Perhaps you’ve heard of “TikTok brain” or have witnessed first-hand the effects of excessive exposure to social media. While perhaps not seen as socially nefarious like smoking or alcohol addiction, social media addiction is indeed real and affecting many – especially the younger generations that have essentially grown up in the world of social media.
Although social media addiction doesn’t make use of a substance like nicotine or alcohol, it does have addictive properties in common which come down to behaviours. There is no substance, but in a similar sense, gambling addictions don’t require a substance to feed the addiction.
Hypnotherapy can be an effective way to resolve some of the triggers that lead to addictive behaviours such as social media addiction.
What is Social Media Addiction?
Social media addiction is a dependency on the use of social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and many others. The exact nature and type of symptoms can vary from individual to individual, but some of the more common symptoms include compulsively checking one’s profile, spending excessive time (or “doom-scrolling”), neglecting important real-life activities in lieu of using social media, feeling symptoms of withdrawal if unable to check the social media profile/platform, and a feeling of low self-esteem and confidence.
Triggers and Patterns of Social Media Addiction
The types of triggers and patterns to social media addiction can likewise vary quite a bit from one person to another. Many younger social media users, for example, draw a great amount of self-esteem from “likes” and positive comments on their content but can equally feel low self-esteem from any critical comments. In some cases, social media posts (e.g. photos or comments) that receive no attention at all can also lead to low self-esteem.
For this reason, a hypnotherapist requires a personalised approach in order to determine the exact triggers of the social media addiction, which in turn can lead to effective treatment.
Build Constructive Habits and Behaviours
For many individuals who compulsively use social media, the attachment to seeing and posting content can be problematic if it’s negatively affecting their health. Hypnotherapy can identify the triggers underlying the social media addiction and help the individual to – on their own – replace the habit of reaching for their phone or keyboard and instead engaging in something more constructive and fulfilling.
Reduce Stress and Increase Mindfulness
There isn’t anything inherently wrong with using social media to stay in touch with loved ones, see a curated news feed, or to promote your business, for example. Excessive use that leads to negative self-esteem and confidence, however, can be.
Hypnotherapy can empower individuals to feel less stressed out or anxious about their social media use (or, more aptly, in general) which can help lead to positive change and replace bad habits with constructive ones.
Can Hypnotherapy Resolve Social Media Addiction?
The techniques used in hypnotherapy are safe and non-invasive and non-surgical. Hypnotherapy can be extremely beneficial for individuals with feelings of low self-esteem for a wide variety of reasons, which in many cases overlaps exactly with social media addiction and its symptoms.
For this reason, it is certainly worth considering hypnotherapy if you or a loved one is suffering from social media addiction.
Melbourne Hypnotherapy Clinic
Consult with us at Melbourne Hypnotherapy Clinic for effective solutions for a wide range of issues.
