The feeling of a tired mind, difficulty focusing and the constant impression that we are always “running after time” have an increasingly concrete explanation: the number of hours we spend online. Continuous exposure to screens, notifications, social networks and multiple digital tasks stimulates the brain in an intense and fragmented way.

The survey Consumer Pulsefrom Bain & Company, shows that Brazilians spend more than nine hours a day in front of screens. Of this total, almost four hours are dedicated exclusively to social media. The data, in itself, already draws attention, but what the research reveals next is even more symbolic: 28% of people say they would like to reduce the time spent on networks and streaming.

Among those interviewed who feel saturated, 35% say that screens generate distraction constant, 28% perceive negative impacts on mental health and 18% report guilt for spending so much time on their cell phones.

Impacts of excess stimulation on the brain

The numbers help explain a complaint that has become common in offices: the feeling that the mind does not slow down. With each notification, short video or infinite scroll, the brain receives micro-spikes of dopamine that do not generate lasting satisfaction, but reinforce repetitive and automatic behavior. Over time, this reduces boredom tolerance, fragments attention, increases baseline anxiety, and creates a permanent sense of urgency.

For psychologist and hypnotherapist Brunna Dolgosky, this pattern helps to understand why so many people report difficulty in concentrationirritability and the feeling that the mind never slows down. “Excessive cell phone use keeps reward circuits activated all the time. This weakens the ability to be in the present and impairs emotional self-regulation”, he explains.

Simple techniques help the brain slow down

The good news, according to Brunna Dolgosky, is that the way back does not require radical changes, but small daily adjustments that help the nervous system to get out of the state of hyperactivation. See below!

1. Watch for signs that your mind is already overloaded

Before changing your habit, you need to recognize the pattern. “When a person realizes that they cannot perform simple tasks without checking their cell phone, feel anxious when without the device, use their phone automatically in moments of tiredness, frustration or loneliness, experience lapses in attention, irritability and the feeling of a racing mind even at rest, it is a clear indication that the nervous system is in hyperactivation and can no longer maintain focus or silence without stimulation”, says Brunna Dolgosky.

2. Use breathing to activate the brain’s “brake”

Breathing is one of the quickest ways to communicate safety to the brain. “Breathing exercises with exhaling longer than inhaling activate the parasympathetic system, which works as a physiological brake for the mind. Within a few minutes, the body understands that it is not in a state of alert and brain activity begins to slow down”, he advises.

3. Practice stimulus-free breaks throughout the day

As pauses of everyday life were taken over by the screens. “Queue, elevator, waiting, break — everything becomes an opportunity to seek stimulation. Creating conscious pauses without any type of information is a powerful self-regulation training. At first, it causes discomfort, but later it generates presence and mental clarity”, he explains.

4. Define times for cell phone use, especially during transitions of the day

Moments like waking up, before sleep and after meals are classic triggers for automatic use. “Avoiding the cell phone during these periods helps to break behavioral conditioning. It’s not about prohibiting it, but about giving the person back the feeling of conscious choice”, reinforces Brunna Dolgosky.

5. Practice monotasking to strengthen mindfulness

Simple activities done with presence have a profound effect on the brain. “Eating without screens, walking and observing the environment or performing a manual task with total focus strengthen the neural circuits linked to mindfulness. When we do one thing at a time, the prefrontal cortex takes the lead again and the mind naturally slows down”, he says.

6. Use your body as an ally against digital hyperstimulation

In addition to mental techniques, Brunna Dolgosky highlights the role of the body as a regulator of attention. Physical activities away from your cell phone work as a natural antidote to excess stimulation. “When the body moves with focus, especially in practices that require coordination and body awareness, the brain leaves the dispersed mode and returns to its axis”, he states.

The specialist explains that some modalities help to increase concentration. “Fights, for example, require total presence and interrupt accelerated thinking. Pilates and yoga also help to integrate movement, breathing and mindfulness, favoring focus and reducing mental rumination. The exercise is no longer just physical and becomes a daily training in presence and emotional self-regulation”, he says.

7. A quick exercise to regain your calm in just a few minutes

Brunna Dolgosky recommends respiratory anchoring with sensory focus. “When sitting, close your eyes and take three slow breaths, noticing the air going in and out through your nose, and then directing your attention to the weight of your body in the chair, the temperature of your skin and the contact of your feet with the floor, the activity brain leaves reactive mode and enters a state of greater coherence and presence in a few minutes”, he concludes.

For the expert, reducing screen time is not about restriction, but about recovering something essential: the ability to be present in one’s own life.

By Maria Fernanda