Digital Distraction. It may be affecting our mental health.
We were watching an NHL hockey game the other night, (big Oilers fans), and I noticed something that hit me hard…
There was young boy, possibly 10/11 years old sitting just behind the bench while the game was on with his focus solely on his phone. Every time the cameras panned over to the bench, right behind the coach, the kid’s focus wasn’t on the game…it was on his phone.
At first I thought, holy cow, there are so many people who would be so grateful for those seats. And then, there’s this kid, not even being present, while the game was on. Unfortunately this seems to be more common place, and not just with our children. Adults too.
How did we get here??? Seriously, what is wrong with us?
Have you ever looked around an airport while waiting for a plane? Or in a line at the grocery store?
It’s sad. No eye contact with strangers, small talk with an elderly person, teenagers who have no idea how to strike up conversations on the go because we are always distracted by our phones.
And then we’re all surprised when we see the statistics on declining physical and mental health. Like really, are you surprised?
Well, you shouldn’t be.
More distraction, less concentration = A severe decline in focus and mental health.
There’s even a name for this phenomenon of being severely distracted:
Continuous partial attention – or CPA
This is a phrase coined by the ex-Apple and Microsoft consultant Linda Stone. By adopting an always-on, anywhere, anytime, any place behaviour, we exist in a constant state of alertness that scans the world but never really gives our full attention to anything. In the short term, we adapt well to these demands, but in the long term the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol create a physiological hyper-alert state that is always scanning for stimuli, provoking a sense of addiction temporarily assuaged by checking in.
Keeping that in mind, did you know…
Constant, high levels of circulating stress hormones have an inflammatory and detrimental effect on brain cells? This was founded by the psychiatrist Edward Bullmore, who has written about the link between inflammation and depression in his latest book, The Inflamed Mind.
Depression, along with anxiety, is a known factor in knocking out concentration.
Put simply, better concentration makes life easier and less stressful and we will be more productive.
To make this change means reflecting on what we are doing to sabotage personal concentration, and then implementing steps towards behavioural change that will improve our chances of concentrating better.
This means deliberately reducing distractions and being more self-disciplined about our use of social media, which are increasingly urgent for the sake of our cognitive and mental health.
All hope isn’t lost, however.
First step is to acknowledge how distracted we are.
I highly recommend checking your phone for your daily usage. My husband does this with our daughter and her friends often.
Here’s how to do it:
Go to Settings > Screen Time. Tap See All Activity, then tap Week to see a summary of your weekly use, or tap Day to see a summary of your daily use.
Secondly, shift your habit of reaching for your phone, checking emails, scrolling social media etc. with a healthier habit.
When situation X arises, (you feel the need to check your phone), try a new response Y.
Instead of grabbing your phone, (to check your emails, FB feed, IG notifications, Twitter news or TikTok), try:
Reading a magazine or a new book for 15 minutes.
Practice a few grounding yoga poses.
Go for a walk.
Try a mindful, focusing breathing exercise like Alternate Nostril Breathing or Ujayi.
Make a soothing tea.
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