We’re always on our phones.

We use them to wake us up in the morning, to get us through the day, and to help us fall asleep at night. We also use them when we’re stressed and bored—which means we’re literally using them all the time.

And while that may seem like a good thing—more convenience, more productivity—it actually comes with consequences, particularly when it comes to our stress levels.

If you’re wondering if your smartphone is making you stressed, here are some ways to tell—and what to do about it.

Many people are using their smartphones for hours every day, and it has become an important part of our lives. But does being constantly plugged in to your smartphone have any effect on your well-being?

In this blog I will discuss the potential effects of smartphone overuse, and what you can do about it if you’re concerned.

The Effects of Smartphone Overuse

Smartphones have become increasingly powerful computers that can fit in your pocket. With the rise of social media, browsing the web, playing games and watching videos are just a few taps away. This is great for entertainment and staying connected, but there’s a downside: since we always have our phones with us, it’s easy to get sucked into doing something on them instead of being present in our lives.

The term “phubbing” was coined to describe this phenomenon: a combination of phone and snubbing (see also). Research shows that phubbing can make you feel less satisfied with your relationship, because it disconnects you from the other person (Lapierre et al., 2015). It also distracts us from activities we could be engaging in without smartphones, such as talking to people or enjoying nature.

What Can You Do About It?

If you’re concerned about how

The Psychological Impact of Technology

How often do you find yourself checking your smartphone for messages, alerts, or notifications? And how does it make you feel? If you’re like most people, it probably makes you feel stressed.

It’s easy to see why. Every time we check our phones and find something waiting for us — a new email, a text message, an app alert — that little jolt of excitement can be habit-forming, leading to what is often called the “fear of missing out,” or FOMO. Initially, in fact, these dopamine boosts may feel good. But over time they can wear us down psychologically and lead to stress and anxiety.

One reason for this is that our brains are not good at dealing with multiple sources of information at once; studies show that when we try to multitask by performing more than one cognitively demanding task simultaneously, we end up doing both tasks less well than if we were to do them separately.

This means two things: First, each time we check our phone for messages or alerts from multiple sources — email, text messages, social media sites — we may be causing ourselves some measure of psychological stress. Second, because modern smartphones allow us both to receive and respond to messages instantly — even when

The growing popularity of smartphones and mobile devices has changed the way people interact with technology on a daily basis. I’ll be the first to admit that I was slow to adapt to the smartphone trend.

I had an old flip phone for years and only upgraded because it finally died. The change from my old phone to an iPhone was a complete culture shock. I had no idea how much I would use my new phone and how much time I would spend on it!

It wasn’t long before I noticed myself feeling anxious if I left the house without my phone or if my battery was low. So, is our dependence on smartphones making us stressed?

A study conducted by researchers at Baylor University found that checking your smartphone too often can negatively impact your mental health.* In fact, the results showed that people who checked their phones more than 58 times per day were three times more likely to suffer from symptoms of anxiety.**

Although technology has made life more convenient in many ways, it has also created a new source of stress as we attempt to keep up with the demands of work, school, and family life. To avoid letting your smartphone cause undue stress, try these tips:

**How to Reduce Stress from Social Media:**

One of the main reasons for the stress caused by social media is comparison. When you see how perfect everybody’s lives are, it’s easy to start comparing yourself. Even if you know people only post the good things in their lives, it still creates a feeling of jealousy and self-doubt.

Here are some tips that can help you reduce stress caused by social media:

1. **Limit Your Time** – It’s important not to get sucked into the vortex of social media. Set a timer for 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes at lunch, and 30 minutes before bed. This will give you enough time to check what’s going on without getting too involved. If you find yourself using it more than that, try breaking the habit by keeping your phone out of reach when you aren’t using it.

2. **Block Toxic People** – If there are negative people in your life that bring you down and make you feel bad about yourself, block them! Keep your social media experience positive and uplifting so that it can be a helpful tool rather than a toxic distraction.

3. **Follow Healthy Accounts** – Follow healthy accounts that encourage positive

The most recent version of the iPhone operating system, iOS 12, includes a feature called Screen Time.

Screen Time is intended to help you track how much time you spend on your phone and which apps you use the most (and least). Apple also included a feature that limits how long you can use certain apps during the day.

For years, psychologists have been studying what they call “technoference,” which is basically everyday interruptions caused by technology, like your phone ringing or buzzing with a notification. A new study published in the Journal of Family Psychology examined this concept and found that technoference is not only disruptive, but it can also lead to increased depression, anxiety and conflict within romantic relationships.

This is because our brains are designed to crave social connection with others. When we receive a notification from our phone or tablet, we have built up an association between the buzz or ding and the potential for social reward—a text message from someone we care about, a funny tweet from someone we follow on Twitter or even just a good deal on something we want to buy online.

But when that reward doesn’t happen (for example, if nobody likes or comments on your photo), it can lead to feelings of disappointment.

So should you prepare yourself for a future

We all know that feeling; you’re sitting in a meeting, watching a movie, or even on your lunch break, and suddenly your smartphone vibrates. You check your phone. You see an email notification and can’t resist the urge to open it. Seconds later, another email pops up. Then a text message comes in. Then Twitter sends you a message saying someone has tagged you in a tweet about that article you recently read—and by the way, someone just replied to your tweet from three days ago. And then there are the notifications from Facebook saying that you’ve been “poked” and tagged in several photos from a recent trip to the seashore—a trip that seems like it occurred ages ago now.

It was just a few years ago that people frequently left their homes without their phones, but now many of us feel naked without our devices. According to the Pew Research Center for Internet & American Life Project, 92 percent of American adults own some type of cell phone and more than half (56 percent) own smartphones. These are powerful devices that keep us connected to our friends and family, help us manage our busy schedules, and entertain us when we have down time. But they also come with great responsibility—