☠️ Your phone’s dark side: WHY it’s harming you and HOW to fight back!
Three things to pay attention to.
Hello friend! 👋
It’s May 2023 already!
Anyone else panicking that this year is running too fast? 😅
And on that note, let’s talk about one thing that is getting in the way of you showing up at your best every day.
YOUR PHONE.
Let’s dive straight in!
Screen-induced Apnea
Did you notice that you hold your breath most of the time when engaged with your screen?
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one.
Many studies have come out showing how most people (one study showed up to 80% of people!) hold their breath when looking at their screen.
Why is that bad?
Let’s unpack that:
One major reason; shallow breathing activates your sympathetic nervous system.
That is the system responsible for your fight/flight/freeze stress-response.
CHRONIC SHALLOW BREATHING = CHRONIC STRESS LEVELS
Instead, you want to activate your parasympathetic system - responsible for your sense of calm.
Every now and then pay attention to your breathing while you are texting, scrolling, or watching something on your screen.
Mindfulness is your best ally here; strengthening your awareness is KEY.
No one is immune to it but one other way to cope is to intentionally practice deep breathing so your body learns how to avoid the shallow breath, and when it happens it feels awkward to you so you can notice.
You can start with 3 minutes of deep breathing a day (that’s about 12 long breaths).
This takes a lot of practice but like anything else, it all starts with micro steps of practice that compounds.
Damage to your posture
Whether you like it or not, you were created to MOVE.
Studies are showing that from a physiological perspective, the damage chronic sitting creates is comparable to that of chronic smoking.
That’s BAD!
Moreover, the phone screen is responsible for much of your neck and shoulder strain on daily basis.
Did you know that the more you tilt your head from baseline the more the weight of your head is, as experienced by the neck?
Your head would normally weigh 5KGs if your neck is straight, but with how most of us use our phones, this is multiplied by SIX TIMES!
I mean, can you imagine the strain that is created on your neck and shoulders over a 10, 20, or 40 year period?!
Also, bad PHYSIOLOGICAL posture = bad PSYCHOLOGICAL posture.
The evidence is unequivical on the impact of posture on self-esteem, confidence, and overall mood.
The iHUNCH (as it is being referred to) is responsible for that.
Instead, intentionally notice and correct your posture when using your phone.
Mindfulness is your best ally here again.
Deteriorates the quality of your conversations
We all know that it is very hard to build a genuine connection when the person is with you but is constantly on their phone.
It is like they’re there, but not really…
Before knowing the impact this had on my relationships, I was always on my phone.
I realized later on that this was PRETTY BAD and have since intentionally changed this habit.
Research is actually showing that the mere presence of the phone IN SIGHT will deteriorate the quality of the conversation.
Why?
Because we are SO CONNECTED to our phones, it feels like an extension of our identity.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you had instances where you forgot your wallet and keys to your house but not your phone!
I certainly have had multiple of these.
More research is showing that actually being out of sight is not enough still, that it needs to be out of sight AND out of touch (not on you).
For as long as the mind senses the presence of the phone, a BIG CHUNK of your conscious and subconscious is absorbed in the world your phone offers (social media, email, Google questions, Reddit, etc…)
Next time you hangout with your friends, see if you all are willing to put your phones in an out-of-reach box for 30 minutes or longer while you stay present with each other in your activity.
That’s all for this week.
Hope these tips can help you show up better and stronger as you crush through your days this week.
Have a Super Sunday! 💪
With much joy,
Hashim
Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 more ways I can help you:
Awareness Strengthening via Mindfulness Workshop: Sign up to the upcoming FREE 90-min workshop, to explore the science-backed benefits of mindfulness. The last one filled up in 2 days!
1:1 Coaching: Book a free 30-min Coaching Discovery Call to explore the value of getting scientifically-proven Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology frameworks that are tailored to your own journey to reach your goals. Let’s win together! 🏅
I had no idea about the impact of using the phone on breathing and the activation of the SNS! Now that I am aware of it I can actually notice how my breathing changes when I am scrolling which is scary. More people need to know about this- thank you for sharing
Also please write about how the hand/ wrist is evolving from constantly holding the phone 😅 we’re slowly creating a tail of some sort