A Healthy Digital 'Diet'

There’s been a lot going on online and in the news recently – the daily suspense of COVID cases, new and harsher lockdowns overseas, the chaotic and emotive US presidential election, multiple government inquiries and royal commissions, the compelling but pressing new David Attenborough documentary, the ongoing coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement, protests and unrest, attacks and beheadings, it goes on and on. 

The internet can feel pretty overwhelming at times – the content we are exposed to on a daily basis is serious, and global, and never ending. 

It can be helpful to think about what you digitally and virtually consume in the same way that you think about the things that we literally consume, what we eat and drink. Most of us know the general principles of a healthy diet – think the ‘food pyramid’, and sayings such as ‘everything in moderation’. These principles, with a little adapting, can be applied to the way we use and consume digital content. 

Consume variety

The best meals and the best diets are those that have variety! Think about what you digitally consume on a daily or weekly basis – is it mostly Instagram, TikTok, youtube, gaming, news, or Netflix? And even within those formats, think about what types of content you consume, and how you do it. Is it lifestyle, exercise, clothing, makeup, mental health, sports, news, decorations, craft, school or work related? Is it on your tablet, phone, television, or laptop. Try not to spend too much time on one type of content – get a variety of input in your digital diet! This is a recommendation to adddigital content from other forms, but a warning against spending too much time on one form of digital ‘food’.  

It’s important to let ourselves consume a variety of things. If you find yourself getting anxious at the news, let yourself watch something fun or light-hearted. If you notice yourself following a lot of health and fitness accounts, perhaps seek out some body positivity ones. 

Take a break

Much life ‘meat free Mondays’ or ‘Dry July’ – it can be helpful to, at times, challenge ourself to mix up how much we consume. We may want to change our consumption of digital content perhaps by having a screen free evening once a week, or a digital detox once a month. Or perhaps even just leaving your phone at home when you go for a walk. This gives us the opportunity to see how we go when our usual routine of consumption is different – do I feel anxious away from my phone? Do I feel happier when not reading the news? Do I feel more content when not searching online shopping sites? Do I feel more disconnected when not online gaming? Our reactions to shifting up our consumption can be a helpful signal of how things are or aren’t impacting us. 

Some things are better than others… but everything in moderation

It’s true to say that different forms of digital content have different impacts on us. Each of us as individuals can work out what parts of our digital diet ‘agrees’ with us, and what doesn’t. Staying attuned to your own mental and emotional health whilst using our digital devices is so important. Everyone has a different capacity for what they can tolerate, particularly when it comes to the news. 

However, just like making drastic changes and cutting out entire food groups for good isn’t usually a healthy move – we don’t necessarily have to cut out our digitial content all together! There are many aspects of our life that require digital consuming – work, school, uni, shopping, travel, etc. But also, allowing ourselves to consume ‘guilty pleasures’ such as re-watching an old sitcom or movie on sick days, or scrolling Instagram after work to switch off, or sharing TikTok videos with friends – all of these things aren’t too harmful in moderation!

Try to focus on one change at a time

If I tried to focus on all the possible ways I could improve my diet at once, I would probably be unsuccessful. If I attempted to eat less refined sugar, more vegetables and whole grains, less salt, less meat, more calcium, and reduce my food spending whilst buying locally sourced food – I’d struggle!

So many of the teenagers and young people I meet with are so switched on – they are intelligent and aware people who consider it important to be informed about a variety of social and political movements and events. However, as noted in the opening paragraph of this blog – the list of things to be concerned or invested can be endless. There may be many things we want to know about or be involved in, but trying to do all of them can be tiring! Working out which social or political concern(s) are most important to us, and then focusing on those whilst accepting that we can ‘let go’ of the others for the moment can be a helpful way to free up our energy to really invest in those areas, whilst also maintaining our own good mental headspace. 

Know what you’re consuming 

It can be helpful to recognise the biases and distortions of what we’re consuming. In the same way you might check the ingredients list of the food you eat, it’s helpful to be aware of some of the factors behind the digital content we see.

And we’re getting better at this – most of us know that the Instagram influencers we follow use editing software, the newspapers can sometimes sensationalise what they write, ‘good news’ stories of hope and change rarely make the front page, so called ‘reality television’ is often highly scripted and produced, and Facebook is using an algorithm to curate our newsfeed. Reminding ourself of these factors can be helpful when we feel disheartened or overwhelmed, or notice our own internal critic showing up.

Whatever you do, most of all be mindful of the way that digital content impacts you on a day to day basis. Don’t forget that small changes can make a big difference! Consider small ways that little tweaks to your ‘digital diet’ might impact your wellness.