in multiple dimensions with the initiative, equipment and support to make lasting changes towards a more optimal life. Some wellness models include a minimum of at least 6 dimensions (some up to 9-12) of which I will be focusing on.

• Physical: This includes our overall physical health. Maintaining a healthy body with workouts, nutrition, sleep, etc.

• Mental: This includes maintaining a healthy outlook and approach to life and establishing a foundation of useful knowledge. Engaging the world through learning, problem-solving, creativity, etc.

• Emotional: Self-awareness. Understanding and expressing our feelings, and understanding the feelings of others.

• Spiritual: This involves the awareness of one's purpose in life and getting in tune with our spirituality. Seeking understanding and higher purpose in human existence.

• Social: This involves creating healthy and positive relationships. Connecting and engaging with others and our communities in meaningful ways.

• Environmental: Harbouring positive interrelationships between the planet, health and human actions, choices and wellbeing.

Begin with small changes within each dimension and take it one step at a time – you don’t have to run a marathon or go on a diet to implement wellness into your everyday life! Rather take the initiative to start making better life decisions for your wellbeing.

Risks of wellness in a digital society

A number of experts say digital life will continue to expand people’s boundaries and opportunities in the coming decades and that the world to come will do more good than harm in people’s lives. Still, nearly a third think that digital life will be mostly harmful to people’s overall physical health, mental fitness and happiness.

People’s thinking capabilities will be challenged in various ways, including their capacity for analytical thinking, memory, focus, creativity, reflection and mental resilience. Online businesses are built around optimistic tools designed to hook the public. Personal dependency will be reduced and emotions such as shock, fear, resentment and anger will be further weaponized online, driving segregation and doubts. Information overload and decrease in trust and face-to-face skills will result in rise of stress, anxiety, depression, inactivity and sleeplessness. The structure of the internet and momentum of digital change invite ever-evolving threats to human relations, security, democracy, jobs, privacy and more.

People use digital tools to solve problems, improve their lives and enhance their productivity. More developments are expected to surface in the future that are likely to help people lead even better lives. However, there are increasing discussions and research about the effects digital tools have on individuals’ well-being, their level of stress, their ability to perform well at work and in social settings, their capacity to focus their attention, their capacity to adjust their level of connectivity and their overall happiness.

How tech. and digital tools enhance wellness

To create wellness within the digital world, several areas of friction are being addressed by tech companies and employers in the workplace, such as information overload, and digital noise pollution. Likewise, employers are focusing on tools that enhance concentration and overall wellbeing, from meditation apps and task management tools to fitness and sleep apps.

To achieve their full potential, companies are adapting their tools and technologies to help workers to effectively perform their functions and increase their engagement at work. People want to feel supported. This will vary from the way that companies will help keep us healthy, to securing our digital data and supporting our work-life balance.

3 best wellness Apps to download in 2022

There are various wellness apps and tools to better help manage your overall wellbeing. We will focus on three amongst other awesome tools.

1. Noom (Recommended!)

Noom focuses on behaviours, rather than cutting down on foods and guides on an intense fitness schedule – all recommended by a team of nutritionists, personal trainers and psychologists. The app has one on one health coaching, health quizzes and articles to motivate you plus you can track your exercise, weight, blood sugar and blood pressure.

Download

2. Meditopia

Meditopia’s library offers over 1000+ guided meditations on topics including stress, anxiety, acceptance, happiness, motivation, focus and breath. With over 8 million members worldwide, they offer each of these members quality meditations. This is the best tool for Apple users.

Download

3. Daylio

This App helps to track your fitness goals or create a mood diary, Daylio Journal is a micro-diary app that has it all.

Download

Product Feature Comparison

These helpful tools and resources can help you on your wellness journey. Take your first step by downloading and exploring these tools and choosing the one that works best for you.