A few summers ago, I started using a popular meditation app to help me wind down at night. It worked, until it didn’t. Soon I was tracking my streaks, feeling guilty when I missed a day, and quietly shaming myself for not meditating “right.” What began as a soothing practice turned into something I measured, compared, and constantly questioned.

And I’m not alone.

“What began as a soothing practice turned into something I measured, compared, and constantly questioned.”

Wellness technology — apps, trackers, wearables, and even digital affirmations — promises healing and harmony. But for sensitive or self-aware users, these tools can become something else entirely: another metric to optimize, another area to “fail.” The very apps designed to calm us can sometimes create the opposite effect.

To understand this more deeply, I spoke with Earl J. Campazzi, Jr., M.D., a preventive medicine physician trained at Johns Hopkins and the author of “Better Health with AI: Your Roadmap to Results.” He works closely with patients using AI and wearables to improve their health and has seen firsthand when these tools start to create more stress than support.

“When you start living to achieve metrics, the idea [of health] has been flipped upside down,” says Dr. Campazzi. “The whole idea of preventive medicine is to support your health so you can enjoy your life.” 🍃

When the tools become the stressor

It’s not uncommon to turn to a meditation app for relief or a wearable to boost awareness. But sometimes, a hyper-focus on data (like heart rate variability or sleep scores) can pull us out of our bodies and into a spiral of self-surveillance.

“Sometimes, a hyper-focus on data (like heart rate variability or sleep scores) can pull us out of our bodies and into a spiral of self-surveillance.”

Dr. Campazzi points to patients with obsessive tendencies who became more anxious from their wearables. “Minute-to-minute data such as heart rate can lead to anxiety,” he explains. “Your pulse naturally varies across a big range. Watching it closely can make you think something is wrong when it isn’t.”

This can be especially true for people prone to perfectionism or health anxiety. (Raise your hand if that sounds familiar.)

The pressure to “close the ring,” maintain a meditation streak, or get a perfect sleep score can easily turn into self-punishment rather than self-care. And honestly, where’s the joy or support in that? There isn’t any.

How to spot the signs

If you’re starting to feel more pressure than peace, take a moment to reflect. Are your wellness tools serving you, or are you serving them?

“Are your wellness tools serving you, or are you serving them?”

Some early signs that a tool is causing more harm than help include:

  • You feel anxious or irritable when you don’t meet an app’s target.
  • You ignore your body’s signals in favor of what the app says.
  • You feel like you’re “failing” at healing.
  • You feel guilty or ashamed for not using the app or tracker regularly.
  • You use the data to judge yourself more harshly.

If any of this resonates, you’re not alone and you’re not doing anything wrong. These responses are deeply human. We all want to feel better. And sometimes, the tools we use to guide us need to be gently put aside.

Return to common sense (and your inner voice)

In a world where apps often position themselves as experts, it can be easy to override our own instincts. But wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all — and it’s okay to trust yourself.

“Common sense is a framework my grandmother taught me decades ago,” Dr. Campazzi says. “If you are sick or worried, seek medical care even if AI says it isn’t needed. Never act ‘against my better judgment.’”

“Take a few days off the app. Leave the tracker at home. Delete the notifications.”

When wellness tech becomes overwhelming, it’s okay to press pause. Take a few days off the app. Leave the tracker at home. Delete the notifications. Then notice how you feel mentally, physically, and emotionally.

“There is no failure, just ‘good’ opportunities and great successes,” says Dr. Campazzi. “It is good your sleep score is low because now you’ll give up afternoon caffeine, the second glass of wine, or be more disciplined about bedtimes.”

That shift from judgment to opportunity is equally subtle and powerful.

Tools should be supportive

Wellness tech is just that: A tool. It’s meant to support your process, not replace your intuition or take the lead in your healing.

“It’s meant to support your process, not replace your intuition or take the lead in your healing.”

If you’re someone who tends to ruminate or spiral, Dr. Campazzi recommends focusing on longer-term metrics like step count or general activity levels rather than real-time data, which can trigger unnecessary stress. “Measures you can control tend to give less anxiety,” he explains.

Try reframing your relationship to your wellness tools with these gentle practices:

  • Reclaim intention. Ask yourself: Why am I using this app? What do I hope it supports me in doing or feeling?
  • Create boundaries. Set specific times to check data rather than refreshing it constantly.
  • Invite flexibility. Allow room for imperfection. One missed meditation doesn’t undo your progress.
  • Add analog joy. Balance digital practices with tactile rituals like journaling, walking, or stretching.

When tech takes a back seat

There are times when the best wellness practice is simply being present without a screen. You can: Light a candle, engage in some box breathing, or open your journal. Let your nervous system decompress without a prompt or a ping.

“Let your nervous system decompress without a prompt or a ping.”

Dr. Campazzi is hopeful about the future of wellness and medicine with AI, especially for those who stay curious and grounded. “If you can keep yourself healthy for ten years,” he says, “you’ll catch the big AI wave in medicine for extra healthy decades.”

But staying healthy doesn’t mean outsourcing our wisdom. This is not the time or place in your life to default to tech or AI’s answers and leave it as is. Simply put, this means tuning into yourself softly and steadily. Let your body, mind, and emotional well-being take the lead as you navigate health.

Final thoughts

“You are not failing at healing by forging your own way.”

You’re allowed to choose the path that feels right to you. You are not failing at healing by forging your own way. 

Choose the amount of wellness tech that works for you and your lifestyle. Maybe that looks like a lot of supportive tech, maybe that looks like just a little bit. After all, you’re learning how to care for yourself in ways that truly feel good.

Stephanie Valente is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is a copywriter and editor covering wellness, commerce, lifestyle — and more — for publications like Brooklyn Magazine. Based in Brooklyn, she’s often writing poetry, getting lost in a book, or hanging out with her dog.