Top Tips to Disable Distraction + Something Worth Trying for Your Mental Health
this is making you tired, unmotivated, and depressed
The world is wild right now. Times are tough. Stress is high and the pull to grab your phone for distraction and dopamine is real.
The problem is, that little device you can pick up at any time is a portal to anything you could ever possibly want to know, endless entertainment, and endless social validation which is causing an epidemic of distraction and a culture sucked into the scroll.
I’m in it too. I find myself on my phone more than ever during stressful times to get relief.
It’s fake of course.
It’s like drinking a Celceus for more energy. Sure, it will give me some in a quick hit. But the crash and long-term effects of doing that will eventually burn me down. It’s not real energy. Just like those quick checks that make you feel good are not real joy. Social media is not real connection.
It’s actually burning my ability to feel real joy and connection just like Celceus is burning my ability to feel real energy.
You are kind of in a lose-lose situation: distraction feels good and you have an entire world in which it’s their job to take your attention.
But that also means if you know that, you can set blocks in place of the unlimited distractions to counteract what you will automatically and addictingly do.
Ways to Disable Distraction + Mental Health Practices Worth Trying
You Need a Separation
91% of adults keep their phone within arm’s reach all day.
75% of the time we spend with our kids in our lifetime will be spent by age 12.
79% of married couples admit technology distracts them from connecting with each other.
I found these statistics from the technology platform Aro so eye-opening.
If your phone is by you, you’ll look at it. That’s how they designed it to work.
Experiment with ways to separate yourself:
Leverage new technology: I have been loving my Aro box. Aro is a technology platform leveraging the science of habit formation to help you connect by disconnecting. There are three parts: The Aro app: Set goals, get reminders, track time away, and compete with others. The Aro Home device: The Aro is a device that holds your phone, acts as a visual cue to disconnect, and a charging station all in one. Habit-changing insights: As the saying goes - what can be measured can be improved. Aro shows you data on how intentional you've been with time away from your phone to make it a habit
Turn your smartphone into a dumbphone- this has truly been my foolproof way to stop impulsively using my phone
Leave the house without your phone - why does it feel so weird to do this? But after a couple of times, it feels liberating
Put your phone to bed every night in the kitchen and do not bring it to bed with you
Plug your phone in and act like it’s a landline that cannot move from that location
No matter how you do it, each day, make it a point to put your phone somewhere away from you and stay away from it as long as you can. Notice how you feel. . .
Reduce the reliance on cheap dopamine sources so your brain can gradually recover
Is cheap dopamine frying your brain?
If your dopamine levels are tanked, you’re more prone to:
Fatigue
Depression
Weight gain
Low sex drive
Trouble focusing
Sleep disturbances
When we constantly reward our brain with dopamine from social media, junk food, constant phone checking, etc. we’re rewiring how our brain normally functions.
Dopamine is good, it is responsible for:
Pleasure
Motivation
Satisfaction
The problem is you are supposed to work for something to get dopamine, nowadays you don’t have to do anything but turn your phone on to get it.
This is causing the brain to become desensitized to the effects of dopamine.
Making it harder for you to find satisfaction and pleasure in everyday activities that were once fulfilling, like work, exercise, and reading.
What do we do about this?
Reduce the reliance on cheap dopamine sources so your brain can gradually recover.
So you don’t crave novelty and entertainment constantly. So hard work begins to feel good again. So sitting in stillness doesn’t feel horrible.
The two ways I do this:
A fasting time from inputs: Think intermittent fasting, but from information. Your mind cannot function with motivation, creativity, or positivity if it’s too busy trying to process the non-stop inputs of pictures, videos, podcasts, texts. The more time you have in between inputs, the better. The easiest way to do this is to have a night input curfew and a delayed morning start time. I like the 16:8 - consume information in an 8-hour window and fast for 16 daily.
The one-minute pause a few times a day: Every single time I stop consuming so much information and make a few small spaces throughout the day to sit in silence, breathe, and let it all go - energy, creativity, and perspective overtake me. Give it a try right now. Stop, a few slow breaths, release tension from your shoulders and jaw, and as John Eldridge says in his one-minute pause app, Jesus, I surrender everyone and everything to you. I need more of you; fill me with more of you, God. Restore our union; fill me with your life. Whew, doing that a few times a day is straight fire.
Create Intentional Conversation
Digital distraction is taking the place of intentional conversation.
Having novel conversations helps spark a connection in any relationship. If you're out of ideas, this digital deck is a great start to having engaging and meaningful conversations.
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Oh wow!! I love PAUSE by John Eldridge too!
Thanks so much for your awesome insight!
Blessings ❤️