Do you wake up in the morning with plans, but find that the day passed without thinking? Do thoughts go out of control? Is your mind always yearning for something, like a phone, TV or laptop? Many people feel easily distracted and tired. They are difficult to concentrate and have more confusion than clarity. If it’s the same with you, you’re experiencing over-stimulation. This modern problem is more than just making you feel tired. It silently harms your mental and physical health. It causes stress, depression, obesity, heart disease and even weakens your immune system.
Understanding this problem is the first step to regaining control of your mind and your life.
What Is Over-Stimulation?
In simple terms, over-stimulation occurs when your brain gets too much information. It’s much more than he can handle or process. Treat your memory like computer RAM. Every scene, sound and thought fills his cache. When this cache is full, your brain’s processing speed slows down. This causes mental fatigue, lack of energy and difficulty concentrating. This also makes you feel more stressed.
Overstimulation comes from many sources. Some common causes include:
- Sensory overload: This is when your senses receive too much input. Imagine having many cars, fast horns, bright signboards and a lot of screen time on a busy road. All these sights and sounds bomb your brain.
- Emotional overload: Sometimes, we deal with a lot of intense emotions together. It can also dominate the brain.
- Physical overload: Putting too much pressure on your body, not getting enough sleep, or eating poorly can cause physical overload.
While these all play a role, a major cause of overstimulation is emerging today: digital overload.
The Rise Of Digital Overload
Digital overload has now become the biggest cause of overstimulation. It also includes emotional and sensory overload. Just think about how much time we spend with our devices. A 2014 study tracked 94 phone users for five days. It found that an average user touches their phone 2,617 times a day. Overused users touch their phones a staggering 5,427 times daily. This shows how dependent we are on our phones.
For example, Indians have overtaken China and the US in phone use. They are at the forefront of social media, YouTube and watching short videos. Studies show that around 84% of Indian users check their phone within 15 minutes of waking up. On average, people in India spend 7 hours 30 minutes on their smartphones every day. This constant association makes a deep habit.
The cycle of addiction
Apps and algorithms designed to keep you busy. They trap you in an endless cycle of scrolling and swiping. Every new information or post gives your brain a strong jolt of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that makes you feel good. Internet and social media companies know this. They use it to keep you connected to the phone, which helps them earn money. But this process makes us addicted to the phone and makes our brain more agitated than necessary.
Nomophobia: Fear of losing the phone
Many people experience nomophobia or “fear of not having a mobile phone”. It’s the fear of being without your phone. People with nomophobia are worried about what will happen if they do not have their phone. This constant need to stay connected to the phone shows how deeply phones affect our brain.
Beyond The Phone: Other Digital Triggers
It’s important to remember that overexcitation doesn’t just come from your phone. Other digital sources can also dominate your mind.
- Too many browser tabs: Having too many tabs open can mess up your digital workspace and your mind.
- Email: Waking up with a flood of emails and trying to read them together can be very overwhelming.
- Chat windows: Persistent pings from chat apps can distract you and increase digital noise.
However, not all dopamine enhancing activities cause overstimulation. For example, exercise or reading a book also gives you dopamine. But these activities usually have a clear start and end point. You finish a workout or a book. With phones, busyness can be endless. We carry more and more things, often more than our brain can handle. This makes it an overload.
How Overstimulation Harms Your Life
When you understand how overstimulation hurts you every day, you can make a difference. This problem silently harms many aspects of your life.
Reduces your concentration power
Imagine that you are trying to do something important and someone is constantly bothering you. This happens when your phone keeps ringing frequently. Every information is like a small bomb that catches your attention. Your mind remains in alert mode, waiting for further notice. This makes your mind tired and stressed. As a result, your ability to concentrate decreases. Your brain is like an electrical circuit; It can handle only limited energy. Too many devices on a circuit can cause overload and turn it off.
Switch increases cost
When you stop doing any work to see your phone or any information, your brain has to change gears. This creates a switch cost effect. Switch cost is the time it takes for your brain to move from one job to another, deal with interruptions, and then return to work first. Studies show that frequent interruptions prolong work and reduce the quality of your work. Our brains have evolved over millions of years, but not for the constant work we change today.
Damages cognitive functions
Overstimulation harms your cognitive functions. These are the mental processes that help you make good decisions, solve problems, and be creative. The information first goes into your working memory, then into your permanent memory. If you impose too much information on your mind, you exhaust your working memory. This makes it difficult for your brain to hold information properly. As a result, your memory becomes weak. Your ability to make decisions, solve problems, and be creative all suffers.
Affects your sleep patterns
The National Sleep Foundation has found that 90% of people use electronic devices before bed. This disrupts their sleep cycle. Blue light from the screen hinders the production of melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that controls our sleep. When you don’t get good sleep, you feel tired, lethargic, and unbalanced the next day.
Increases stress and anxiety levels
Social media often makes us feel like we are missing something or that others have more. This leads to comparisons and the fear of missing something (FOMO). All these feelings increase your stress and anxiety levels. In some cases, it can also cause depression.
Causes mental fatigue
Think of a busy road at rush hour. Traffic slows as more cars join. Ultimately, it can become a jam where nothing goes. Overstimulation is like a mental traffic jam. Your brain can handle a little, then a little more. But when it becomes too much, you feel tired. This means you feel tired, mentally exhausted and unmotivated. It harms your productivity, relationships, and most importantly, your happiness.
In short, overstimulation can make you physically and mentally tired. It traps you in a cycle that is difficult to get out of.
