Digital Wellness blog

Coronaxiety and misinformation online

Coronaxiety and misinformation online

 

So we are in our second lockdown. 😤

This means another couple of weeks indoors, without much connection to our loved ones. It can be especially hard for those that live on their own, or those that are vulnerable. 

A quick note: Stop reading this and think of a friend or family member that might be a bit down at the moment. Drop them a message and say hi. It might just change their day. 

It's funny how amazing technology can be in times like these. They keep us closer to our loved ones than ever before. We can Facetime from miles away and it feels like they are right in the room with us. Although i'm not too sure about all of the 'fun' online quiz's everyone seems to be doing. I am a real advocate for technology when it comes to creating a meaningful, healthy connection between us and I think this pandemic would have been 100 times harder without it. 

Your mental health is something that should always take priority. Especially in these unprecedented times. The uncertainty can cause a lot of anxiety. The financial impact, change in lifestyle and/or loss of self-worth becomes a reality. Everyone has been effected, but it has effected everyone in a unique way. 

Sadly our use of social media doesn't always help with our coronaxitey. Sensationalist media is constantly at the top of our timelines, as it gains our attention the most. This content can feed into our fears and anxieties and make us worse. 

Maintaining a healthy mindset is more important than ever. So here are some handy tips. 

 

  • Focus on what you can control
Try not to worry too much about the things that are completely out of your hands. Focus on yourself and see what you can do to help your own, or other peoples situations. 
  • Unplug and recharge 
Make a time in the day when you don't look at your screen. Go for a run or a walk and make it a rule not to look at your phone. Use this as a mental break.

This also really helps when feeling burned out. If work is getting crazy and you are really feeling it, 10 mins outside will help you calm down and refocus. 
  • Find a hobby that is offline
Painting, running or journalling. These are all great offline hobbies to help get your mind off things, or just do absolutely nothing and relax.
  • Don't become too goal orientated
We all had goals we wanted to hit this year. Well guess what...
They were made in a completely different time before this epidemic madness. So try not to be too hard on yourself if you don't feel like doing it today. 

Hopefully these little pointers can help ease the strain with Lockdown number 2, but if they didn't... Here is a link to some general knowledge to help you the next time your mates insist on a virtual pub quiz. 🙄  Quiz Link > 
 
 
Why I started using blue light blocking glasses

Why I started using blue light blocking glasses

As a full time motion designer with a side hustle, i find myself glued to my computer screen and phone pretty much all day every day. Last year i noticed i was getting more frequent headaches, straining my eyes and finding them sore anytime i was off my screen so i started researching what could be the cause. 

What i found out was very interesting. The blue light projected out of our screens isn't this evil, blinding, headache giving villain.. its the same light we see every day outside. The problem is, when we're looking at our blue light emitting screens in the evenings and at night, we are tricking our brains into thinking that we're outside, in the daytime. Looking at screens all day every day is affecting our circadian rhythms and thats whats leading us to poor quality sleep, trouble falling asleep and that feeling of grogginess and loss of focus in our days.  

Overall, we found that the use of portable light-emitting devices immediately before bedtime has biological effects that may perpetuate sleep deficiency and disrupt circadian rhythms, both of which can have adverse impacts on performance, health, and safety.**
This sounded exactly like the predicament I was in. I am on my screen almost every day and night and if its not my computer its my phone before bed. I didn't sleep well and I felt wired all the time. 

Now one way to get better sleep and bring your circadian rhythm back to working order is to turn off your phones and computers two hours before you go to sleep to give your brain and body the time it needs to wind down.  The problem is that some of us cannot do that. Work deadlines sometimes means we have to work late or we just cant help ourselves looking at one more dog video before we nod off. 

So I looked into trying out blue light blocking glasses. This meant I could stay on my screen but still protect my eyes.  Being the ever sceptic, I wasn't sure these were going to work but they had a 30 day money back guarantee so I thought why not. 

After using them for a week I can say they have really helped me. Some people I know have felt the difference as soon as they put on the glasses but it took me a couple of nights of wearing to really notice the difference in my sleep and focus. Your screen really does keep you up and these glasses helped me feel naturally tired, meaning I fell to sleep much easier. I wake up feeling refreshed and more focused throughout the day. 

High quality lenses are always the best to use when using blue light blocking glasses and ANTI Frames make sure all of their glasses are certified. They also come with a FREE blue light test kit so you can test them yourself. 

Today is Cyber Monday. So if you buy one pair of glasses you get a free pair to gift to a friend!