Digital 5 A Day
Are you getting your 5 A day?
Even though junk food tastes great, it would soon get boring if you ate it all day, every day and eventually it would probably make you sick. Just like food, a balanced digital diet is all about variety.
Having a healthy diet doesn’t mean that you never eat pizza or chocolate again but it is important that you eat them in moderation – along with your 5 fruits and veg a day!
In the same way, you don’t have to give up your smartphone forever to have a healthy digital diet. When phones, social media and games make us feel worried, stressed and a bit out of control, it often means that we haven’t got the balance quite right.
Finding the right digital balance means enjoying all the fun, exciting and creative things about being online while making sure that we aren’t caught doing the same things all the time.
Connect
Message, have fun and play with friends and family both online and offline.
Phones and social media can make staying connected to our friends and family really easy and fun. It’s important to be able to have a laugh, share our feelings and know that others understand us.
Spending time online connecting with people you know in a safe, positive way can be an important part of your digital diet. Remember that it’s important to stay connected offline too though.
Very often it is most helpful to speak to someone you trust in person when you feel under pressure or worried about things.
Be Active
Take some time off and get active - movement helps boost emotional wellbeing.
Chatting with friends is a lot of fun but science has also proven that there is a strong link between feeling happy and being active.
Spending too much time online can make us feel grumpy, tired and stressed but switching off and getting active can help a lot.
You don’t have to be an athlete or a football star to be active – find the thing that you enjoy the most – swimming, walking, dancing or yoga… – and start at the level that works for you.
Do it regularly and you will soon level up!
Get Creative
Don’t just browse the internet but use digital tools to create content, to build new skills and discover new passions.
Endless scrolling, shooting or selfies can get dull and can really make us bored and unhappy which is why it’s important to have a varied digital diet – it’s easy to make as well as take!
The web is an amazing place to discover new things, learn new skills and get creative.
Whether it’s following YouTube tutorials, building Minecraft masterpieces or writing the ultimate fan fiction – getting out of your comfort zone to create and learn something new will help you get much more from your digital day.
It will also boost your confidence and improve your mental wellbeing. Whatever you love, you can find out how to do it better online but why not take it offline too?
Use these skills to make that cake, fix that bike or learn that dance.
Give to Others
Be positive online, report bad content and help others to balance their own 5-a-day.
Giving to others not only boosts other people’s wellbeing but it also makes us feel happy too. This isn’t just about giving to charity – although that’s good too – it’s about having a positive attitude throughout the digital day.
You could do this by posting positive messages or by taking time to listen to your friends and family. Sometimes putting your phone down and spending time with them offline is a really good way to give to others too.
You can also have a role in helping to make the internet a better place for everyone by reporting hateful comments, blocking trolls and not sharing content that you know is fake or that might hurt other people.
There are also many ways you can help your friends, family and community offline – just ask.
Be Mindful
If time online is causing stress or tiredness then take some time off and ask for help when you need it.
Being mindful means paying attention to how something makes us feel.
If keeping up with notifications is making you feel stressed, if you’re anxious about getting enough likes or if being online is making you tired – recognise these feelings and take a break.
Learn what worries you, speak to people you can trust and ask for help when you feel you need it. Managing your digital wellbeing is not something you do all alone. If you lose your balance, take a step offline and ask yourself if you are getting your Digital 5 A Day.
Bonus!
Stay Safe
The most important ingredient in wellbeing is staying safe.
To make sure that you can get the best from your digital diet you must know how to stay safe online.
Do you trust the site/app you are using? Is it the best place for you and people your age to be? Do you know the people you are connected with? Do you know how to manage who can see your posts and who can contact you? Do you know how to switch off notifications, location and your camera?
Do you know how to block people and report worries?
If you have questions about staying safe or you want any help, speak with an adult you trust or visit Childline.
A downloadable version of the digital 5 A day guide can be found on the link below: