5 Wellness Tips to Protect Your Mental Health Online

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Mental health is an essential topic in today’s society, and that’s a good thing! Stars like Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and Stromae have spoken about the challenges they face and encourage their community to seek help if needed.

We are all overwhelmed by screens and streams of information, and with social or political events, it sometimes becomes difficult to take time for ourselves and maintain our mental health. That’s why I would like to share with you five tips for better managing your screen usage and your online well-being. Simple little gestures that are easy to apply will instantly reduce stress and do you good!

1. Put your phone down 30 minutes before going to bed

Screens are addictive and often delay bedtime. It is now proven by the scientific community that looking at your smartphone just before bed can disrupt sleep. There are mainly two reasons for this. The first, and also the most serious for our mental health, is that when we scroll, we have no control over the content we are viewing.

Thus, the element of surprise is total for our brain, which can be very harmful, especially if you come across a violent video, for example. The second reason is particularly detrimental to sleep: the blue light emitted by our phones blocks the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates our sleep, and can make falling asleep more difficult. Furthermore, blue light accelerates skin aging. As a fashion and beauty editor, I can only advise you to go to bed without your phone.

By putting your phone down 30 minutes before bedtime, you allow your brain to relax, thus promoting a more restorative sleep. This small gesture can also reduce anxiety and improve your overall well-being. So why not try this simple gesture for better sleep?

2. Avoid looking at your phone upon waking up

The first morning gesture for many of us is to check our phone. However, this seemingly harmless action is actually very bad for mental health.

It is better to wait a bit before checking your emails, notifications, or bank account (unless you are very rich, I advise against checking your balance upon waking if you want to remain positive for the day). Taking a moment for yourself, enjoying a coffee peacefully, or preparing allows you to start the day gently, to refocus, and to reduce stress.

I also recommend taking a moment in the morning to engage in a calm activity, such as meditation. And if you’re in a hurry or don’t have time to sit for a few minutes, do the gratitude exercise I mentioned in this article.

Protecting your mental health online helps maintain a better balance between digital and personal life. Just by leaving your smartphone aside in the morning, you will feel much better and more serene to tackle the day.

And frankly, you lose nothing by not consulting others’ lives or uninteresting information first thing in the morning. It’s so much healthier to focus on yourself and calmly think about your day.

3. Stop following accounts that harm our mental health

Have you ever come across posts or reels that made you sad? I bet you have. While some accounts are of public utility (I’m thinking particularly of ecology, animal abuse…), they are not necessarily good for your mental health. As sad as it may seem, watching a reel about a problem happening far from home, over which you have no control, will simply make you feel bad and leave you with a sense of helplessness because there is nothing you can do about it.

Personally, I have unfollowed an account that, no matter how important and interesting it was, made me feel so bad every time I looked at it that I had to resolve not to follow it anymore, to avoid coming across videos of deforestation or animal abuse as soon as I opened Instagram.

Follow content that makes you feel good and sort through the accounts you follow. This will undoubtedly have a positive impact on your mental well-being.

4. Go out without your phone

Let’s be honest, we rarely go out without our phones. Yet, how good does it feel! Leave it at home when you go for a walk, do your shopping at the nearby store, or go to the park with your children, for example. This small gesture can be so liberating in an age where we are bombarded with notifications from all sides. Yes, it may seem strange at first, but soon you will realize that you are more attentive to the present moment and the people around you.

Give yourself a moment of tranquility: you don’t need to check your emails while shopping. We are so overwhelmed with information that detaching from your phone, even for an hour, reduces stress and allows for a better connection with your environment.

5. Track the time spent on your smartphone

According to a British study, we spend twice as much time on our phone as we think, averaging 5 hours a day! In the United States, across all screens (work and leisure), we spend about 11 hours a day in front of a screen. When we think about everything we could learn or accomplish by dedicating five hours to something else, we realize how much time is lost.

Of course, this is not about feeling guilty. It is normal to follow accounts we like and stay informed, but simply reducing the time spent scrolling will not only make you more productive in other tasks but also make you feel better.

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