You’ll notice that the blog has been quiet of late. My schedule is a little all over the place and I’ve battled to produce the content I need to. The truth is, digital strain has hit… hard! My body even hurts, which sounds absurd. I’ve noticed how, when I’m over worked, my skin has a horrible break out and my eyes water when I get in to bed. My shoulders ache and, for the most part, I have zero inspiration to get stuff done!
Which is why I’ve put together these three tech tips to beat digital strain. They helped me and they might just help you:
Protect your eyes from digital screens
We stare at screens ALL DAY and all night actually. I struggle from a lazy eyelid that droops when I’ve been working too long. I can see it on screen when I record YouTube videos or go on an Esports stream. The best solution? Protect your eyes. There are a few things you can do to stop the lazy eyelids and watering strain that hits when you’re immersed in Twitter. The folks at Mellins i-Style suggest changing iOS settings on an iPhone to ‘nightshift’. Alternatively there are a host of free apps you can dowload like Twilight, Blue Light Filter-Night Mode or even Bluelight Filter for Eye Care. The other option is to drop some money on digital lenses. I did this and they made all the difference. While I don’t need glasses, I have a pair now with digital lenses which support my ciliary muscle – basically it just helps me switch vision between near and distance ranges as well as help tired eyes. They seriously make all the difference!
Remove your make up at night
This sounds like a bit of a dumb one but I’ve seen a seriously huge difference when I take my make up off in the evenings. There have been many a night when I’ve rolled into bed without removing my eye make up. I wake up the next day and my face feels heavy. My eyelids feel tired. Even after washing my face I still can feel that heavy weight on my eyelids. I’ve made a conscious decision to now remove my make up in the evenings – no matter what. It has made a huge difference not only to my skin but also to my work patterns. After a late night on a Twitch stream, filming YouTube videos, out at an event or just blogging removing my make up makes all the difference when I wake up in the morning. My skin looks better but my eyes also feel fresher. I’ve recently started testing out Urban Decay’s Meltdown and Rehab ranges for prepping my skin before make up application and then removing make up. The Meltdown Makeup Remover cleansing oil stick is seriously amazeballs. My skin feels great and I cannot believe how well it works!
POSTURE!
Sitting up straight while working is going to ensure the digital strain doesn’t hit. The chair you use to work from actually does make a difference, which is why I’m seriously considering looking into a gaming chair that is ergonomically designed. But in the mean time I got this nifty Ergoprop Laptop stand. It is simple enough and just tilts my notebook up a bit, giving it a new angle and changing the focus point. It is an absolute life saver and I love it. I’ve had it for close on two years now and carry it with me wherever I go. I’m thinking of adding a chair to the mix to ensure my posture improves. For now, I just consistently keep telling myself to sit up straight! Not very techie but it does the job. Another suggestion? Take regular breaks, stretch your legs and be sure to walk around. That will make a big difference too.
So those are my tech tips to try beat digital strain. Do you have any? Let me know in the comments below.
Disclosure: I’ve been trialling the Urban Decay Meltdown Range and was sent samples to test. I’ve also had my eyes tested at Mellins, who graciously gifted me with digital lenses for a pair of glasses.
