Almost half (45%) of young people are checking their mobile phones after they have gone to bed, a recent poll suggests, showing that one in 10 of 2,750 11-18 year olds admitted checking their mobile phones for notifications at least 10 times a night.
The BBC reported that the poll, carried out by Digital Awareness UK and the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference, warned that night-time usage of mobiles means pupils were attending school tired and unable to concentrate.
They recommend having a ‘digital detox’ and putting mobile devices away for 90 minutes before lights-out or keeping them out of the bedroom.
And this is where clinical hypnotherapy can play its part. The National Council for Hypnotherapy is the UK’s largest not-for-profit professional organisation for hypnotherapists with more than 1,800 qualified therapists across the UK on its register.
Treating with stress and anxiety is one of the successes of hypnotherapy and, with respondents in the poll saying they felt anxious and stressed that they were ‘missing out’ by not being online or in constant contact with others.
Of the 45% of survey respondents who check their phones when they should be sleeping, almost all of them – 94% – are on social media. A tenth of this number said they would feel stressed about missing out if they did not check their device before going to sleep.
More telling was the fact that 68% of all respondents say using their mobile devices at night affects their school work and a third say their parents are not aware that they check their mobile device after going to bed.
Charlotte Robertson, DAUK co-founder, told the BBC: “One of the biggest topics around at the moment is excessive social media consumption and how it is affecting our physical and emotional wellbeing.”
Clinical hypnotherapy can treat both emotional and physical conditions with many people seeking treatment for anxiety issues. Says the NCH: “Anxiety can also manifest itself in different worries. It may be fear of being around other people; it may be anxiety in specific social situations, anxiety in your relationships with particular people at home, at school or at work.
“There can also be anxiety without knowing what is causing it, a general feeling of anxiety known as ‘free floating’ anxiety.”
An NCH-registered hypnotherapist can help assess your anxiety and will identify the root of stress or anxiety – whether it is a situation, a physical issue, a habit, a past experience or a relationship.
“Then they will set you a goal asking how you wish to feel, how you would like to be, and things that you would chose to do in your life if you were free of your anxiety,” says the NCH. “They will then work with you to reach your goals using a range of different techniques. Every therapist may use slightly different techniques, but working towards the same goal.”
By doing this, the therapy can help break or ‘detox’ the anxiety situation and, after sessions with a hypnotherapist you may feel more confident and more relaxed in situations that have previously challenged you.
“Many people say that they are calmer and that they have more clarity of thought – able to make decisions more easily. People who have experienced side effects of anxiety such as insomnia, find that they are sleeping much better and as a result are able to work more effectively,” adds the NCH.
Breaking the ‘habit’ using social media can be achieved through hypnotherapy, too. And, with the poll suggesting that young people should break the habit of unprompted device checking, hypnotherapy can help in this regard.
If you think you need a social media detox, or know someone who might, contact an NCH therapist near you by using their directory. It will be worth the effort…