In an age of rapid digitalization, people speculate that modern technologies are to blame for the increasing number of cases of depression, mental illnesses and overall lack of life satisfaction among the youth and young adults. Bosnian Representative Association for Valuable Opportunities is here to introduce you to new ways of wise technology usage which may dramatically improve your overall well-being.
One significant way in which technologies may assist in your preservation of mental health or its recovery is through mindfulness and meditation apps. Digital platforms such as: Calm, Headspace and Insight Timer have a long list of meditation sessions, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques that have since proven to be effective in coping with stress, anxiety and mental clarity improvement. Apps such as these promote emotional resilience and incorporating simple habits into your daily lives and busy schedules.
Virtual therapy has emerged from the need of the people seeking mental health support. Apps dedicated to therapy such as Talkspace and BetterHelp connect their users with certified therapists through text, voice and video sessions with the goal of making therapy more accessible. This has proven especially popular among the people who do not have access to traditional therapy or who can access therapy benefiting from the comfort of their own home.
Digital platforms such as Reddit’s mental health subreddits and 7Cups website were established as open forums for people who are more open for peer to peer experience exchange and are seeking advice from those who have been in the same place as them. These platforms successfully cultivated a sense of community and supportive environment for years which has reduced the feelings of isolation and have helped many people so far. In conclusion, these web-sites, apps and online platforms can vastly improve and help us preserve our mental health. From meditation to sharing your experiences anonymously on online-forums, these tools have helped many people in taking the necessary steps in mental health preservation, building emotional resilience and making the necessary changes in order to live happier and more fulfilling lives. This article has a purpose of highlighting various ways you could take in order to help yourself and others around you who are facing problems we might not be aware of. The most important thing of all is to have a healthy mindset and become digitally conscious.
MORE ABOUT "BDC PROJECT":
“Becoming Digitally Conscious” is a Capacity Building project targeted at the promotion of healthy digital habits among young people (between 18 and 25 years old) living in the European and Western Balkans area. The goal is to make this group aware of the potential dangers of making excessive use of digital devices, such as psychological disorders (e.g., eating disorders and depression). Considering that virtual reality has become an essential part of young people’s lives (especially during the covid-19 pandemic to study or socialize, which before they did mainly offline), we believe it is important to train them on how to integrate digital devices in a healthy and conscious way.
Through the education of youth workers, the project will contribute to increasing the quality, innovation, and recognition of youth work, supporting the sharing of methods to address the opportunities and implications of digitalization. Of course, it is as well related to “Addressing digital transformation through the development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity” because all major social changes imply some areas of risk that need to be reflected upon to mitigate the issues created (in this case digital addiction). Looking at the Capacity Building
Call in particular, the proposal focuses on the thematic area “digital and entrepreneurial skills”. Out of the European Youth Goals under the EU Youth Strategy (2019-2027), we can highlight number 5: “Mental Health & Wellbeing”. We will also contribute to the “Empower” priorities by training Youth Workers and recognizing their abilities to participate in social change and development.
We agree with the European Parliament that it is necessary to “Promote and educate on online and offline health behaviors in young populations” (“Harmful internet use” briefing). In fact, the European Union has been actively concerned about tackling the risks of excessive internet. For example, the European Network for Problematic Usage of the Internet brings together experts from 40 countries to investigate the problem. The World Health Organization has also recognized this issue by saying in relation to digital addiction: “The observed and documented negative health and psychosocial consequences include a range of health conditions that share signs and symptoms with disorders such as gambling disorder and substance use disorders” (Public Health Implication of Excessive Use of the Internet, Computers, Smartphones and Similar Electronic Devices, Meeting Report, WHO, 2014).
With “Becoming Digitally Conscious” we wish to develop non-formal tools that support youth workers in the promotion of digital competences, disseminating at the same time the idea of healthy internet use among the young population in a way that is truly engaging to them, hence through the involvement of their counterparts who see the problem from their same perspective.