Having healthy online habits are important for several reasons. Our online activity can have positive and negative impacts on our physical safety, mental health, and emotional well-being. In a world that relies so heavily on online networks, it is important to learn how to navigate this space in a way that helps you to still feel confident, respected, and healthy. Here are some considerations on how to improve your online experience to positively support your mental and emotional well-being.
- Creating Positive Space for Yourself
Follow people and accounts that allow you to feel good about yourself. If you leave these accounts feeling stressed, anxious, or experiencing self-doubt, consider unfollowing, muting, or blocking them. Realistically, we might be passionate about world topics that also are sad. Creating positive spaces doesn’t mean you have to give up your passions and/or interests; it’s just important to be mindful of your engagement and how you feel afterwards. If blocking or unfollowing isn’t an option for you, consider putting time limitations so you have a balance. Be intentional about the virtual spaces you build and exist in.
- Set boundaries
Online boundaries look different to everyone. Perhaps you set a timeframe so how long you spend per day engaged with digital content. Consider turning off notifications. Doing this can help us disconnect and remove some of the anxious feelings that come with feeling obligated to constantly respond and be available for every ping. Small changes to how we interact with technology and digital space can greatly impact our day-to-day lives.
- Spread Kindness
Reflect on the person you want to be, and this should be reflected in who you are online. Often, people will say hurtful comments online that they would never say in person. However, it does not excuse the behavior or make it less impactful. Therefore, who you show up as online should match the person you want to be in real life. Therefore, be kind with your own words and remember that you can simply leave upsetting conversations online without engaging them.
The digital world is not going anywhere; if anything, we become more dependent and intertwined with online spaces every day. Therefore, giving thought to how we protect ourselves is so important.