Positive Aspect Of Digital Brakes
Imagine that you use the phone too much and stop using the phone for five days. What happens?
- First hour: You can instinctively extend your hand to the phone three or four times. We touch the phone about 52 times a day, not counting taps and swipes. This habit is very deep.
- First 12 hours: You may be a little worried. Not seeing the phone releases a stress hormone called cortisol. You may be distracted during a conversation, and you may extend your hand to a phone that is not there.
- 24 hours later: FOMO begins. You think about what’s happening in the world and on your feed. You feel like you’re missing something.
- Day 3: You may experience “phantom vibration” or a bell ringing. This happens when you think your phone is vibrating or ringing, even if it’s not there.
- Good news: On Day 3, positive changes begin. You start spending more time with family and friends, listening carefully to each other. This gives a good feeling and improves your communication and relationships.
- Day 4: You begin to feel relieved. Your relationships improve, and you have a clear sense of peace with yourself.
- Day 5: Your period of focus begins to increase. You perform better at work, school, or your business because you are able to concentrate more.
This shows that taking breaks can help change habits and bring positive changes in your mind.
Strategies To Avoid Overstimulation
It is clear that phones and the Internet are powerful tools, but we must use them wisely. These can help us make money, learn new things, grow businesses, and stay in touch. The main thing is to control them, not let them control us. Here are three practical strategies to help you avoid overstimulation:
1. Close notifications
Imagine running a marathon. You are in a mental state, maintaining your speed and focus. But every few minutes, someone stops you to say “just a little word”. This disturbs your speed and attention. Information also does the same. Every information takes your mind in a different direction. This constant multitasking is not good for you. Research shows that multitasking does not help productivity. Even a small popup or sound can distract you.
The solution is simple: turn off your notifications. This maintains your concentration. You can focus better on your actions and get better results. You may be thinking about important information. Most information is not urgent. For very important tasks, people often call. You can manage your information settings. Decide which app information you need and which you don’t. You can also block specific contacts. For Android users, apps like “Minimalist Phone” can help reduce distractions. These limit your phone to essential features for some time.
2. Learn to be bored
In 1665, Isaac Newton was not busy when an apple fell from a tree. They were just looking out their window. This simple observation gave him an understanding of the laws of motion. If Newton had been on his phone, this great discovery probably would never have happened.
Our parents and grandparents waited for things. They waited months for their favorite movie or comic book. TV shows came once a week. News came once a day. Now, we live in an “on-demand” world. We get everything immediately. We avoid boredom at all costs. We look at our phone in the elevator, when alone, or when we have a little free time.
My second important point is: learn to be bored. In this way you can get rid of this addiction. When you’re in the elevator, instead of holding the phone, just be there. Take care of your surroundings. If you’re in a taxi, look out the window. Don’t think that you need constant entertainment. Use your phone for a specific purpose: to learn, to talk to friends, or for entertainment at a particular time.
3. Create “Internet Zone”
Many talk about creating “focus zones” where they avoid distractions. I do the opposite. I create an “Internet Zone”. That means I don’t keep the internet on all the time. Instead, I decide when “Internet Time” is.
I decide when I will use the Internet for learning, entertainment, social interaction, or just for fun. This way, I control my time. The world and its notifications do not control me. Most of my time is “my time”, where I can concentrate without any digital interruption. Limiting your Internet time helps you regain control. Your phone is a powerful tool, like a car. But if you don’t control the car, it can cause damage. The same is true for your phone. Use it, but make sure you are in the driving seat.
5-Day Digital Detox Challenge
If you find yourself caught in a cycle of over-stimulation, I suggest you try a 5-day digital detox. You can repeat this challenge whenever you feel you need a break. It helps in changing habits and makes you more aware about your phone usage.
How to do it:
Day 1: Awareness
- No major controls yet. Just be aware.
- View your phone’s screen time in Settings. See how much time you spend on it.
- Manage your notifications. Decide which ones to turn off and which ones to keep on.
- Wallpaper the phone to remind you to use the phone purposefully, like “Do you really need your phone right now?”
- Log out of apps you don’t have to use all the time. This allows you to deliberately decide to log back in if needed.
Day 2: Don’t use social media until noon
- If you usually see your phone first thing in the morning, that’s your job for Day 2.
- Don’t use social media until 12 p.m. This is an effective step to break the habit of scrolling in the morning.
Day 3: Stay away from social media until 6 p.m
- Stay away from social media until 6 p.m.
- Unfollow negative or toxic accounts that tire you.
- Uninstall apps you don’t need. These apps can fill your phone’s space and motivate you to open them without any purpose.
Day 4: Away from social media all day
- Today is a complete break from social media. You have prepared for it slowly, so it is not a sudden shock.
Day 5: Plan for the future
- Stay away from social media even today.
- Use this day to reflect on the past four days.
How did you like it? What relief did you get?
Plan consciously to maintain your new-found attention and peace. Decide how to incorporate these three strategies (information, boredom, Internet zones) into your daily life. It’s your “working day” to make a lasting difference.
Conclusion
Life is a journey. You should fill it with memories, not regrets. Over-stimulation can make you feel less productive, lonely, and stressed. It weakens your patience and deprives you of real life contacts. If you’ve ever focused more or felt less stressed before, and now find yourself constantly extending your hand toward your phone, these steps are for you. By understanding the problem and taking small, thoughtful steps, you can regain control. You can make your phone a helpful tool instead of a demanding guru. This will help you live life on your own terms.
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