mobile phones and mental healthWhen did you last look at your smartphone? If you’re like the average young person who checks their phone at least 150 times per day, it probably wasn’t long ago.

On National Stress Awareness Day (1 November), we’re focusing on the link between our favourite piece of technology and mental health. Smartphone usage has been the subject of much research and so there’s lots of statistics on the subject – for example, according to a study, conducted by Flurry, consumers spend over 5 hours a day on mobile devices – around a third of their waking hours.

That’s a lot of time spent staring at a screen but what impact can it have on mental health? Smartphones are addictive – which can show in several ways, such as feeling irritable if you’re separated from your phone, feeling lonely if you can’t get online, and losing interest in other activities. They are also linked to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) when people to overuse their phones, more out of a worry that they’ll miss something than a genuine need to look at the content.

This behaviour can lead to anxiety and depression, mainly because the obsessive smartphone use can get in the way of other enjoyable activities and disrupt social activities. Add into that the fact that phone usage disrupts normal sleep habits causing fatigue which can lead to depression and anxiety symptoms in itself.

The vicious circle of the matter is that people who already experience depression and anxiety often turn to their phones and other technology to distract themselves from negative feelings. Over time, this can make a person more vulnerable to mental health problem when their initial coping mechanism creates a pattern that has negative impact on mental health.

On a professional footing, phone overuse in the workplace can make you seem rude and unfocussed, especially as it can prove a distraction from more productive work, potentially meaning missed targets and increased stress levels as a result. And it seems like some people are getting wise to this, in fact at PJW we’ve noticed a trend where more executives are choosing to ditch their smartphone for an old-school, internet-less mobile phone! They say that the switch helps them becomes less distracted and able to manage their time better and focus on their priorities.

So whether or not you agree with the argument that smartphones are bad for your psyche, it might be worth switching off for a while, especially later in the evenings as an opportunity to improve your mental health. And if you’re a parent, consider the example you set your children and try to demonstrate good habits around phone use, for example making sure you leave your phone outside the bedroom.

If you’d like to talk to us about support with stress management, get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

Join the National Stress Awareness Day conversation on Twitter, using the hashtag #NSAD17