Digital clutter could affect your mental health, experts say | – Times of India
What does your inbox look like? Too many unread emails? What about your messaging apps? Do you have thousands of screenshots on your phone? Are you getting constant notifications that your storage is almost full? Well, this could be affecting your mental health and productivity, say experts.
Digital clutter is a common phenomenon these days. Dr. Susan Albers, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio told CNN Health that this overwhelming digital clutter triggers a lot of stress and anxiety. She weighs in how this is a relatively new problem, and our ancestors never had to face it, as we now live in the digital era.
Though most of them will likely face such clutter at some point, this habit can sometimes escalate into a condition researchers call, digital hoarding.
Do you think you might have a lot on your devices? Here’s how to manage digital clutter and recognize when it might indicate a potential disorder, according to experts.
Digital clutter vs. digital hoarding
Albers notes that when you have to go through thousands of photos or files to find something you need, or experience less concentration and mental energy than usual, it may be a sign of digital clutter. Digital clutter can be as stressful as physical clutter. She stated that our brains are really predisposed to favor clarity and simplicity over chaos, and that’s how it can feel when you have a million tabs open.
According to Dr. Emanuel Maidenberg, a clinical professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, digital hoarding is when you hold on to memories through pictures, and keep unneeded documents and files, and this turns into large amounts of information.
How to de-clutter?
Albers emphasizes that de-cluttering helps with mental well-being. She recommends dedicating a few minutes each morning to do a digital audit, for those who struggle with decluttering. According to Albers here are some tips to de-clutter your digital devices.
- Turn off unwanted notifications and unsubscribe advertisements clogging your email. She compares such data to mental mosquitoes.
Digital wellbeing is crucial, and hence keeping a check on the time spent on the devices is important. Limit the number of social media accounts you follow to cut mindless scrolling.- Digital detox for wellness.
(Pic courtesy: Pexels)
