Consider giving yourself or your loved one the gift of digital wellness this holiday season!
I’ve got twelve easy and (largely) inexpensive ideas below. (If you’re looking for something more substantial, contact me to talk about scheduling a private digital wellness coaching session in 2022.)
Note: these aren’t affiliate links. I am not being paid to promote any of these products. I just think they’re neat. Hope you do too. Happy holidays!
Calm Subscription (Free trial / $14.99 per month / $69.99 per year)
Calm is a meditation app that has substantially expanded its offerings in the past year, (it was invaluable to me during pandemic lock down.) Not only does Calm now offer a number of daily guided mediations, it also has sleep stories (for adults and kids), relaxing and inspiring music tracks and nature sounds, masterclasses, and mood check-ins. It’s a great tool for carving out 10 minutes of peace in a busy day.
Alarm clock (price varies)
One of the best things you can do for your digital wellness is to stop using your phone as an alarm clock. There are gobs of cool alarm clocks out there with modern features like waking you up with natural light, a sniff of essential oil, or music designed to delight your brain. For instance, the Loftie clock ($149) offers two tones to slowly wake you up in the morning as well as wellness content, sound baths, and guided meditation.
Freedom App ($29/year)
Want more time in your day to focus on the stuff that really matters? This multi-platform app is the tool for you, allowing you to block distracting websites and apps and schedule open windows for deep work or play. (It’s like your own personal time police!) Give someone the gift of time, space, and freedom to get into the flow on their favorite projects and hobbies.
Screen/Life Bracelets ($42/each)
If you have trouble staying mindfully in the moment, consider one of these brass bracelets. Every time you look down at your wrist you’ll be gently reminded to take a screen break and come back to here and now. Choose from three different designs to use as a source of motivation while you seek better screen/life balance.
ifixit Fix Kit (price varies)
One by-product of our increasing reliance on technology, is the creation of ever growing mountains of e-waste. You can help stem that flow by repairing your wonky devices instead of throwing or giving them away and buying new ones. Use one of these cool kits from ifixit.com to change batteries, update RAM, or replace scratched or cracked phone screens on a wide range of devices likes phones, gaming systems, desktops computers and Apple watches.
Brain.fm Subscription ($50/year)
What if the soundtrack to your 2022 was scientifically designed to improve your focus and productivity during the day or your sleep at night? If that sounds like a good idea, consider an annual subscription to brain.fm. This is a great gift idea for the multitasker who can’t seem to “get into the zone” when it’s time to buckle down and work, or wind down and rest.
Mindful Phone Caddy ($39.00)
Bagby has a number of great digital wellness gift ideas. One that jumped out at me in particular was this phone caddy that allows you to give your family the ultimate gift this holiday season–the gift of everyone’s full time and attention! This caddy could be used for any group gathering, such as a family meal, business meeting, or special event. Literally asking everyone to “hang up their phone” for an hour or so is a great habit to start in 2022!
Blue light glasses (Two for $14.99)
Prolonged exposure to the blue light in our electronics can cause eye fatigue and mess with our sleep. One way to combat the problem is to wear a blue light-blocking glasses during your screen time. There is no shortage of options out there. (These Kenzhou glasses on Amazon are pretty cute. Big retailers like Target and Walgreens have them in store too if you’d like to try them on first). This is a great gift idea for anyone who has a screen-heavy job or hobby.
Password notebook ($17.99)
Sure, you could use an app to keep track of all of your brilliantly complex Internet passwords, (please tell me yours isn’t 1234) but a notebook sure is handy too. There are endless different designs out there. Although some designs say things like, “Passwords!” or “WTF is my Password?” on the front, opt for a more neutral cover for yours, in the event it ever gets misplaced. No sense advertising to your kids that this is the place to find the Amazon password!
The Resilience Project App ($4.49 one-time fee)
If you’re interested in a daily wellbeing journal for all ages, check out The Resilience Project App. Each day users are prompted to identify their emotions, record moments of gratitude and practice mindfulness. The aim is to develop emotional literacy, engage with the positive things in life and be actively present–a great gift idea for the young people in your life.
Sounds True Gift Card
If you’re looking to make changes in your life in 2022, Sounds True is a great place to start. First off, they have loads of free content and a great podcast, Insights at the Edge, that explore in a wide range of topics like meditation, health and healing, psychology, and spirituality. They also have an online store with on-demand courses, books, videos, etc. If you’re not sure what’s the best fit for your gift recipient, try a gift card.
An offline experience (priceless)
This year, give someone a gift of immeasurable value… your undivided time and attention at an experience of their choosing, (for example a concert, camping trip, dinner date, or art class.) Sure, bring your phone along for driving directions, to show your tickets to an usher, or to take a commemorate pic. But other than that, leave your followers and friends at home and save this special outing for a #latergram post. Trust me, the memories will last longer than the latest gadget.