Happy New Year: Tips on Creating A Digital Wellness Plan

Photo Credit: http://www.hdwallpapersimages.com/happy-new-year-hd-2014/15210/

Happy New Year and Happy Digital Sisterhood Wednesday!

This month, the Digital Sisterhood Network (DSN) is focused on the topic, “Creating Your Digital Wellness Plan.” In an effort to help you incorporate more digital wellness moments in your life, we have included an excerpt from Ananda Leeke’s new book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online (available on Amazon as a Kindle download and a paperback book). The excerpt provides tips on how to create your own digital wellness plan. We hope you find these resources helpful. Please be sure to visit the DSN web site tomorrow for a blog post about living as a Flowista, a woman who unplugs from her digital devices from time to time.

Cover Art by Dariela Cruz

Excerpt from Appendix C of Digital Sisterhood by Ananda Leeke –  Copyright 2013 by Madelyn C. Leeke.

Photo Credit: http://dam.londonpubliclibrary.ca/book/export/html/152

 

Creating Your Digital Wellness Plan

A digital wellness plan is a gift you give yourself to help manage your time online with mindful self-care practices. Mindful self-care practices encourage you to slow down, become aware of how you spend your time online, and identify and take small steps towards having a healthier digital life. Examples include breathing exercises, journaling, massage, meditation, physical movement (walking, running, yoga, and aerobic classes), rest (naps and a good night’s sleep), setting time boundaries, and using time management tools (HootSuite, TweetDeck, and an editorial calendar) to schedule your blog and social media posts.

http://thehealthylivinglounge.com/2009/11/23/how-to-breathe-better/

TIP 1: BREATHE!

 

• Before you begin thinking about your digital wellness plan, find a comfortable seated position in your chair. Come to the edge of your chair and place your feet flat on the floor. If you are wearing glasses or shoes, take them off to relax. Create hip width distance in between your legs. Take a deep breath through your nose and exhale it through your mouth. Notice how you feel. Now do it SEVEN more times.
• When you breathe intentionally and deeply, you invite yourself into the present moment.  The more you breathe intentionally and deeply, the more open you become to PEACE.  When you have PEACE, you are free to IMAGINE. Your imagination helps you DREAM. Your dreams help you CREATE and INSPIRE others in your blog, business, career, and family.
• Four Takeaways from Breathing: Breathing creates Peace. Peace helps you Imagine. Your imaginations helps you Dream. Your dreams help you Create and Inspire.
• Breathing Exercise: Take SEVEN deep breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth to release any stress or pause any thoughts or to do lists you carried with you into this moment.

http://thehealthylivinglounge.com/2009/11/23/how-to-breathe-better/

TIP 2: BREATHE AND WRITE WHY YOU NEED TO PRACTICE SELF CARE IN YOUR DIGITAL LIFE.

• Take SEVEN deep breaths. Inhale and exhale through your nose. Ask yourself why you need to practice self-care in your digital life. Use the next 10 to 20 minutes (or more if you need it) and a piece of paper, journal, smartphone, iPad, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer to write or type your response to the following writing prompt: “I need to practice self care in my digital life because _________________ (fill in the blank).”

http://thehealthylivinglounge.com/2009/11/23/how-to-breathe-better/

TIP 3: BREATHE AND WRITE WHAT YOU NEED TO PRACTICE SELF CARE IN YOUR DIGITAL LIFE.

• Take SEVEN deep breaths. Inhale and exhale through your nose. Ask yourself what you need in your digital life to practice self care. Use the next 10 to 20 minutes (or more if you need it) and a piece of paper, journal, smartphone, iPad, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer to write or type your response to the following writing prompt: “To practice self care in my digital life I need _______ (fill in the blank).”
• Feel free to include the amount of time you need on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis to unplug. Consider taking sabbaticals or vacations from your digital life, too!
• Share the types of activities you can do to rest, relax, and recharge.
• Identify one or two people in your life that you can ask to be your accountability partner. An accountability partner is someone who will gently remind you to practice self care in your digital life.
• If you can, give yourself a start date for launching your digital wellness plan.

Photo Credit: http://www.mcc.us/next-gen/epic/jr-high/unplug

Just in case you need more suggestions for creating mini unplug moments, I have included a list of my favorites below:

• Before you get out of bed, incorporate breathing exercises into your morning routine by taking SEVEN deep breaths. Place your hand on your heart as you inhale and exhale through your nose.
• Establish FIVE minutes of “soothing your soul time” at the end of your day. UNPLUG from your electronic devices. Start with playing your favorite music. As you listen to the music, take SEVEN deep breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. As you exhale, release any thoughts, stress, to do list items, or emotions that may prevent you from being in the present moment.
• While you’re working during the day, UNPLUG from your electronic devices and take a THREE minute break by inhaling and exhaling through your nose three times.
• During your morning and evening commutes, UNPLUG from your digital devices and take FIVE deep breaths (inhale and exhale through your  nose) before you turn your car or motorcycle/scooter, start to bike, or when you sit down on public transportation.
• Before answering your phone, take a deep breath (inhale and exhale through your nose).

My Final Thoughts

Remember to be patient with yourself as you make changes in your digital life. Take baby steps. Celebrate your victories, no matter how small or big they are. Enjoy your digital wellness journey!