4 digital habits I use to calm my anxiety

Like a number of people, I deal with clinical anxiety. We all get anxious from time to time, naturally — but clinical anxiety is more frequent and intense, often out of proportion to what’s going on. Left unchecked, it can create serious issues, such as insomnia and panic attacks.

I’m usually able to function normally with some self-awareness and resilience, but habits also play an important part — including the technology I use on a daily basis. If you’re dealing with any level of anxiety, some of these suggestions might be worth incorporating into your routine. You don’t even have to turn to apps with mental health features, like Apple Health or Calm, though those can help as well.

1 Putting my smartphone down for a few minutes

No full-scale digital detox needed

iPhone 15 Pro home screen

Smartphones aren’t automatically anxiety-inducing, but they can exacerbate things. They’re how we receive news, emails, texts, and work tasks, after all. They can also tempt us into shopping or doom-scrolling through apps like Instagram and TikTok.

Putting down your phone when possible doesn’t just lessen the chance of distractions or added worries. It forces you to focus elsewhere, hopefully on more calming things like your partner, your friends, a book, or a favorite movie. You might even end up tackling a few chores, reducing the number of things to be anxious about in the first place.

If you really need to keep tabs at all times, one option may be a smartwatch like the Pixel Watch 3 or my Apple Watch Ultra 2. These allow you to check the time, your notifications, and some other info without being lured into anything further. If something is truly important, then you can reach for your phone.

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2 Using smart home automations to wind down

Your surroundings matter much more than you think

If you’re fortunate enough to own smart home tech, it can alleviate anxiety in a few ways. Most often, I play calming media on my smart speakers and displays when I’m getting ready for bed — everything from rain and ocean sounds to YouTube videos about electric unicycles. Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant/Gemini all offer looped nature sounds for free, so you can just ask them to “play [fill in the blank] sounds.”

Lighting automations are a big play for me. While I need bright lights to keep me awake during the workday, my evening automations switch to warm, subdued scenes to set a relaxing mood and ultimately get me ready for bed. I also have an automated bathroom nightlight, so there’s no need for me to switch on anything that might make it hard to fall back asleep.

Some people may benefit from the peace of mind offered by smart locks, cameras, and thermostats. Once you’ve got them automated the way you like, it means fewer things to worry about.

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3 Apple’s Focus and Night Shift modes

Maintaining the right headspace

Most of the day, my digital experience is unfiltered. I’ll sometimes put devices to the side, but my life demands information from many sources, sometimes unexpected ones. There’s a chance that an important news story might break, or that I might get a call from my son’s school. Apple’s Focus modes — which only permit select apps and contacts — would more likely get in the way than help.

There are two exceptions. My main hobby is weightlifting, and I have a customized Fitness Focus that kicks in whenever I start a workout on my Apple Watch. Most apps are blocked, and the only people that can get through are my wife, our parents, and my siblings. Paired with some noise-cancelling earbuds, it makes the gym a private space where I can focus on getting better in every sense.

My Sleep Focus is even more draconian — only my wife can get through. I also use Night Shift, which skews my iPhone display towards warmer tones. While the effect of blue light is overblown, I find that Night Shift and Sleep Focus do a good job of putting me in a sleepy mindset, negating a tiny bit of my anxiety.

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4 Gaming on my Steam Deck

Within reasonable limits, that is

Gaming can also be excellent for reducing anxiety, but you do have to be smart about it. If a game regularly makes you tense or swear profusely, it may be time to drop it, no matter how sweet the moments of triumph — think twice about loading Elden Ring or Silent Hill before bed. It’s also important that gaming does not create conflicts with other parts of your life, like work or relationships. That’s just going to amplify your anxiety when you put down the controller.

I own a gaming laptop, but lately, I’m spending more time playing on my Steam Deck. The handheld format lends itself better to games like Balatro and Vampire Survivors, which don’t require my full attention. That means I can sometimes play them while hanging out with my wife and son. I can also play just about anywhere, including more relaxing environments than my office.

You don’t need a Steam Deck, of course, but be careful about phone gaming. It can actually be too convenient, leading you to play when you should be doing other things, like getting some shuteye. Many phone games are also built to do little more than suck you into a loop of ads and in-app purchases, which won’t help much with peace of mind.

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