Today is the age of digitalization, and it is not a wonder how technology has changed our lifestyles and significantly impacted our brains. Now, most things are easy for us to do, which might not be possible when we look back 50 or 100 years back. The world is changing with every moment, and so does our thinking capabilities. Technology significantly impacts our brains; it has shortened our attention span, raised our stress levels beyond our control, and reduced our ability to focus intensely. Screens and gadgets may be doing more damage than it’s visible.
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You might have heard about the popcorn brain. It is a modern problem referred to as the impact of using too much social media and constant multitasking, and it is becoming quite popular amongst Gen Z. In the end, this increases our stress levels and anxiety. As per a study published in Nature Communications in 2019, people’s attention span is decreasing, and this is because of the excessive consumption of social media.
How Popcorn Brain plays with us.
The popcorn brain plays with our mind very profoundly as it creates an urgency within our mind that we have a lot of unmanageable tasks and very little time to manage those tasks. It also triggers our brain to check every ping on an urgent basis, which we receive on our screens. Due to this, you will also feel overwhelmed when you have very little work to do. So, to increase your focus and avoid this problem of popcorn brain, you need to disconnect from social media and connect with your inner self, which can only be possible with no screen time and minimal meditation.
Popcorn brains refer to the act of impact on our brain due to multitasking, which is influenced by the constant and excessive use of social media. When we use social media too regularly, our brain processes much information from various sources, leading to a scattered and fragmented mental state.
Using excessive social media can affect our mental health in various ways, such as a shorter attention span, because Today, we all love to scroll reels instead of watching long hours of videos; we scroll hundreds of reels every day and consume bit sized content, leads to the desire for quick stimulation. Apart from this, we also tend to compare ourselves with others and want to keep ourselves up to date with others, which leads to additional stress and anxiety.
Symptoms of Popcorn Brain
Constant distractions
One way popcorn brain affects our mental health is that we face constant distractions. We can’t focus much on a task, and there will be a temptation to scroll through the news feed. Whenever our brain hears the sound of a notification from our mobile, we immediately stop all work, no matter how important it is, and start checking that notification, which leads to wasting a lot of precious time.
Difficulty concentrating
Another symptom of popcorn brain is that it is tough to focus on a task. When working on a task, you frequently want to check your phone and scroll through social media, and this does not allow you to work with profound focus.
Feeling overwhelmed
You will also feel like there is much work and little time to complete it. However, even if there is little work on any day, you will still be overwhelmed by how you will complete your work, which will lead to more stress and anxiety.
Validation through social media
One of the symptoms of popcorn brain is that you will seek constant validation through social media interaction.
Constant busyness
As you engage yourself in multitasking, you will not be able to accomplish the specific task due to too much busyness, multitasking, and endless scrolling on social media.
How to fix Popcorn Brain
Set time limits for social media.
One of the best ways to prevent popcorn brain is not to use your mobile for more than a specific prescribed limit. You should set time limits for using social media; if it becomes hard for you to stop scrolling through social media, you should use some apps that forcefully prevent you from using it. You will find it difficult at the start, but when you see the productive results, it will become easy for you to focus on more productive tasks rather than waste time on social media.
Practice mindfulness
You should also engage in mindful techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises. These activities will allow you to connect with yourself and find inner peace by disconnecting from the outer world for some time. This will enhance your focus and creativity and reduce stress and mental clutter.
Create a structured routine.
You should also start following a disciplined routine. Take one day off and write down all the activities you must do in your daily routine, then mark them according to their priorities and needs. Lots of time for each activity and start following that daily timetable with strict discipline. This way, you can focus more on your work instead of wasting time scrolling on social media due to your unmanaged routine. It would be best if you also delegated your weekends to some productive work, such as going out for some traveling, spending time with your friends, or engaging in your hobbies.
Prioritise tasks
One of the symptoms of popcorn brain is that we always feel overwhelmed even when there is not that much of a load. So start making a to-do list and set priorities for each task; this way, you can work on the more critical tasks and thus avoid overwhelming and unwanted stress.
Take regular breaks
It would be best to take regular breaks to refresh yourself. Otherwise, continuing work can lead to burnout. So take some time after each task and go for some peaceful walks. This will save you from burnout, refresh your mind, and thus increase your productivity. But remember, breaks do not mean you should start scrolling on social media; you should disconnect yourself from every gadget and spend time in nature, walking and talking with your friends.
So this is the new emerging trend of popcorn brain, and you should be serious about it. Maybe it does not have any medical term yet, but still, it can have the worst effect on your mental health as it slows down your retention and attention span and also lowers your focus and productivity. So, if you want better mental health and do not want to lose productivity, follow the tips mentioned in this article. If any of our information has helped you, or you want us to cover any other topic, please let us know in the comment section below.
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