Frances believes in honing the practice of reading as a key cornerstone for brain, and mental health wellbeing. With over fifteen years wellness experience, she is a pioneer of gut health and has developed several clinics.
Along with an M.Phil from Trinitiy College Dublin in Creative Writing from The Oscar Wilde Centre, Frances received first class honours for a thesis paper entitled The Human Relationship Online as part of a H.Dip post graduate degree at The National College of Ireland. In that paper, she explored and predicted the possible long term effects of internet and internet usage on the human mind.
In the past fifteen years, social media and smartphones have changed the way people consume information. But who knows what the long-term psychological impacts of the digital experience will be.
A recent study by UCD’s school of psychology and mental health shows that levels of anxiety and depression rose significantly among 12 – 19 year olds between 2012-2019 while levels of self esteem, resilience and optimism fell.
Academics argue that device usage and the use of phones in bedrooms should be examined with UNESCO declaring that high levels of screen time may be linked to emotional imbalances in young adults and children.
The UN now recommends restrictions on phone devices in schools, and unmonitored access to phones is not recommended. A quarter of Irish six year olds have their own mobile phones. And 45 percent of Irish ten-year-olds are allowed their phone in their bedroom.
Her wellness holidays aim to offer participants a chance to improve their own wellness through substituting phone usage with the practice of reading and writing.
