Pathway to Digital Flourishing- Through Courses, Coaching & Certifications
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in February 2022, google searches for “how to get your brain focused” have increased by 300%
Today, eighty-three percent of employees are looking to their employers for guidance in navigating the pressures of remote work. Yet many employers feel ill-equipped to deal with these new pressures.
Many of us are working from home and are not able to communicate in person with our coworkers or classmates. We are turning more and more to our mobile devices—the very things that many of us typically spend some amount of time trying to get away from.
However, we are now using these electronic tools for what arguably might be their original purpose—to gather information easily. Some of us may also be using mobile devices to partake in some mindless gaming to take our minds off the current situation. Perhaps all of us are using social apps more and more to stay in touch with those we care about but most of the time we tend to forget the problems it causes to our digital wellbeing, both in the workplace and in our personal life.
With many jobs and everyday activities relying on the internet and digital devices, digital wellness promotes healthy use and habits and assists the users in maintaining a healthy lifestyle in their daily life. Digital wellness is the pursuit of an intentional and healthy relationship with technology, both in the workplace and in personal life.
The PROBLEMS stemming from a lack of Digital Wellness
The global health pandemic caused rapid digital acceleration for many organizations, both big and small. Teams and leaders embraced a raft of digital changes, in a very short period. The intense digital acceleration that was thrust on many businesses has resulted in employees feeling overwhelmed and experiencing 'digital burnout'. Also, it undermines our ability to pay attention to one task for more than a few minutes.
More individuals are suffering from “phantom vibration syndrome”—the perception that a cell phone is vibrating when it isn’t. Some individuals suffer anxiety when they can’t check devices and/or social media frequently. In a study, conducted at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden (Sara Thomee, 2011) heavy mobile-phone use was linked to an increase in sleeping difficulties among men and an increase in depression in both men and women.
A growing body of research confirms (MacCormick, 2012) that overuse of devices or electronic media increases stress and anxiety, impacts life balance and quality, overwhelms our ability to concentrate, reduces multitasking success, and, in some cases, limits rather than boosts productivity.
These are only a few of the problems faced by people in the day-to-day world. There is no denying that there was a time once when technology had a more pragmatic effect than an idealistic one. To change our current mental health and addiction trajectory, we must understand how to take back control and use these platforms to our advantage.
The Path Forward
Given the problems outlined above, many employers are now realizing how hard it is for their employees to shut off when it comes to their digital life, both at work and at home. Given the growth trends of employee dissatisfaction, burnout, and turnover, The Digital Wellness Institute helps leading companies create a roadmap for improving digital wellbeing so they can enjoy the sweet spot where employees are thriving and productive.
Digital wellness enables employees to be more engaged and productive, as well as lead healthier lives during and outside of work. Adopting digital wellness practices can enable employees to focus on their work and cause less exhaustion and distraction. For example, employees who check their mobile devices three or four times a day are more productive than those who check their smartphones once every 10 minutes.
The Cost of Inaction
Employees who don't pay attention to digital wellness may see negative effects of overuse of technology. This dependency can also increase employees' anxiety and stress levels. If employees suffer from burnout, they're less likely to produce quality work and more likely to see declines in their mental and physical health. Focusing on digital wellbeing enables workers to lessen these risks.
Leaving the problems of digital wellness unaddressed will prove costly to employers. Here's a look at exactly how much employers stand to lose per employee if they choose to do nothing.
Annual Cost of (a lack of) Digital Wellness, per employee per year
Cost of Absenteeism………………………..…………………….……………………$1,685
Employee Turnover……………………………………………….……………………$1,500
Onboarding a New Employee……….…..…………………………….....................$4,100
Total……………………………………………………........…..………..............................$7,285 per employee per year
Taking control of our Digital Wellbeing
At a higher level here are several opportunities that people can take to improve their digital wellbeing:
1. An individual can keep a check and control their screen time by time blocking.
2. Changing smartphone settings, such as muting notifications of certain apps distract a person the most.
3. Time blocking in itself is quite sufficient if utilized properly. An individual can block their time according to their schedule.
4. Keeping the phone away while working/studying is also applicable in this situation.
These are a few steps that can be taken by individuals for their digital wellness, but these ways are only helpful to a certain extent. The most important way for an individual to be digitally well is by EDUCATING THEMSELVES and optimizing their behavior. This can be done through various courses available that can help people understand techniques for the same. That's where The Digital Wellness Institute steps in! They are teaching and empowering you and your teams on how to optimize your relationships with technology.
WHAT TYPES OF COURSES ARE OFFERED?
The Digital Wellness Institute equips leading clients with the courses, consulting, and certificates that they need to foster a more positive digital culture at home and around the world.
Digital wellness paths offered by the Institute are-
1. The Remote and Hybrid Work-Readiness Bundle
60 minutes of educational content developed to integrate within the existing learning management system of companies. These 4 fifteen minute micro-learning cover the aspects of Productivity, Mental Health, Communication, and Physical Health outlined in the digital flourishing wheel above. This program is great for a company that wishes to improve the digital well-being of its workforce at scale.
2. Live 10-week certification program
Live Certification Program is perfect for those looking for community and instructor interaction over 10 weeks.
3. The on-demand 15-week certification program
The on-demand Certification Program is perfect for those looking to go at their own pace. You can move as quickly or slowly as you'd like over 15 weeks.
4. Digital Wellness 101 Mini-course
Digital Wellness 101 is an on-demand course, designed to help you optimize your time and energy about your overall sense of well-being and establish a healthier, more intentional relationship with your digital technology.
These courses provide people with different facets that can help them to acquire not just digital well-being but will also allow them to explore several other positive aspects of digital technology. A few features of the courses offered by the Digital Wellness Institute are -
· Digital Wellness Educator Certificate + Title
· 30 hours of video-based instruction
· Live instructor-led zoom calls/ on-demand learning
· Access to an interactive discussion forum
· Networking with fellow students
· Downloadable workbook
· Access to an alumni folder of resources
· 5+ hours of bonus content/self-paced learning
· Understand basic concepts of Digital Wellness
· Become familiar with the Digital Flourishing framework
The goal is to create a world where digital overwhelm subsides, you have uninterrupted work time, you spend quality time with your friends and family, you're not being bombarded with notifications and you feel in control of your technology and your life.
Although, from the above-written paragraph you might confuse these courses to just be for organizations but that is not true. These courses are for a number of different individuals having different needs. Few of them are-
1. Individuals/ Curious explorers
2. Organizations
3. Mental Health Practitioners
4. Heal providers
5. Educators
WHY DIGITAL WELLNESS INSTITUTE?
Digital wellness institute prioritizes wellbeing in a fast-paced world. It has helped hundreds of organizations and individuals to optimize their mental health, work habits, and productivity – all while embracing a positive, digital work culture.
It utilizes technology as an ally to optimize well-being in the digital world. It assesses and tracks digital wellness over time using research-based methodologies.
The Institute uses the Digital Flourishing Model to teach holistic health and wellness. Drawing on frameworks from positive media psychology, traditional psychology, sociology, and data science, this program equips mental health practitioners, educators, and organizational leaders with research-based solutions and tools to embody and teach digital wellness.
In a time of accelerated disruption and transformation, organizations are being called out to cultivate positive digital cultures more than ever before. It's time to address digital overwhelm, burnout, and distractions within an organization. It's time to digitally flourish and gives your employees the tools they need to flourish in the digital era.
Use the coupon code "RIJULARORA" to get 10% discount on the Digital Wellness Institute courses here
- Akanksha Singh & Rijul Arora
