Everywhere you look, people are tapping away on their smart phones. It might seem harmless, but your smart phone addiction is ruining your mental, physical and even emotional health.
Just like an alcoholic seeks solace in her drink — we are seeking solace in our phones. It’s a way to numb ourselves; to feel vaguely connected; a distraction from the stressful events happening around us. Think about how many times per day you pull out your phone because you’re bored or feel lonely or just plainly don’t know what else to do. What if you chose to NOT pull out your phone, but instead, be in the moment. Sounds a little scary, doesn’t it? We’ve lost the ability to be happy with what is – and our smart phones are to blame. Here are 5 ways your smart phone is ruining your mental health.
1. It’s ruining your attention span
Think about how many times your day is broken up by your phone. These mini “phone breaks” can start to train your brain to get bored faster in your day-to-day life. It has been proven that the human attention span has decreased to an average of eight seconds, slightly longer than a goldfish. That’s crazy. You might even feel bored while in conversation with others, but guess what — you can’t just flip to something else or fast-forward. It might be hard to imagine, but leaving your phone at home will force you to stay present with what’s happening around you. Your day won’t feel like a blur anymore.
2. It’s giving you fear of missing out
Fear of missing out or “FOMO” for short, is very real and it’s making you depressed. Our society has become very good at filtering our lives through social media. When you scroll through Facebook, you don’t see pictures of your friends lugging sacks of potatoes home from the grocery store -- you see only the best. This is like the equivalent of flipping through a fashion magazine, except it’s even worse— it’s real people having a great time and you’re not. A great way to combat this is to unfollow all of your friends on Facebook and keep only certain pages on your feed that you are truly interested in.
3. It leaves you with shallow relationships
When you are spending time with your friends and loved ones, do you ever check your phone? If so, you need to stop. It’s keeping you from deeply connecting with people, leaving you with shallow and fake relationships. Everyone seems to have something “better to do” on their phone. You might not realize it, but it’s a little hurtful when your friend is texting instead of being there with you. Why even get together if you’re not going to actually “be there.” Either leave your phone at home or give it to your friend -- that way you will both be inspired to stay present with each other during your time together.
4. It takes you out of the moment
Picture yourself out for dinner with your friend and she leaves for the bathroom, what do you do? Do you sit and enjoy the scene? Or do you whip out your phone and scroll down Instagram for the latest smoothie bowl inspo? If you are someone who is spiritually-driven, you already know that life’s magical moments happen when you are in the moment. The next time you find yourself reaching for your phone, try seeking entertainment in the scene around you. Try people watching or looking at the clouds and give your brain a break from taking in so much information.
5. It’s a distraction from what’s really bothering you
When you are stressed, your most natural instinct is to seek comfort in a friend or talk it out with someone you trust. Many of us are now using our smart phones as a way to soothe ourselves and we don’t even realize it. It feels good to take your mind off of whatever is stressing you out, but it’s not going to solve anything, nor is it going to help you process whatever you are feeling. The next time you are sad, try actually BEING with yourself instead of putting yourself in a trance. Let yourself feel the emotions at hand. We have every distraction we could ever imagine in this modern time. Creating a space where there’s nothing is now a luxury.
Intrigued? Try starting with a technology free day!
