We live in great times. Technology has enabled us to communicate more easily and faster with other people than ever before. This video is a nice demonstration of how this affects our lives negatively, and if you’re addicted to social networking, it’s worth watching.
But at the same time this technology also puts temptation right in front of you every single second of the day.
Social Networking Addiction Download
Just the click of a button away.
If you’d be a neuroscientist, you could study your brain while you’re engaging in social networks. You could see that your body releases dopamine when you’re active on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, or whatever your choice of network.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. A chemical messenger substance. And it’s the brain’s own reward mechanism. You feel good when your body releases dopamine. It’s what makes you feel good when you eat your favorite snack or dessert.
And the release of dopamine is something over which you don’t have any conscious control. Your body does it subconsciously, it happens automatically.
Symptoms of Social Networking Addiction
But how do you know if you’re actually addicted to social networking? What are the symptoms to watch out for?
Well, if you’re constantly checking for updates and new messages, and start to feel nervous, anxious or aggravated when you’re not checking for a couple of hours.
If you feel down or depressed and use social networking to distract yourself from these negative feelings, that’s another risk factor which could indicate that you’re addicted to social networking.
Social Networking Addiction Download
If you spend less time in “real life” than you used to, and sacrificed real life social activities with social networking, that’s another typical symptom of social networking addiction.
And if you often feel stressed and use social networking to calm yourself down and relax, that’s another sign.
Do you also feel excited or euphoric when you’re interacting on social networks?
Do you lose track of time when posting updated or reading other people’s updates?
And finally: if you’re wondering whether you’re addicted or not, that’s also an indicator. Because very few people who are not addicted ask themselves this question.
How To Get Over Social Networking Addiction
The first step is to acknowledge that you’re addicted. That’s already more than most people are willing and capable of doing. Because it’s so much easier and so much more comforting to tell yourself that everything is fine.
Also, ask yourself this question: What’s the price for all this? What am I missing in my life because of my intense fixation on social networking? What could I do with my time instead?
Most social networking addicts aren’t aware of the cost of their addiction. They simply see the upside: it makes them feel better, it keeps them connected. What they hardly ever see is that it really makes them feel worse and isolates them.
Common advice you will get is to limit the time you spend on social networks, but this is increasingly difficult to do given that you probably carry a smartphone in your pocket and will habitually pull it out at the next opportunity.
Hypnosis can help you to get over social networking addiction because it trains your brain to set the right boundaries, and reduces the “craving” for “social networking interactions”.
