Technology has enabled tremendous advancements in post-secondary education, including greater flexibility and accessibility of learning opportunities through online coursework and digital resources. However, technology also has its downside. The average person is now spending almost 7 hours on internet-connected screens, using the internet, watching T.V., using social media, and gaming. (Howarth, 2023). Spending so much time online can lead to negative impacts on your physical health and mental wellbeing and may even lead to technology addiction (Canadian Mental Health Association, n.d.).
Increased screen time has been specifically associated with:
- Sedentary lifestyles and weight gain
- Disrupted sleep patterns
- Eye strain and vision problems
- Excessive scrolling of social media and news feeds
- Depression and anxiety due to unhealthy social media comparisons
- An unhealthy dependence on digital devices, especially smartphones
Stress Management
Stress management techniques and apps can help you alleviate negative impacts of technology use, promote your physical health and mental wellbeing, and help you stay on track to achieving your post-secondary learning goals.
(Source: Greene, T, & Mackie, K. (Eds). (2022, February 28). Mental Wellbeing. In Liberated Learners. Trent University. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/learner/chapter/chapter-1/)
Read more about stress management and mental wellbeing in the post-secondary context.
Liberated Learners (2022) is a freely accessible e-book that supports post-secondary learner success and digital fluency. Below, you will find links to three book topics that focus on mental wellbeing and stress management in the post-secondary context. Each reading has helpful tips and strategies to support you as a learner. Read one, two, or all three!
Mental Wellbeing (Liberated Learners, 2022)
Academic Balance (Liberated Learners, 2022)
Academic Struggles (Liberated Learners, 2022)
You can also try these digital apps, recommended by the Learning Portal (n.d.), to help you practice meditation and mindfulness techniques in order to manage stress.
Headspace is a guided meditation app that promotes mindfulness. Most of the content requires a subscription, but there are several guided meditation recordings available for free.
Buddhify is an app (iOS and Android) that provides categorized meditations based on what you’re doing or how you’re feeling, such as walking, stress, difficult emotions, work break, going to sleep, or waking up.
Calm provides daily meditations through their web-based tool and app (iOS and Android) for reducing stress and anxiety, better sleep, managing emotions, and more. This tool is built for beginners and experienced meditators alike.
This app is a problem-solving tool to help deal with emotions and cope with stress (available for iPhone and Android).
Guided Breathing
When we are anxious or threatened, our breathing speeds up to prepare our bodies for danger. Relaxed breathing signals that it is time to relax. This type of breathing is slower and deeper than normal and comes from your belly (The Learning Portal, n.d.).
- Start by sitting comfortably in a chair or lying down on your back.
- Close your eyes if you are comfortable doing so.
- Breathe normally in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Slow down your breathing. Inhale, slow and steady, to a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4 and pause for the count of 4. This is also called square breathing. If a four-second count doesn’t work for you, try a three-second count or a five-second count.
- Are you belly breathing? Place one hand on your belly just below your ribs and one hand on your chest. Try to keep the top hand still, as your breath should only move your bottom hand.
Check out this video to practice guided breathing!
Video 3.5
Source: The Learning Portal / Le Portail d’Apprentissage. (2018, May 18). Guided belly breathing [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH157ZamcH8
Length: 3:29
Activity
Thinking about maintaining a healthy use of technology in your post-secondary context.
- How has technology affected your physical health and mental wellbeing?
- What strategies or techniques will you try to enhance your healthy use of technology?
- Who or what can support your healthy use of technology?
Learn more about healthy uses of technology and stress management in the post-secondary context!
The Learning Portal. (n.d.). Welcome to the Health & Wellness Hub. College Libraries Ontario. https://tlp-lpa.ca/wellbeing
The Learning Portal. (n.d.). Well-being Assessment [Online Quiz]. College Libraries Ontario. https://plato.algonquincollege.com/ac-library/lp/wellbeing-assessment/story.html