Do you wake up and reach for your phone right away and start scrolling? Do you lose track of time and feel guilty because you’ve spent hours zoning out staring down at a screen? Are you available to people in your life around the clock? Do you carry around your phone as though it is an extra appendage? We are all guilty of being immersed in the blue light of our devices and our eyes glued to social media at times but how is this addiction impacting our mental health? What steps can you take to have a healthier relationship with social media and your phone?

Make Downtime 

We may feel guilty about the time that we waste scrolling through social media, but make sure that after a certain time you put your phone away, ideally in another room, so you aren’t tempted to pick it up. Blue light and scrolling through our phones can impact our ability to sleep and overstimulate our minds when our body is trying to wind down and relax. Some phones allow you to do this via your settings, so if you can’t trust yourself to do it on your own, update your settings to schedule downtime!

Get Clear on Social Media vs. Reality

Certain applications on our phones may be more problematic than others depending on how we use them. Social media can set us into a huge depression spiral if we are constantly comparing ourselves to what we see on our screens. If we are seeing airbrushed images of models this can have an impact on our own body image. We may set unrealistic expectations for ourselves and others and the gap between where we think we should be versus where we are could be enough to make anyone feel down in the dumps. Remember that social media isn’t always an accurate representation of reality and that most of these people do not “wake up like this.” Seeing what everyone is up to can also give us FOMO (fear of missing out). This is a phenomenon where we always feel like we need to be productive, doing amazing things, taking a cool photo to post on the gram. Let go of this idea; rest is medicine, and the grind is unhealthy. Above all, remember to take breaks from your devices to live in the real life whether you are home or on vacation to appreciate life as it happens.

Connect, IRL (In Real Life)

Take all the energy you put into scrolling, posting, liking, commenting, etc., and do something you love! Get outside, take a walk, exercise, meditate, or invest in a new hobby. Whatever it is, take time away from the virtual reality of your phone to reconnect with the physical reality of your life and leave your phone at home or in the car if you can! True happiness and connection come from living in the moment and connecting with people in real life, not on a screen. While social media can give us the illusion of connection, it is never truly satiating and can leave us feeling isolated.

Contact VIP Ketamine Clinics

If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health disorder, contact us today for a free consultation. Our Modesto, CA ketamine clinic offers ketamine infusions for a variety of mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. Our first priority is the emotional, mental and physical wellbeing of our patients. We will help point you in the direction of health and wellness, whatever direction that may be.