Living Without Smartphone Stress

@socialcut

Do you ever get that overwhelming feeling of urgency that you need to check your phone, like right now? And if you don't, you'll become stressed out. Your hand is magnetised to your phone, rummaging in your handbag desperately just to see how many likes you have on your breakfast Instagram post. Well, you may, like many of us are these days, be a tad addicted to your smartphone - possibly leading to something called smartphone stress.

But when our smartphone is causing us to feel stressed & unable to switch off our minds, it can become troublesome. Well, the best way to deal with that is to cut down our usage. The more you check your phone, the more you'll feel the need to keep on checking it! Here are some of my tips & things I've done which might help you to reduce any smartphone stress.

Work/Life Balance & Being Aware
Being aware of the time spent on your phone & what apps you tend to use the most is really beneficial. Moment is an amazing app for this. The app enables users to see how much time they're spending on their device & set up warnings if self-imposed usage limits are breached. Alternatively, if you're an Apple user, there is a feature called 'Screen Time' where you're able to see daily & weekly averages plus what apps you tend to the most. I highly recommend using these apps & features to help you out & you'll be surprised & pleased to rediscover the pleasures of being in control.

Turn Off Notifications
Does checking one notification turn into a half-hour of phone browsing? It's just all too easy to get sucked into the social media world through one alert. If you disable all unnecessary notifications, this is less likely to happen. Even muting your device to stop audio alerts can help end that impulse we all have to check our phones whenever the buzz or ping.

Set Up Phone Free Periods
Look at times in your day where you're not going to need your phone. You don't need it in the bath, you don't need it while watching a movie & you don't need it whilst eating your dinner. So set times of the day, like these, to just put your phone on airplane mode & put it away for a while.

Re-Train Your Brain
If all else fails, you can try something called tech breaks. This was something I read about online & while it's not something I've tried myself, it could be something that works for you. Start by looking at your phone for one minute & checking all forms of communication, including texts, calls & social media. Then turn it off, set an alarm for 15 minutes & place it down in plain sight. The upside-down phone reminds your brain to not release stress & anxiety neurotransmitters. The next time it rings or buzzes, check it again for only one minute. Keep going with this method until it feels natural not to check in & see that you didn't miss anything. Increase your tech break by five minutes every week or so & soon you'll be able to not check in for an hour or more without getting anxious about what you may have missed.

B x

4 Ways To Protect Your Energy

@socialcut

I feel like I'm an emotional sponge at times. If I talk to someone close & listen to their problems, struggles or issues, it's almost a guarantee that my energy will drop & I can even have trouble sleeping because I've taken on all the energy from said person as well as dealing with my own.
Certain people & places just have that effect on me. It's not to say that I don't care, because I do but I've just discovered that I very easily soak up other people's emotions & energies. Then I let them take over & I worry, I stress & then I worry some more. I knew something had to change & that I couldn't keep going the way I was & that's when I realised I had no choice but to protect my energy to stay sane.

Find Your Happy Space
A little secret to my sanity is that I turn my phone off or have digital free time often. On the days where I'm feeling emotionally drained there is no way I can pick up my phone, I just can't. Those days where I feel so emotionally drained don't necessarily mean something bad or tragic has happen or is going on. Sometimes it can be a difficult parent I've had to deal with or maybe I've been to a social event where I've had to interact with a ton of people.

During times like this I know I need to take a step back & re-center myself. For this to happen, I tend to go to the same place everytime. My bedroom is my wee happy place. I have candles, essential oils, my plant babies, my favourite books, my vision board, my journal & planner & also, if I'm lucky my fur baby will be curled up on my bed sleeping. The minute I enter that space, the space that is just for me, my energy shifts.

Find that happy space for yourself & it can be literally anything; your bathroom, your car, bedroom, kitchen. The best way for you to avoid stress & feeling emotionally drained & to protect your energy is to have a place for when those feelings begin to take over.

Be Aware
We absorb energy from other people, places & different environments. By becoming more aware of the things & settings that change your energy, you will be able to protect it better.

Pay attention to your mood, specifically places, people or situations that trigger negative, even if a a very subtle, energy shift. Who & what changes your energy? Do certain interactions leave you feeling emotionally exhausted? Do you find yourself saying yes to things that you don't feel like doing, just because you want to be polite or because you feel obligated to do them?

Set Boundaries
Here is another thing that I've been learning to do over the past few years. I needed to learn to detach myself from other people's negative energies & emotions. This is especially important to remember when dealing with people who tend to treat you like an emotional dumping ground. I'm not talking about chatting to a friend who's going through something difficult & needs to vent. I'm talking abut people to tend to talk about the same negative things over & over & over again, while also refusing to accept any feedback or advice to try working on improving those same things they are complaining about.

Through learning about protecting my energy, I've learnt that a part of protecting your energy is remembering thaet you can't force anyone to change. You can offer advice, shift their focus to a more poisitive direction but you cannot force anyone to accept it. It's something the other person has to be open to.

What you can do, is protect your own energy by setting healthy boundaries. Don't be afraid to set limits. Maybe you feel your energy levels drop when someone simply talks a lot without letting you get a word in. You don't have to sit there & listen until your energy finally drops to zero just because you want to be polite. Or, if spending two hours at a crowded event is all you can take before it stops being enjoyable, then that's your limit.

Take A Bath
Or a cold shower? Maybe you don't have a bath or maybe you don't even enjoy a bath but it's not about the actual act of taking a bath or a long shower. It's about that fact that many of us, those of us who are constantly busy, working, taking care of our families, interacting with others, the time we spend in the shower or the bath is the only time we truly get to disconnect throughout the day. It's the only time when we have a few minutes all to ourselves. Not everyone can afford to take an entire day off work to have to yourself so it's important to make the most of any space time we have available to us.

Something I've found helpful to do at the end of the day while in the shower, is to actually visualise my stess, anxiety & that unwanted heaviness & imagine them literally wash away. The warm water also helps ease & relax tense muscles that may have been caused from stress throughout the day.
When people, places & events give out positive energy, it's almost contagious. Unfortunately, the same thing goes for people, places & events that give out negative energy. The latter can leave you feeling dull & damaged.

Here's the thing to remember, most of the people who do drain you of your energy aren't aware of what they're doing. This is important to remember because you can use that as an opportunity to choose love instead of entertaining fear or frustration. You are in charge of protecting your energy, don't allow anything or anyone to mess with it.

B x