How to build your digital resilience in 2020

As Justin Trudeau said in Davos in 2018 “The pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again.”

And this has never been truer than today. The way we live, work, communicate, socially interact and educate our children has drastically changed in just a couple of short weeks. And one of the impacts of these changes is that we are more reliant on digital technology than ever.

Technology has really come into its own now, and shows us what social media and technology were originally developed to do. We have never been in a better technological landscape to cope with isolation and self-quarantine. And as with any major change or upheaval, our resilience will be tested. And our own digital resilience is no different.

Below are some tips on what you can do to build digital resilience:

Understand that constantly monitoring news will not alleviate anxiety, it elevates it.

Each day, we have information at our fingertips that will let us know everything about Covid-19. We can see the crises in hospitals and hear heart-breaking stories of people losing their loved ones. Compassion and empathy are so important these days, but not to the detriment of our own anxiety levels and mental health. So avoid compulsively checking & refreshing news apps and social media.

Schedule your online meeting time well

Virtual meetings are different to in-person meetings and it is hard to keep participants attention for extended periods of time. I recommend keeping virtual meetings short and succinct. There is no reason a meeting needs to be an hour. Keep it short and allow your team to take a desk break, grab a cuppa or check some emails.

Lean into the pros of digital interactions, and away from the cons.

A question I regularly ask my workgroups is: “List the pros and cons of your digital device usage”. I to this so that people think about leaning into the pros, and focus on these when they are trying to change any poor digital habits. We often want less mindless scrolling and more time being productive.

Stay in touch with friends & family

After a day of virtual meetings, emails and calls the last thing you might want to do is sit in front of a phone screen and call a friend for a chat. But this social connection is so important right now. Therefore, try to view these calls as different to work engagements. Maybe use a different platform, and have 1-2-1 calls whenever possible.

Manage your triggers

Our external triggers for checking our devices may not have changed much (notifications, the “blue dot”, email updates etc.) But the environment has. What is driving us to compulsively check social media and news are feelings like fear, anxiety or connection. If we can recognise these internal triggers, then it is possible to manage our habits a bit better and to be more digitally resilient.

And if you are new to (or even a dab hand at) the virtual meeting world, check out this video and have a giggle.

By Carrie Budds who is a qualified & experienced Workplace Wellness consultant specialising in Digital Wellbeing.

She has a background as a Health & Wellness professional combined with 10+ years experience working in the IT sector. She is passionate about helping employees to stay happy, healthy and productive in our digital age.

Website: https://quokkawellness.com/

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