Tag: mental wellness

Dear Diary: Keeping a daily journal for mental well-being

~ Mehret Biruk ~ Leave a comment
rachel-lynette-french-751161-unsplash.jpg
Photo by Rachel Lynette French on Unsplash

Writing can be a very therapeutic endeavor.

Any form of writing, including artistic, academic, or otherwise, can serve as a form of self-therapy, a way to make sense of our thoughts and feelings and discover our deepest desires. One way to incorporate writing into our daily routine is by keeping a daily journal.

In 2009, I wrote my first-ever journal entry on an online diary. By 2013, I have managed to write thirteen entries. Although, I would always promise myself, and my diary, that I will, for sure, write more this time around, it took four years to seriously immerse myself in keeping a daily journal.

Since 2014, I have written 1128 entries, about 280 entries a year. Continue reading “Dear Diary: Keeping a daily journal for mental well-being” →

Digital wellness for beginners

~ Mehret Biruk ~ Leave a comment
wrecked iphone
Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

At the peak of the proliferation of smartphones and social media and the attention economy, our attention has become the most valuable commodity. In order to profit from our attention, companies employ tactics to hijack our attention and keep us glued to our smartphones, scrolling mindlessly through our newsfeeds and watching cat memes all day long. According to some statistics:

  • The average American checks their phone every 12 minutes,
  • The average user touches their cell phone 2,617 times a day, and
  • In a 2014 survey, 46 percent of users said their smartphone is something “they couldn’t live without.”

What is digital wellness? 

Digital Wellness is a movement that seeks to establish a holistic and unified approach to tackling the challenges and issues faced by individuals, and society at large, at the proliferation of the attention economy. The movement seeks a “fight fire with fire” approach by using tactics such as creating apps that help us manage the amount of time we spend on our digital activities. Continue reading “Digital wellness for beginners” →