Celebrate Digital Wellness Day with us

To celebrate the day, we have highlighted trusted digital tools and resources that can support your health and wellbeing.

Digital Wellness Day is a global movement which aims to provide free, research-based resources to support wellbeing in the digital era.

Digital plays a big part in many of our lives. How we keep ourselves entertained, manage our finances, stay connected with family and even how our we support our health and wellbeing. It can really help enhance how we live, making these things quicker and easier. However, with anything, how we use it is important.

Digital Wellness Day asks us to reflect on your relationship with digital. Are you getting the most out of your digital devices? Do you feel like you are flourishing in your digital life?

We want you to harness the positives of digital. So have highlighted some trusted apps/resources/websites that can support your health and wellbeing. These are all based on some of the elements from the Digital Flourishing Wheel, which was created to help build positive digital practices.

Tech-enabled health

Technology can help you better understand and manage your health and wellbeing. Doing some of the hard work, so you can focus on what matters to you.

Did you know that you can take your blood pressure from a place that suits you? This could be your home or a destination on holiday. You then send your results to your GP or healthcare professional, saving the time and stress of a physical appointment.

This service is provided by under the NHS Connect Me programme. Other services include COPD, heart failure and asthma. Find out more here.

Physical health

Having trouble with sleep might be more common than you think. We have heard from people struggling to find something that works for them.

Did you know that there is an app for insomnia?

Sleepio provides a six-week programme to help you to understand and tackle your sleep issues. It is clinically proven and free to everyone in Scotland. We chatted with Isobel about her experience with Sleepio, listen to what she thought here. Access the app here.

Looking to access trusted health information from your phone?

The NHS has launched a new app where you can find GPs, hospitals, and pharmacies near you. You can also chat with a virtual assistant about any symptoms you might be experiencing and get advice on what to do next. Access the NHS 24 online app here.

Relationships

Digital can help you find out what is going on in your community. This is a goal of ALISS (A Local Information System for Scotland). You can search the ALISS platform to find information on services, groups or activities related to health and wellbeing across Scotland. Access here.

Digital can also help you to build relationships and meet new people. The Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA) Connects project has successfully provided devices and training to hundreds of disabled people across Scotland.  

We chatted with Jenny and Laura on their experiences with GDA. Digital has helped them to feel more part of the word and participate in fun activities. Listen to Jenny here and Laura here.

Mental health

While being online can have negative effects, let’s harness the positive that digital can have for your mental health.

For example, there is an app that is clinically proven to help manage your stress and anxiety. The Daylight app guides you through a programme of activities, including weekly check ins to assess how you are feeling. It teaches you how to manage your anxiety with physical and mental tools and techniques.

The Daylight app is free for everyone in Scotland to access and download. Access here.

Digital citizenship

With so many digital tools out there, it can be difficult to know where to go and what to trust.

ORCHA is an organisation that reviews commercial health and wellbeing apps to ensure they are safe and effective. Alzheimer Scotland has partnered with ORCHA to create an app library. You can filter through the library by long term condition, age and even the cost of the app.

Access the app library here.

Would you like to learn more about digital health?

• Take our Open University Course on digital health and wellbeing here.
• Read Our Discover Digital Guide here.
• Or if you work in social care, you can also receive recognition by taking our Open Badges. Access the Discover Digital Badge here or our Digital Human Rights Principles Badge here.
• Would your staff or community like to learn more? Find out about our free Discover Digital Roadshows and Workshops here.

We’ll be tweeting for #DigitalWellnessDay so follow us on @DHCScot for more!

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