Could you have brain bulimia?
Bulimia is a severe mental health disorder with biological influences. It is the result of genetic predisposition and the influence of triggers that are a combination of:
Environmental
Social
Psychological
Biological
Bulimia can affect people in several ways. First, it enslaves the attention system. The longer a person has bulimia the more their attention system suffers. In eating bulimics, food over-stimulates the attention centers in their central nervous system creating a sympathetic nervous system (fight and flight response) when they think about binging food. They binge causing a temporary high, only to crash afterwards with a kind of a hangover.
Typically related to food, could it be that bulimia could be relatable to other disorders as well? Think about it. Besides food what else do most people spend their day doing, thinking and accessing that could lead to a tendency towards impulsivity and sensation seeking? Devices. Devices that we are becoming enslaved and addicted to. I call this brain bulimia.
In brain bulimics, the technology, device or social media over-stimulates the attention centres, we binge, feel a surge or high, then crash, then pick up the phone quickly again for the next scrolling, texting, messaging high. Such repeated experiences create enslavement of our attention and destroys our brain cells at the same time.
Is it any wonder we feel drained, overwhelmed, powerless and helpless. Due to neuroplasticity, any form of bulimia changes the brain structure to an unhealthy level. It makes the brain think, differently, work differently, function and process information differently.
The good news is neuroplasticity can be used in a positive way, and with a focus on what I call the three Master Moves, one can begin to undo the damage which has been done by the addiction to devices and begin to return our brains to a healthy level and beyond.
The Three Master Moves
Minimalism - Let go - releasing the old habits that are holding us back and keeping us stuck in the addiction cycle
Mindset - Let be - retraining the brain using mindfulness and meditation to support the rewiring of the brain and the calming of the nervous system to reduce future triggering
Mastery - Let good in - Replacing harmful habits with new positive actions that grow us and our independent, non-addictive thinking by rewiring the brain to change our mind for the better using self-directed neuroplasticity.
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
Taking positive action
Instead of talking about, or planning something big that is too daunting and then causes procrastination and anxiety which may trigger us to turn to our devices, consider a small area where you could make a 10 degree shift in to begin layering a new neural pathway.
For example, instead of checking your phone first thing in the morning, minimalise the old habit by leaving your devices out in the kitchen or create a rule where you are not to switch on the phone or device until you have exercised and completed a 10 minute meditation. Before and during the meditation retrain your mindset by focusing on question or idea you'd like clarity on and wait and see what reveals itself to you. Lastly take new positive actions that rewire the brain and build mastery such as listening a chapter of an audiobook each morning as you exercise rather than scolling through social media.
As James Clear identifies in his book "Atomic Habits"
“Self-control is a short-term strategy, not a long-term one.”
There are Four Laws of behaviour change outlined in his book that are relevant in thinking about how to overcome brain bulimia:
Cue: Make it obvious.
Craving: Make it attractive.
Response: Make it easy.
Reward: Make it satisfying.
You may be able to resist temptation once or twice, but it’s unlikely you can muster the willpower to override your desires every time. Instead of summoning a new dose of willpower whenever you want to do the right thing, your energy would be better spent optimizing your environment.
Reduce the environmental and psychosocial triggers, reduce the device usage.
Is it time you made the shift?
A B O U T T H E A U T H O R
Alexandria Joy's (AJ) mission is to empower people to create more meaningful, joyful lives that bring a deeper connection with themselves, others and our planet. She wants to shift the way we think about and deal with success in business and life.
As an aspiring minimalist and tiny house dweller she believes in keeping things simple and making 10 degree shifts in all aspects of life and work so you can do less and achieve more.
She is the founder of company culture firm UQ Power, co-founder of Human Power and creator of The 10* Shift and the tiny house experiment The Joy Box.
