Digital fatigue no longer looks like an individual issue affecting only those who “spend too much time on their phones.” It has become a background condition — quiet, but widespread. And that is precisely why today it is increasingly reflected not only in our mental state or ability to concentrate, but also in how we relate to self-care.
Self-care, which just a few years ago was perceived as a way to restore balance, is now increasingly working in the opposite direction — as yet another channel of load. This is no longer an exception. It is a trend.
Digital fatigue as a trend, not a personal malfunction
Trends never begin with terminology — they begin with recurring symptoms. In the case of digital fatigue, these symptoms are easy to recognize:
- a constant sense of fragmented attention;
- difficulty maintaining focus even during simple rituals;
- exhaustion not from actions themselves, but from the need to constantly choose;
- irritation at “one more message,” “one more reminder,” “one more list.”
This is not about technology as such. It is about a mode of continuous presence — when the boundaries between work, rest, and self-care gradually dissolve.
At this point, digital fatigue stops being a psychological term and becomes a cultural phenomenon.
There is another crucial dimension that makes this fatigue collective: the attention economy. Attention has become a limited resource, and anything that demands it — even something beneficial — is automatically experienced as load. Self-care finds itself in the same row as work chats, feeds, news, planning, and reminders. And if care is structured in a way that asks for “a little more attention,” it begins to compete not with laziness, but with saturation.
How digital fatigue reshapes the idea of care
One of the first areas where this shift becomes visible is self-care. Not at the level of products, but at the level of expectations.
Where complexity and “advanced” routines were once valued, a different kind of demand is emerging:
- fewer steps;
- fewer simultaneous active decisions;
- less need to constantly “track” results;
- a stronger sense that care does not require ongoing attention.
Digital fatigue makes any multi-step system vulnerable. Even if it is effective in formula, it may be unsuitable in experience.
Why self-care started to drain instead of restore
The paradox of modern self-care lies in the fact that it is increasingly built according to the same logic as digital services: tracking, optimization, regular reminders, “correct” frequency.
As a result, care begins to follow the rules of productivity. It is easy to skip, difficult to complete, and impossible to ever feel that you have “done enough.” It turns into yet another process that must be controlled.
And this is where the internal conflict emerges: what was meant to reduce load becomes its continuation.
At this point, it is useful to distinguish between two scenarios that look similar on the surface but are fundamentally different. There is aesthetic self-care — the kind that looks good in imagination, lists, and content: the “perfect routine,” the “proper ritual,” the “complete protocol.” And there is functional self-care — the kind after which life feels easier, not harder to plan. They may consist of the same products, but they differ in one key aspect: whether the practice actually releases tension from the system or merely masks it with another layer of control.
Skin as a screen: why fatigue becomes visible
Digital fatigue does not always manifest immediately as anxiety or insomnia. Often, it first appears as a general sense of instability — and the skin becomes one of the places where this is most visible.
Increased reactivity, difficulty maintaining results, a constant need for “boosting” — these are not necessarily signs of incorrect skincare. Very often, they are signals that the system itself is overloaded.
In this sense, care is no longer an isolated zone. It begins to directly depend on how the day is structured, how sleep is organized, how much information we consume, and how quickly we switch between stimuli.
What becomes the new normal
Like any trend, digital fatigue does not only exhaust — it reshapes the idea of normality.
And here an important, almost invisible shift occurs: letting go of unnecessary steps is increasingly seen not as “laziness” or “lack of discipline,” but as a form of adaptation. This is not simplification for its own sake, but a way to regain a sense of control when the overall volume of stimulation has already exceeded the system’s capacity.
Gradually, the new normal becomes:
- repetition instead of constant renewal;
- routines that do not require explanation;
- the absence of peaks instead of short-lived effects;
- care that does not “ask for attention.”
This shift is clearly visible in the broader lifestyle context — in changes of rhythm, rejection of excessive stimulation, and the search for stability as a value. This is exactly what the materials in the Lifestyle section explore, where care, recovery, and way of life form a unified logic.
How to read the self-care trend in the age of digital fatigue
Digital fatigue changes not only practices, but also the way trends are interpreted. Self-care no longer works as a universal recipe.
The focus shifts from “what else to add” to “what can be left undone.” From control to tension release. From visible effect to the feeling that the system is not overloaded.
At this point, care stops being a to-do list and begins to fulfill its original function — support.
This process cannot be fully understood without psychological context. That is why the continuation of this topic naturally moves into the territory of how our perception of attention, control, and recovery is changing.
[Next article: psychological trends — how digital overload reshapes our internal mechanisms]
Instead of a conclusion
Digital fatigue is not going away anytime soon. But it is already changing the rules. And self-care is one of the first areas where these changes become visible.
In this sense, self-care today is not about doing more — but about not amplifying what is already overloaded.
Sources
-
An R., Wang X., Li Y. Digital fatigue and academic resilience among university students. Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group, 2025.
-
Jegorow D. Digital fatigue, sustainability behaviour, and energy awareness among Generation Z. Social Sciences, MDPI, 2026.
-
Ordóñez S. L. R. Digital fatigue among university faculty: impact of intensive use of virtual platforms on workplace well-being. Revista Caribeña de Investigación Educativa (RECIE), 2025.
-
The impact of digital fatigue on employee productivity and well-being: a scoping literature review. ResearchGate, 2025.
-
Digital fatigue in the age of screens: eye and postural strain among 18–35-year-old screen users. ResearchGate, 2025.