If you’ve experienced trauma, you might be surprised to learn that excessive screen time and digital overload could actually interfere with your healing process. When you’ve lived through trauma, it can be hard to regulate your nervous system. Encountering perceived threats can cause your anxiety to skyrocket. Online content is designed to grab your attention, and you can easily spend hours scrolling through frightening headlines. Furthermore, influencers promote products intended to solve minor “problems” that may not really affect your life. Yet viewing this content can lead to worry about whether you’re doing something wrong.
Overall, the digital world can be an extremely stressful place for trauma survivors. Let’s examine why taking digital breaks can help you gradually heal from trauma.
Relief from Information Overload
The moment you go online, you’re bombarded by an endless flow of information about every topic under the sun. One moment, you’re liking a cute photo of your friend’s puppy. The next, you’re watching an auto-play video about a national tragedy. This kind of information overload can make your head spin and prompt dramatic mood swings.
When you’re confronted with so much conflicting information, your nervous system gets overwhelmed. You might start feeling as if you have to keep scrolling because the next piece of information you find will somehow keep you “safe” or solve your problems. Additionally, you can encounter content that brings your traumatic experiences to mind and triggers your symptoms.
Anxiety Reduction
Have you ever noticed yourself feeling more anxious shortly after you go online? After just a couple of minutes of watching videos on your smartphone, or opening social media with your laptop, you might feel stressed, tense, and nervous.
The anxiety-inducing content you see online can set off your trauma symptoms, even if you’re physically safe. By spending more time offline, you’ll likely find that your stress levels are significantly lower.
Opportunities for New Hobbies
When you take digital breaks, you can focus on getting back to healthy routines. Spending long hours online can make it hard to get enough sleep, exercise, and even tidy up your space. When you log off, you can fit these healthy habits into your life more easily, which also helps to regulate your nervous system.
In addition to committing to beneficial routines, you can also try new hobbies that shift your focus towards creative, athletic, or intellectual pursuits. When you’re concentrating on a hobby or activity you feel passionate about, you’re much less likely to ruminate on your trauma.
Avoiding Negative Comparisons
Online, it can look like everyone else is living a perfect life. When you’re trying to recover from your own trauma behind the scenes, you might end up comparing yourself to the highly edited and curated images you see online. You may feel as though you’re all alone in dealing with your trauma, while other people are totally content. As you log off and reconnect with the real world, you’ll see that you’re not the only one struggling, and you won’t be bogged down by so many critical comparisons.
A Break from Negative News
The 24/7 news cycle can be especially nerve-wracking for trauma survivors. Every time you see a headline alerting you to another disaster, you can feel the stress in your bones. Your body and mind are trying to keep you safe, because it seems like you might be under threat. When you take a break from the negative news cycle, your nervous system will feel much calmer.
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It can be hard to heal from trauma in our digitally connected world. Contact our practice for a free consultation with our empathetic trauma therapists to learn more about our services.