What are the symptoms of computer addiction? How to prevent disease? How to deal with an existing addiction? Details are in the material from the staff of the psychological service of SSAU.
The concept of "computer addiction" appeared in the 90s of the last century. It is characterized by an obsessive desire to get away from everyday worries and problems in virtual reality, thereby improving their emotional well-being. The World Health Organization has introduced “gaming disorder” into the International Classification of Diseases, now excessive addiction to video games will be considered as a disease that requires special treatment.
Physiological symptoms of computer addiction include: dry eyes, migraine headaches, back pain, irregular meals and skipping meals, neglect of personal hygiene, sleep disorders and changes in sleep patterns, carpal tunnel syndrome (tunnel lesion of the nerve trunks of the arm, associated with prolonged muscle strain).
The disease also has psychological symptoms. Only maladaptive individuals who inadequately evaluate themselves try to escape reality by taking on someone else's role. Moreover, while developing his “virtual self”, a person forgets about the improvement of a real personality, and its growth is drastically slowed down. The feeling of insecurity is a sign of increased anxiety, the level of which increases with the growth of contradictions between reality and the virtual world in the human mind. The desire to escape into a computer reality becomes for dependent people the satisfaction of the need for security and a kind of protection from reality.
1. Use the real world to expand social contacts. Human life is a constant development, expansion and transformation of reality, both internal and external. Knowing the world, a person becomes more perfect.
2. Determine your place and purpose in the real world. Find ways to be who you want to be. But avoid simple ways to achieve the goal: free cheese is only in a mousetrap.
3. Virtual reality fills the "holes" in life. Live without "patches"!
4. The computer is just a tool to enhance your abilities, not a substitute for a goal.
5. It is impossible to develop in virtual reality what is not important for you in life. Do what you really want!
6. Look for friends in reality. The virtual world only gives the illusion of belonging to a group and does not develop any real communication skills.
7. Fill your life with positive events, actions.
8. Have your own clear views and beliefs.
9. Avoid deceit and anonymity in virtual reality.
10. Stay "here and now", not "there".
11. Learn to control your own time and time at the computer.
To cope with computer addiction, you need to set yourself 3 tasks and direct maximum efforts to achieve them:
Analyze what problems underlie Internet addiction, why you "run away to the virtual world." It can be problems in the family, unhappy love, self-doubt, difficulties at work or in school. If you find a “weak link”, then you will need to do everything to eliminate it - raise your self-esteem, try to improve the situation in the family, eliminate problems at work, in school, etc.
Learning to control the time of working at the computer - this can be helped by a timer, special programs that regulate the time spent on the computer, breaks for walks with friends. It will not work to stop using a computer and the Internet at once - the dependence is too strong, so it is necessary to gradually reduce the time spent at the computer.
Try to fill your free time with something interesting and useful. Anything will do, the main thing is that it captivates you. Fishing, hunting, hiking, driving courses, singing, dancing - there are many options. Recall what you were fond of before or try something new. Your goal is to switch, get carried away, and then a new hobby will help to cope with the existing problem.
If you have identified symptoms of computer or Internet addiction, as well as other psychological problems, then you can always contact the psychological service of SSAU. All employees are professional educational psychologists, doctors and candidates of sciences with experience in advisory work. Any student or employee of the university can come to the reception.
Appointment for a consultation by phone: 31-59-46 (stationary phone).
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