Is your screen time affecting your wellbeing? Improve your mental wellness now

Do your eyes hurt after staring at your phone for long periods?

This feeling of depletion and tiredness is probably because you are suffering from digital exhaustion. Just like our bodies feel burnout after doing so much work physically, in the same way, our minds too feel exhausted.

The constant connectivity online makes us disconnected from ourselves and our reality. We may feel good watching what others are up to on social media but that also leads to negative self-talk and comparison.

Repetitively watching news online can deteriorate your mental health and impact it most terribly.

The research reveals that screentime has dramatically increased in the last two years during COVID-19. With online studying and working from home, there has been a prolonged use of digital technology.

While this may appear to be the obvious decision at the time, too much screen time can become an addiction for you, much like alcohol and drugs, and may cause you to develop ailments you haven't even considered.

Related: How social media affects your health?

photo: unsplash

Effects of using too much screen

Excessive screen time can cause a variety of health problems, including:

• Sleep deprivation- Because blue light from digital devices disturbs your body's sleep hormone, melatonin, it has a direct impact on how much sleep you receive. This is why using digital gadgets right before bedtime makes falling asleep considerably more difficult.

• Physical strain to eyes and body- Long periods of staring at a screen are undoubtedly taking a toll on your body, particularly your eyes. Excessive screen time not only strains your eyes and causes them to feel dry, but it can also result in retinal damage and blurred vision. Furthermore, constantly hunching over (as many people do with their cellphones) alters your posture and can create stiffness and pain in the neck and shoulder.

• Inability to process emotions- Excessive screen time can also impair your ability to register and process emotions. One, particularly concerning side effect of impaired emotional judgment, is desensitization to violent content. It hurts your mental and emotional well-being.

• Impaired social abilities- Real-life interactions are hampered due to prolonged sitting over social media. People may feel more lonely than they did previously, which can lead to isolation or even suicidal ideation.

• Lower self-esteem- We don't know how much our self-esteem suffers while we're constantly searching the web. Most of us squander time looking through our news feeds that could be spent to strengthen our skils and talents. When we choose to look at what others are doing, that lowers our self-esteem.

Although there is no set time for us to use our phones and tablets, adopting a healthy lifestyle can help us avoid a slew of health problems.

How to Improve your mental wellness while doing everything?

Getting engaged in work is good but letting it affect your mental health is terrible. Yes, we cannot sit idle and do nothing for the sake of our mental wellness, but here are some tips that would help us improve our well-being.

1.  Set an app timer- Timers let us know how much time we have spent on the specific application and also restrict us from using it more once we turn it off. So, it's good to have digital detox time and again to protect your eyes from draining. 

2. Move your body- Prolonged sitting on your work chair may hamper your spine and legs and also give you obesity. Make it a habit of getting up from your chair at least after every hour. Move here and there. Take baby steps. Slowly and steadily you will adapt to these mini-breaks.

3.  Turn off notifications-  Notifications are messages displayed on your screen by apps to notify you of new activity. This takes our attention away from us and forces us to use our phones. When a notification appears, our inner desire compels us to open and explore our phones, which consumes the majority of our time. As a result, turning off unnecessary notifications will make you feel less anxious and more at ease.

4.  Make a to-do list- A checklist that ensures how much work needs to be done for the day makes you responsible and productive.  Therefore, make a to-do list and start checking off the tasks side by side. This would compel you to focus on your work, instead of wasting time on Instagram. Moreover, you will experience that your stress level is decreasing and you will feel better.

5. Laugh more- Laugh and enjoy yourself fully whenever you are down. Laughter can help you overcome any negativity or anxiety you are feeling and boost your mental health.

6. Choose a me-time- Set aside a few minutes for yourself where you will either read a book, interact with a closed one, focus on your goals or simply go for a walk. This me-time will help you stay away from the digital screens and improve your overall health.

Conclusion

Today, digital devices have become an integral part of our daily lives and it is impossible to live a day without them. Surely we cannot get rid of them but we can simply limit our screentime to protect ourselves from the negative consequences. In this way, we can connect more with our real friends and family members instead of the online community who do not bring much value to our lives.