The Wellness Lab

The D.C. Psychological Wellness Group’s Wellness Lab is an initiative designed to give groups and individuals at elevated risk for negative health outcomes evidence-based tools to self-practice that reduce stress, build resilience, and strengthen well-being.

Each Wellness Lab session explores a different foundation for psychological well-being. Our upcoming session will focus on how being intentional about smartphone and Internet (particularly social media) use with digital devices can improve focus, emotional balance, and overall psychological health. We are offering this workshop to unemployed individuals who may be particularly vulnerable to the more negative effects of digital use due to increased likelihood of excessive digital engagement driven by job searching and online networking demands.

This session will be led by Clinical Psychologist and founder of the DC Psychological Wellness Group Dr. Monique Moore along with Dr. Jeanine W. Turner who is head of Georgetown University’s Communications, Culture, and Technology program. They will guide participants through discussions on simple, research-supported strategies to create healthier digital habits.

When: July 15 9:30-11:30 EST
Where: Via Zoom (link to be sent upon registration)
Cost: Free and open to unemployed or insecurely employed individuals
How to Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nNOSZNouTYK9VrZjKM-k2Q

Why Focus on Smartphone and Internet Use?

Smartphones and internet applications are deeply woven into our daily lives, but constant connection often comes with hidden costs. Research shows problematic or excessive patterns of digital use are linked to:

• Decreased focus and cognitive flexibility (Haranto et al., 2023)

• Heightened stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms (Ge et al., 2023)

• Greater impulsivity and poorer academic or work performance (Grant et al., 2019)

• Increased psychological distress tied to difficulty regulating attention (Marino et al., 2022)

While these studies highlight the risks of overuse, they also point to a powerful truth:

Reducing problematic smartphone and internet use can support clearer thinking, stronger self-regulation, and improved emotional well-being.

In other words, you don’t need to give up your phone or social media applications, you just need learn to use them in an intentional way that supports your mind instead of draining it!

What to Expect at the Session

We’re excited to have Georgetown University professor and author of Being Present: Commanding Attention at Work (and at Home) by Managing Your Social Presence, Dr. Turner, in our webinar discussion on dealing with digital distractions and avoiding smartphone and internet addictions.

Dr. Turner’s work focuses on how digital devices shape our attention, presence, and emotional connections. Her book offers a powerful framework for understanding why it’s so hard to stay focused in a world of constant notifications, and how we can reclaim our attention in meaningful, practical ways.

Drawing on more than twenty years of research, Dr. Turner explains how “multi- communicating”, or juggling multiple conversations across devices, fragments our emotional and cognitive bandwidth. She introduces four ways we can show up in communication: budgeted, entitled, competitive, and invitational presence, and shows us how choosing intentionally between them can help us reduce stress, communicate more effectively, and feel more connected to ourselves and others.

During this session, Dr. Turner will share strategies from her book and research to help participants strengthen attention and focus, set healthier boundaries with their devices, and cultivate a deeper sense of presence and effectiveness in daily life.

In this interactive Wellness Lab, participants will:

• Explore how current digital habits impact focus, energy, and mood

• Identify patterns of use driven by stress, boredom, low mood or emotional avoidance

• Learn strategies, based on Jeanine Turner’s framework, for building healthier, more intentional digital routines

• Learn strategies for cultivating more impactful and strategic social presence and more effective job networking

• Develop personalized digital use goals

Takeaways for Participants

By the end of the launch, participants will:

• Understand how even small reductions in smartphone use can improve attention and emotional clarity

• Strengthen self-regulation strategies that support daily functioning

• Practice tools that increase social effectiveness and well-being

• Develop personalized “digital wellness” goals that fit realistically into daily life

By blending psychological science, research, and applied practices, the Wellness Lab offers participants tools that are both personal and evidence-based to reach improvement while staying in connection with others who can help you stay disciplined and on-task.

References

Ge, X., Su, Q., Zhao, W., & Tan, X. (2023). The relation between anxiety, depression, executive dysfunction, and smartphone addiction: A mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1138206. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1138206

Grant, J. E., Lust, K., & Chamberlain, S. R. (2019). Problematic smartphone use associated with greater impulsivity and anxiety, and less academic performance in university students. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.32

Hartanto, A., Chua, Y. J., Quek, F. Y. X., Wong, J., Ooi, W. M., & Majeed, N. M. (2023). Problematic smartphone usage, objective smartphone engagement, and executive functions: A latent variable analysis. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 85(10), 2610–2625. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-023-02707-3

Marino, C., Vieno, A., Spada, M. M., & Cerea, S. (2022). Attention control moderates the relationship between social media use and psychological distress. Journal of Affective Disorders, 297, 536–541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.071

Scott, D. A., Valley, B., & Simecka, B. A. (2017). Mental health concerns in the digital age. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15(3), 604–613. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-016-9684-0

Tăut, D., Negru-Subtirica, O., Pop, E. I., & Băban, A. (2022). Smartphone addiction, adult ADHD, and wellbeing: The moderating role of hope. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1019976. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1019976

Turner, JW (2022). Being Present: Commanding Attention at Work and at Home by Managing Your Social Presence. Georgetown University Press: Washington, DC