How to Know When Screen Time Is Harming Your Mental Health
Our lives are filled with endless screens from our phones to our computers. Technological advancements have made many tasks easier and enabled communication where it might not have been possible before. However, with these advancements, there are some downsides that come along with how often we use our devices. Screen time is a phrase for time we spend on our devices (and screens) throughout our daily lives. It’s important to note that not all screen time is harmful to your mental health. The type of screen time that is harmful is when it becomes too frequent or when it’s mostly passive versus intentional. Passive scrolling can be more impactful for our mental health than intentional scrolling.
What Is Screen Time?
As we said above, screen time is defined as the time that people spend watching screens on devices such as a computer, phone, or television. Screen time can affect our mental health in ways that we might not even realize. Maintaining healthy screen time levels is more about being realistic and balanced versus trying to eliminate it completely. Intentional screen time is not always harmful for mental health if done in moderation.
Signs Screen Time Is Affecting Your Mental Health
Keeping an eye on screen time levels is a good way to prevent it from interfering with your mental health. However, there are some signs you can look out for if a person is concerned about their screen time levels. One sign that screen time might be affecting your mental health is having difficulty sleeping. Another sign is feeling increased feelings of anxiety or stress. Sometimes this anxiety will be directly related to social media anxiety, and other times it’s general anxiety. This anxiety may manifest as comparing to other people and constantly checking their phone. Another sign that screen time might be affecting your mental health is a decrease in self-esteem or self-worth. Unfortunately, social media can encourage comparison, which can lead to a decrease in self-esteem for some.
Tips for Digital Wellness
If someone feels their screen time is too high or notices it is affecting their mental health, they might want to consider developing a digital wellness plan. Digital wellness is defined as having a balanced relationship with technology that aims at having a healthy relationship with technology. Digital wellness focuses on realistic boundaries and changes that can help people reach well-being around technology. The first step to cultivating digital wellness is to become aware of your habits. Once you are aware of your screen time habits, you can begin to create realistic boundaries around your screen time. It’s important to learn to find ways to work with the digital world, not completely remove it. It can be helpful to increase self-care practices, also as a part of digital wellness initiatives.
Technological advancements have made many areas of life more effortless. However, with these advancements, there are also negative consequences to technology. Too much screen time can affect mental health and overall well-being. Digital wellness is possible for people who are willing to work towards it. Having a positive relationship with our screens ensures that we are able to reap the benefits of technology while minimizing its negative effects.
If you or someone you love is struggling with maintaining digital wellness alone, help is available. Reach out to us today if you are ready to start working together.
References
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10353947/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11836072/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10337317/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12003299/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8960109/
Keywords: screen time, digital wellness, mental health, social media anxiety, self-care