In this day and age, owning a digital device is a must. You have to be digitally present here and there, building your presence online, expanding your network, and all. Living in the digital world where everything is fast-paced and ever-changing, can be very exhausting. If you think only manual labor can cause you fatigue, there is also a thing called digital fatigue.
What is Digital Fatigue?
Digital Fatigue is the state of mental exhaustion that happens because of excessive exposure to your digital devices. This is the consequence of being too exposed to digital devices. According to research, there has been an increase in the number of patients with depression and anxiety since the pandemic started. This is the time when almost everyone is inside of our homes, a lot of us started to work remotely and are not allowed to go outside. The breaks that we used to have at work were not just merely for fun but also allows our bodies to take a break from the screen and long sitting hours.
Signs of Digital Fatigue
Check the list of the signs of digital fatigue to assess yourself. If you are having these in the past weeks or months, you might want to consult your doctor and have some changes in your lifestyle.
- Sore, tired, burning, or itching eyes
- Headaches
- Sore neck, shoulders, or back
- Increased sensitivity to light
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling hopeless and overwhelmed by the repetitive nature of your day
- Displaying snappy or irrational behaviour
Why does it happen?
Everything has a reason, right? Digital fatigue is caused by a number of reasons, here they are.
- We are being too engaged in our online personas that we forget we have our private lives. We think everybody watches our every move. Most of the time, we are not who we are when we post online. There is a persona we would like to project online – most of the time it is an image of us that we feel is more acceptable to the public. No matter how perfect we present ourselves online, we have to accept that we are not everyone’s cup of tea.
- We spend too much time on our gadgets. Let us interact more with our loved ones. Addicting as is, social media is slowly taking over our lives. Designed to hook us into using them all day, these devices are also addicting. Plus, our brains work harder when we are having a virtual interaction. There are nuances in virtual interactions that are not present in real-life interactions.
- We are not being physically active. Sitting for long hours is not comfortable and good for our posture and body. It contributes to lower back pains, knee stiffness, and loss of balance. It becomes more difficult to start moving when we have already experienced this pain. When we don’t move much, we miss out on the hormones that stimulate overall good brain health like endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Naturally made to move around, our bodies require us to move around for our well-being. Walk around your neighborhood or to the nearby park.
How to avoid Digital Fatigue?
Given that we are in the digital era, we can’t completely shy away from our digital devices. However, there are steps we can take to minimize digital fatigue.
Limit your device exposure.
The first thing to remember, exposure to digital devices is ultimately the cause of digital fatigue. If you are working with a computer, you can take breaks every hour just to relax your eyes.
Do not sleep with your devices near you.
Radiation can be very harmful to your health. Although there is still no conclusive evidence that would relate radiation to life-threatening diseases, it is important to note that our devices emit radiation. However, blue light can disrupt your sleeping pattern by keeping you awake.
When not necessary, keep them away from your reach.
It won’t be hard to resist if you move away from temptation. Keep it out of your sight and perform other tasks
Engage in other activities without your digital devices.
You have a life away from your phone. Besides the world is so much more than just what you can see on your device. Try walking around, fresh air is always a delight to breathe in. Spend more time having real and physical interactions with people around you. Have that real persona of yours show in person, not just online. We are social and political beings after all.
Additionally, use anti-radiation glasses when using devices.
Your eyes are the primary gateway of the radiation that causes eye strain.
Eat healthily.
Yes, this will help you reduce digital fatigue. You need to care for what you feed your mind and body.
Lastly, decrease your blue light exposure.
Most devices have this custom setting where you can decrease the amount of blue light it emits. As a result, decreasing blue light might make your display warmer than it originally is. Excessive exposure to blue light has been proven to be damaging to our eyes.
Anything consumed excessively is bad for you. Excessive use of your devices cannot only affect your sight but also creates a disconnection from the real world. You might be digitally present but are you in the real world? Sometimes, we fail to see what’s in front of us because we are too occupied with life at the tip of our fingers. Seeing that, it is good to remind ourselves to seek real connections and not just aim for something superficial.
Thank you for making it to the end of this article! If you are interested in digital marketing or you want your business to have a digital presence, contact us!
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