Psychotherapists are calling for addiction to online shopping to be classed as a mental disorder, according to the Manchester Evening News.
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An estimated 5% of the population suffer from Buying-Shopping Disorder (BSD), which is not currently classified as a separate mental health condition, but does fall under the branch of being an “other specified impulse control disorder,” the report said.
You need only to look around to see that digital addiction is real. Everywhere you look people are on their phones, laptops and other electronic devices. While technology has made connecting around the world easier and cheaper, it does come at a psychological and physical cost: It may increase your stress and anxiety.
The longer you stay on your devices, the more you enable large software companies, such as Google and Apple, to enjoy greater profits. For that reason, internet programs are engineered to offer positive feedback, encouraging your engagement, dependence and, most importantly, your return.
Ninety-five percent of Americans own cellphones and research has shown that, for many people, separation from their digital world causes rising levels of cortisol and anxiety. An estimated 40 million Americans, about 18% of the population over the age of 18, struggle with anxiety, including more than half of all American college students.
Daily alarmist news, never-ending wars and threats of new wars, recessions, social media and a swiftly changing digital landscape all contribute to rising insecurity and anxiety.
It’s true that genetics, brain chemistry, personality and life events may contribute to the development of anxiety disorders, but stress is also a common trigger. Anxiety is a normal response to stress, but in some people the anxiety becomes overwhelming and difficult to cope with, to the point that it affects their day-to-day living.
Overuse of cellphones can also lead to sleep disturbances, anxiety, stress and depression, as well as an increased exposure to electromagnetic field radiation, which also places your health and mental well-being at risk. The inability to unplug from the internet takes a toll on cognition and focus and is a constant source of distraction. To top it off, the lack of face-to-face human interaction has a steep psychological price: loneliness, a growing problem around the globe.
So, how do you break free of the digital world or get your children to look up from their cellphones? Here are five tips to do just that.
- Instead of online shopping, improve your health and mental well-being by actively shopping at a brick and mortar store.
- Turn off all social media and internet notifications.
- Instill the concept of “off times” in your household. Use that time to read a real book, magazine or newspaper, grab a pen and write a letter or engage the entire family in a nondigital activity such as cooking, outdoor recreation or playing a board or card game.
- Shut down your Wi-Fi at night and use an old fashioned alarm clock, not a cellphone. Leave all cell phones in a main room at night and not in the bedrooms.
- Dedicate some time every day to unplug and practice meditation, yoga, Emotional Freedom Techniques (a form of psychological acupressure) or another strategy for coping with stress and anxiety.