As a therapist, many clients I support are working to change unhealthy habits to find more moments of peace. Through Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), I empower individuals to change daily habits that can help regulate or manage emotions by teaching them life balance skills: accumulating positive emotions by doing things that are pleasant, building mastery by doing things they enjoy, coping ahead for stressful events, and focusing on self-care – treating physical illness, eating a balanced diet, avoiding substances, maintaining good sleep habits, getting exercise, and focusing on small goals. We now have the convenience of tracking many of these positive life habits with wearables.

Oura Rings, Fitbits, and Apple Watches are wearables that promise improved health awareness. They can track physical activity, monitor heart rate, provide sleep insights, and even detect potential health issues. They can be motivating by encouraging healthy habits through goal setting and fitness challenges. But could the same device that provides insight into health habits actually become detrimental to our health?

For some people, constant monitoring of steps, heart rate, calories, or sleep can lead to a preoccupation with data and instead of motivating healthy behavior, wearables can create anxiety, a hyper-focus on optimization, and can cause fear of missing goals which can lead to feelings of frustration, guilt, or failure. For instance, a preoccupation with achieving the perfect night’s sleep can create anxiety that keeps you up all night. Joining an exercise leaderboard could cause unhealthy comparisons, feelings of inadequacy or overexercising.

Mindfulness can be an anecdote to a preoccupation with wearables data. Cultivating internal awareness regardless of external tools can improve our quality of life, our focus, our relationships, our physical health, and even our sleep. As with many things, having a balance is key to managing our emotions and daily habits.

Tips for Healthy Wearable Use

1. Focus on trends, not single numbers.
2. Set realistic goals.
3. Limit notifications
4. Don’t ignore your body! Listen to how you feel, don’t rely just on the data.
5. Take breaks from tracking if needed.
6. Use as a guide, not a judge. Wearables should support healthy habits, not control them.

Christine Hilton, LMSW is a psychotherapist in private practice. She loves teaching clients practical coping skills to overcome life challenges. For more information visit: HiltonWellness.org.