When Our Screens Become Our Stressors

By Suzanne Hamil, LMSW/RSW

Imagine waking up, reaching for your phone, and before your eyes open fully, you’ve already scrolled. You see headlines, “crisis,” “urgent,” “how to live well,” “do more.” You feel a tension in your chest. You tell yourself: “I’ll just check one thing…” but an hour passes. Your mind is racing, you feel restless, maybe even anxious.

Today, I want to talk about anxiety in the digital age - how we’re living in an era where our devices can trigger our minds, and how we might reclaim our peace.

Part 1: The reality we’re in

• Anxiety remains one of the most searched mental health topics in 2025. People are actively seeking “how to manage anxiety,” “therapists online,” “stress relief tips.”

• At the same time, the rise of AI tools, digital therapy, and mental‑health apps promise new solutions.But there’s a catch: many of us now live in a constant feedback loop of alerts, notifications, comparison, and urgency. Our brains never fully rest.

Part 2: What does that cost us?

1. Overstimulation. Our attention is scattered. We switch tabs. We multitask. We never fully land.

2. Rumination. Once a notification pings, our minds spin: “Did I miss something? Is someone disregarding me? Am I falling behind?”

3. Emotional reactivity. A comment, a like - or the absence of it - can change our mood. We forget our baseline of calm.

4. Barrier to rest. Even when “offline,” we’re replaying screens in our mind. Sleep suffers. Creativity dims.

Part 3: Reclaiming space & sanity (a 3‑step shift)

1. Pause before you open Before unlocking your device, take one inhale.Ask: “What’s the one thing I want to see first - and does it serve me?” Let curiosity guide you, not urgency.

2. Adopt an “intentional inbox” Schedule mini check-ins (say, 3 per day). Outside those windows, disable nonessential notifications. Let your phone wait for you, not the other way around.

3. Cultivate “digital exile” Carve out short, sacred breaks: 5 minutes without screens, or better, 15. Use that to breathe, stretch, walk outdoors, or do nothing. Your nervous system needs “off time.”

We live in an extraordinary moment: on one hand, technology is reshaping mental health care with AI and accessibility. Yet on the other, our devices constantly challenge our inner calm. Anxiety isn’t a defect - it’s a signal. It whispers: “You are overextended. You need boundaries. You need space.”

Let’s reframe our relationship with the digital - not as masters inviting endless noise, but as tools we use with intention. Let your mind breathe. Let your heart slow. Let your attention land. And when the next notification pings, you’ll have the strength to choose whether to answer.