Social media taking over your day? Try my 5 Breath Refresh strategy.

Close up of a womans hands holding a black mobile phone on her lap.  She is wearing a light brown cardigan, a whilte tshirt and dark blue jeans. She is using the touch screen.  The screen is blurry.

How many times a day or even in some hours do you reach for your phone to check Facebook or some other app that might deliver you a snippet of news or distraction?

Does checking each time improve your day? Or are you too often left feeling flat, unsatisfied, or feeling worse about your life, or worse in your body from hunching over your phone?

Sometimes you might find that when you have an urge to reach for your phone to scroll through a social media site it is because you feel overwhelmed.  Maybe overwhelmed by thoughts or symptoms and you are trying to escape them.  Most times though, reaching for your phone doesn’t help much does it?

I came up with the strategy of the “5 Breath Refresh”.  I try and use it at times when I feel a bit overwhelmed, unsettled, or irritable.  The technique is really simple, just breathing in and out slowly and deeply five times.  I count each time on my fingers.  Once I start I often do more than one set and count to five then back down to one and then up to five again etc.  Before I do the 5 Breath Refresh I tell myself that I can look at my phone when I finish if I still want to.

Simple- just focus on your breath going in and out and count on your fingers.  Work at slowing down your breathing as you fill and empty your lungs.  Picture your lungs in their three dimensional shape filling your upper body.  As you breathe, your ribs move in all directions as your lungs expand and contract.

Here are just 5 benefits of using mindless scrolling on your phone as a cue to do my 5 Breath Refresh technique.

1) If you check your phone a lot you will be provided with so many reminders to stop scrolling and take a little breathing break.

2) Deep breathing has a calming effect.

3) Helps break the habit of constantly reaching for your phone.

4) Uncovers how often you are checking your phone and helps you to make more conscious choices.

5) Deep breathing helps oxygenate your body.

If you try it out let me know how you find it.  I’d also like to here other strategies you use to try and break the habit of continually checking social media.  Leave me a comment below.

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