Internet and technology are few basic necessities these days, and we all need this for our survival. Be it an office, school, college, or a shop.
But have you ever realized, such reckless behaviour is making us bow down to the ultimate power of digital media and the internet?
What is Digital Dependence?
With developing technological trends every day, we are getting a lot of support and assistance in our work, but we also need to address their harmful effects on our physical health and mental wellbeing.
Computerized reliance has developed a lot in the past two decades. We comprehend that it’s the need of this century, but we cannot even deny how our youth is deeply affected by digital media in terms of emotional wellness.
We face digital dependence in forms like gaming, chatting, social media scrolling, engaging with phones applications all day long. Overuse of such digital media sources usually hinders our working schedule and mindset.
How?… let us take a look.
How Digital Dependence Affect Your Life?
- You start losing track of time.
- Your brain concentration is disturbed.
- You start losing interest in physical activity.
- You start getting involved in negative trolling.
- Start lacking interest in talking to friends and family.
- Start feeling more conscious about your social image.
Impacts of Digital Dependence on Mental Health
1. Lack of Focus
Kids who tend to use phones and tablets all day long tend to lose focus very easily. They love how they engage with games and other ways of virtual entertainment as a result, they do not want to focus on boring study material anymore.
2. Socially Isolated
Technological advancements, for example, the internet, Netflix, and social media are all intended to unite individuals, yet they may have contrary features to them.
Research shows that grown-ups aged from 19–32 years with higher online media usage were more prone to feel socially confined and isolated than the individuals who didn’t utilize web-based media as frequently.
Discovering approaches to decrease web-based media use, for example, drawing timetables for social applications, may assist with your social isolation problems.
3. Stress and Depressed
Social media is a platform for triggering both positive and negative emotions. Whenever we follow influencers, our mind tries to compete with them, and all we want is to discover is what it feels like to be in their shoes.
Few people understand but the majority of people do not want to accept their realities they are always trying to wish for the perfect relationship, and house, cars, and vacations just like their favourite social media influencer.
As a result, we forget that we all have a different path to lead onto, and life does not work the same for everyone. This can become the cause of ultimate stress, anxiety, and depression in many people.
For a solution you must consider practicing a healthy mindset lifestyle. This will help you find more meaning in life.
4. Relying on Social Media for Validation
The majority of us generally depend on web-based media for data and socialization. Nonetheless, the requirement for being acceptable in an elite group and well known is on the ascent.
High social media validation or approval from different people can affect our mindset and influence our self-confidence making us feel more self-assured.
5. Unnecessary Procrastination and Avoidance of Work
Engaging too much in online activity and entertainment may outweigh everyday obligations by putting you into a swing of procastinantion. Plus, you would never be able to crack the code about – “How to Stop Procrastinating.” This prompts constant hindrance in your household chores, business-related chores, and self-care exercises.
Impacts of Digital Dependence on Physical Health
1. Physical Inactivity and Obesity
Digital dependence leads you towards an inactive way of life and the absence of proactive physical tasks in your day can lead you towards obesity.
More expanded utilization of the same innovations and gadgets all around your day can advance you to a more sedentary way of life, which is known to have negative impacts on your physical well-being.
If not taken care of, this could promote chances of weight gain, cardiovascular issues, type 2 diabetes, and premature death.
2. Poor Sleep Cycles and Insomnia
Scientists tracked down that the blue lights from gadgets are sufficient to upset the body’s normal circadian musicality.
This unsettling influence could make it harder to take a nap or lead an individual to feel stressed the next day. Surfing through the gadget around bedtime for a significantly long time can prompt a sleeping disorder.
The screen light causes trouble in dozing, which further prompts a change in the rest cycle (especially kids sleep cycle). This triggers mood swings, loss of appetite, and trouble in concentration.
3. Poor Posture
How numerous individuals utilize cell phones and PCs may likewise add to a very poor stance. Researches conclude, that the individuals who slouch forward, peering down at the screen have higher risk of having rounded shoulders compared with the subjects who spent less time on smartphones.
Which can squeeze the neck and spine. As a result, over the long run, this may prompt you towards musculoskeletal issues.
Sitting on your work desk in the same position for quite a long while can cause chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain. In extreme cases, this may even prompt spondylitis and other back-related issues.
Utilizing a phone for quite a long while can prompt a condition called the supported forward neck act. This condition can harm your spine just as squeezed your back and neck.
4. Poor Eyesight, Migraine, and Headache
Excessive utilization of PCs, cell phones and different devices will in general mischief with your eyes. Making them powerless to different eye conditions like red or dry eyes, foggy eyes, and eye disease.
One may likewise even experience extreme migraines occasionally.
Indications of advanced eye fatigue can incorporate obscured vision and dry eyes. Eye fatigue and strain on the eyes may likewise promote pain in your head, neck, or shoulders claimed by medical experts.
These are a few digital dependence variables that might be causing you excessive eye fatigue for example long screen time work, screen glare, screen splendour, seeing excessively close or excessively far away, poor or helpless sitting stance, etc.
The Bottom Line – Set Your Boundaries
While innovation has numerous beneficial outcomes, there are some potential dangers. This consistent boom in innovation and technology has changed the average human way of living a life.
Set your boundaries while dealing with technology:
- Track your time with technology.
- Do not use gadgets before going to bed.
- Do not binge eat junk foods while using gadgets.
- Try moving more often, so that you do not gain weight.
- Do not sit in the same posture for more than 30 minutes while using gadgets. Take mini-breaks in between and stretch around.
- Do not give kids below 12 years’ gadgets for entertainment rather tell them to go outside and play or read fun storybooks.
Anybody facing harmful impacts of innovation might need to explore ways to cut back their excessive utilization of gadgets and screen time.
Also, follow these methods of setting up boundaries and rethink how do you feel with and without these gadgets.
The day digital dependence is over, we will face zero mental and physical stress in our lives.
