On this week’s episode of Real Health, we are looking at phone usage and when it can start to have a negative impact on our lives. With daily tasks and communication more dependent on smart devices than ever, how can you recognise when normal usage has tipped into dangerous territory? To discuss this, I am joined by psychotherapist and author of the Phone Addiction Workbook, Hilda Burke. Hilda says that although phone addiction has not been officially recognised as an addiction, those who use their devices a lot can show signs of addictive behavior: “There are some of the hallmarks of addiction amongst heavy phone users...it is that thing of, if I cannot get the hit, how disturbed do I feel? If I am without it overnight or during the day, how on edge do I feel?” Hilda explains that a key indicator of addiction is when someone starts putting the substance ahead of things we would highly value in our lives: “You go to the nearest playground, and you will often see a mom or a dad that are looking at their device. The kid can be hanging upside down, breaking their neck but what is on the phone is more important.” We also discuss what phone usage does to your brain, why it can be a highly addictive activity and some ways to help you break the cycle of overuse. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and [email protected]. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.

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