We're excited to feature Student Voices, our blog series that brings unique student perspectives to our blog. From academic challenges to tech-driven success stories, hear directly from students about the tools, strategies, and experiences shaping their education. Stay tuned for inspiring insights!
Hashim Khan shares his take on digital wellness to foster mental health balance
I am a final-year Medical Genetics BSc student approaching the end of my studies. Throughout my four-year journey as a student at the innovative and tech-savvy Queen Mary University of London, I have certainly gained, lost, and maintained notions about tech and how it affects the all-important world of mental health.
As students, we are inundated with both important and essential duties, especially living alone away from family I must ensure I have good quality food, my finances are in check, refrain from socially ostracizing myself, as well as maintaining high academic performance. I also work in Enquiry Management and as a Senior Student Ambassador, as well as running an online coaching business- now I have taken on a lot, and it is certainly stressful at times, but tech helps me so much. I am able to use my calendar app to plan my weeks whilst ensuring the timetable isn’t just work but incorporates what I genuinely enjoy, such as going out, reading, training and practicing my faith. You wouldn’t assume technology can aid spirituality, but an app called Pillars notifies me of prayer times in accordance with my geographical location, removing stress from my conscience. My reading is supplemented by Audible and Headaway, a new app that provides a daily book summary, ensuring something, irrespective of how small, can be learned.
Financial and Physical Wellness: Digital Monitoring Tools
In addition, I have several apps to monitor finances, health metrics, and social media studio apps, which help boost engagement for my Online Coaching, thus increasing my client base. Now, none of this may seem to be in the wellness space (such as meditation apps), but I regard technology as fruitful in ensuring the worries in my head are practically dealt with on my phone, laptop, and iPad. Students have worries that are not dissimilar to those of working people. We worry about deadlines, meetings, money, and falling behind on achieving our goals- despite the common notion of reducing screen time. I think the more productive approach is to be intentional with your phone time. When reaching for your phone, be cognizant of what you are doing. If you are procrastinating or even numbing yourself from a difficult task or situation, then recognize this and engage in something liberating, like walking or a short read.
Mindful Technology Use: Being Intentional with Screen Time
If I am not conscious and deliberate, I can spend a whole day with screens. As students in the AI and hybrid learning age, we must create strong and practical guidelines to ensure we create space away from technology. Current neuroscience literature shows how inappropriate screen time can be detrimental to our circadian rhythm and general well-being during the first few hours of waking and the last few hours before bed.
Creating, Not Consuming: Embracing Tech as Your Mental Health Ally
My final key message to all students attempting to better their minds amidst our tech-saturated world is to focus on creating and utilizing with a purpose, not overconsuming and ruminating (known as doom-scrolling amongst us Gen-Z). The providers of social media make sickening amounts of profit when you go numb and dumb, scrolling endlessly to ultimately realize how much time you wasted, leaving you in a state of apathy and slumber. Technology is not going anywhere, my lecturers may be trying to ignore ChatGPT's existence, blocking AI and refusing to acknowledge its utility- but it is here to stay, and rightfully so. Social media, gaming apps, productivity apps, and so on are here to stay- so get curious about all facets of tech. As students in the prime of the technological era, we should be thinking deeply about how we can utilize technology to monetize our time, help and connect with others, and most of all, protect our ever-so-important mental health!
