Do you realize that social media can have a huge impact on your overall mood?  Think of your NOTIFICATIONS as a small shot of dopamine every single time you look at any social media platform.  How many times a day do you look at your phone for no reason other than to see if you missed something?  10, 15, 20, 30?  The average person in the U.S. looks at their phone 50-80 times per day.

With this constant but subtle behavioral pattern, you begin to train yourself to be rewarded with a slight dopamine shot when looking at your device without even knowing it and when your brain is used to this constant source of reward, it begins to crave it.

When you are not aware of what happens with the effect of social media on the brain (both physical and mental) after some time, your mood can change or even be erratic.  This is because mood can be directly influenced by dopamine and when your dopamine levels are out of balance, you will most definitely have trouble with your mood, depression, and anxiety.  The good news is that there is a cure!

Simply BEING AWARE of this behavior will allow you to be more conscientious when thinking about looking at your device or social media platforms too much.  TAKE A BREAK AND UNPLUG FOR A BIT!  Sit down, think about and come up with a number of how much time you spend on your phone.  Once you have this number, start minimizing it.  You will see changes in your mood and overall quality of life.  After all, there are many beautiful, fun, and constructive activities you can do with yourself and/or family other than looking at a bright screen.

Are you ready to try?