Detox from your phone
This topic has been discussed in a few blogs and posts, explaining why we need to do this for the sake of our anxiety.
There are so many things in modern society that are causing anxiety, so for those who suffer from anxiety and panic disorders, it is good to practise techniques that allow us to easily take back some control, and reduce anxiety any way that we can.
Here are a few tips to reducing stress that can come from your phone!
Turn off your notifications!
Every time we get a notification, it creates a shot of dopamine in our brain. This creates the addiction that we have to our phone, as dopamine creates addictive behaviours. Our brain craves more dopamine. But we can take steps to control this! And addiction creates highs and lows.
The first step is to remove the notification that makes us aware that something new has been sent to us, as this causes the dopamine.
That way, your phone is still switched on for important calls (as anxiety often makes us scared that we will miss something), and allows us to check our messages and updates when we want to, and not when it beeps!
This seems like something so simple but it makes a big difference, try it!
Ask those important to call if they need to talk
The idea of receiving important news and missing it actually creates anxiety in people with anxiety disorder. What if something bad happens??
Don’t feel bad that you feel this way. It is a symptom of anxiety disorder. So the best way to manage your anxiety in this respect is to ask those closest to you to call if they want to talk to you. That way, you won’t feel that you have to keep checking your phone.
No work email on your mobile phone
It might seem impossible, but for most of us, it is possible. There was a time before the smartphone that we managed to have no access to our work email when we were not in the office. This tip is not just for those people who suffer from anxiety, but for everyone. When we see an email after work hours or on the weekend, it takes our focus back to our work. We should be working to live and not living to work. We need to value our time and not give it away for free, or lose our free time.
Turn your phone off
It might seem crazy, but just turn it off. Every so often, switch it off for a while, during your favourite show, dinner or a couple of hours before you go to sleep.
You might think that you do not have a phone addiction, I did! So just try a few of these tips, either way your anxiety will thank you for it!
Love, @powerofanxiety
