Feeling low, fatigued and meh?
Dopamine 
Is your screen wrecking your life?
Written by Simon Gunn in February 23
When we watch TV and use our phones for social media the brain produces a chemical called Dopamine. This addictive chemical gives the body a natural, internal reward of pleasure that reinforces continued engagement in that activity. Dopamine is the brain's signal that communicates to the body, 'This feels good. You should keep doing this!’
Binge watching a series, for example that everyone is talking about and is continually advertised creates a sense belonging and a feeling of FOMO (Fear of missing out). 

We all want to be part of something, a community, to have that sense of involvement. If your work colleagues or friendship group are talking about the series, you feel the urge to be involved.

Other behaviours linked with binge watching are:

Character association - We enjoy the connection, hatred towards, familiarity and feeling of empathy or even the fantasy of being that character.

Blocking your own stressors - Binge watching means you do not have to think about your current woes, stress and issues. You feel that sense of escapism.

When the series is over - you feel sad, glum, low and moody, confused or perhaps a sense of grief like mourning, in need for more. Another “fix”.

Perhaps you are choosing to spend the night binge watching a series instead of being surrounded by friends, family-missing out on physical and social interaction.
There is tonnes of research out there regarding how long people spend watching streaming services such as Netflix a day and/or week and most come out around 20+ hours a week! 

Over 60% of Netflix users will watch 2 – 6 episodes of a series in ONE sitting!! With over 70% of subscribers saying they felt a positive feeling associated with binge watching.

What’s the issue with this?
Think about how much time you are giving to binge watching or scrolling through social media, getting that next hit, topping up that fix! No one is saying stop enjoying some escapism. 

However, if you are becoming more and more fatigued, fed up, struggling with low mood and poor sleep*, moaning more about things, suffering weight/size gain, achy muscles, joints and body, then it may be time to take stock of things? 
* Lack of sleep is no joke, I know! 

Read more about sleep and how to improve it here >>> Sleep. 

Could the constant screen time be draining your mood, your energy and happiness?

There is a better and healthier way to get a fix, a better high, one that doesn’t come with a crash down like the one Dopamine provides.

Yep, exercise, movement! Sorry.
The human body spent 2.2 million years evolving to move (not spend hours and hours sat down) and when you increase your physical activity, (move more and exercise), your body releases chemicals such as endorphins. 

These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine.

What’s more, is that you do not feel glum and sad when it’s over, instead you are euphoric, happier, satisfied, energised, proud and want more! 

Exercise may seem the harder path and yes of course it’s going to be tougher than sitting on the sofa smashing the snacks, however increasing your physical activity is WAY better for you overall. 

Over time and consistency it becomes easier to manage, and you look at ways to make it more challenging for you!

Maybe look at how much time you’re giving to binge watching and start to reduce it gradually with more movement. Walking is better than nothing and a great start. Just take yourself off for a walk around the neighbourhood. As a result, you’ll begin to feel better, lose some inches, gain more energy, become happier, sleep better and you might start to inspire others to do the same, creating a different topic of conversation at work! 

Of course, if you’d like some help, get in touch with us.

If this helped you, please share it. 

Simon Gunn FdSc, BA (Hons)
Jelly Fitness Human Performance Coach.
Email: info@jellyfitness.co.uk

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