Our phones can be powerful tools to help us navigate life, but they can also take a toll on our nervous system and wellbeing. Whilst being informed and keeping in the loop is important, so is understanding how devices can cause us to feel.
Do you find yourself reaching for your phone when you feel anxious? Or are you losing long periods of time scrolling mindlessly?
When we are up in a state of hyperarousal, feeling anxious, we might reach for our phone and go on the hunt for more information to help us find a sense of security. Our thinking brain is telling us that we need to find out, research, plan and take control. But in our body, this increases anxiety and only brings us into an artificial state of regulation.
We may also feel flat or emotionally numb and use our phone to seek a sense of connection. Our nervous system wants to feel a sense of connection with ourselves, other people, and the world around us.
For us to move into true regulation, we need to look at the deeper desire of our nervous system and step out of judging our behaviour as good or bad. We are simply trying to manage our state, but we can also find more supportive ways to regulate ourselves.
Personal Reflection
We have prepared a worksheet for you with questions that can help you to reflect on your own habits and needs. Download the worksheet here or reflect using the questions below.
📝 Identify the habit you may use to artificially regulate your nervous system.
📝 What nervous system state am I in? Can I notice the thoughts, sensations, or energy of this state?
📝 What short-term benefits is this habit giving me? Does it relieve or soothe my nervous system?
📝 Is there an unmet need that I have? How could I meet this need in a healthier way?
Once we identify the habits and their motivations, we can take an active part in changing them to better support our nervous system.
When it comes to phone use, here are some potential solutions to help you:
1. Change the environment – leave your phone in a different room
2. Move your apps away from the home screen and into folders to avoid overindulging
3. Consider deleting distracting apps
4. Turn off notifications for specific apps
5. Turn off your data or switch to airplane mode
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If you’d like to learn more about a profoundly transformative methodology of nervous system repair, you can now register for our 8-week Vagus Nerve Program. The aim of the program is to empower you to step into the driver’s seat of your own health and wellbeing.