Binge society: how to reclaim your life
Dopamine is the feel-good chemical that our brains release as a reward system for a behaviour that feels good to us. Our brains are hard-wired to seek out these sorts of behaviours. So while we don’t become addicted to dopamine, we can increasingly seek out behaviours that will increase the feel good sensations. Enter an era of bingeing in Australia: we binge on food, shows, and drinking.
According to Danny Shannon, well-known self improvement mentor and creator of digital journalling app, Encapsulator, during the pandemic, we were stuck indoors for weeks and months with tight restrictions on going out and as a result, many Aussies turned to their screens for entertainment; and without realising it, formed a binge-watching habit, that went hand-in-hand with other common binge behaviours like drinking and eating. People couldn’t go out, so they turned to drinking and eating in excess at home. As a result, Australia is facing a hidden pandemic of pandemic created alcoholics.
“As a result of the pandemic, we’ve become a society of bingers and the media even eggs us on, advertising shows as binge-worthy and streaming services tend to dump entire seasons of a show at a go, further enabling us to binge on the shows we love,” Shannon said.
“If you know you have some sort of binge habit and want to stop it, realise that you have it in your power to reclaim your life and your relationships. Focus on the important things in life: you health, your body, your family, your career. Give up bingeing and take back control of your life.”
How to take back control
“Many people binge watch shows as a form of stress relief and escapism. It’s true that we lead very stressful lives these days. To break a binge watching habit, not only do you have to set yourself a firm limit of one or two episodes at a time, but also find a different activity to fill up the time you would otherwise have spent watching those shows,” Shannon said.
“I would recommend setting a time or episode limit, and set a form of alarm system to act as a reminder and also make TV a social thing. When others watch a show with you, you’re actually less likely to get sucked into a vortex of bingeing.
“A problem that occurs as a result of binge watching shows is that we end up sacrificing our sleep which honestly just affects your health in the long term. Simply set up a bed time alarm and go to sleep. You can always pick up where you left off the next time you watch your show. With on-demand TV and streaming services, it’s not like as though you’re missing out if you turn it off.”
Addressing binge eating and drinking
“Binge eating and binge drinking are big problems in Australian society, made even more problematic because of the pandemic,” Shannon said.
“These bad habits can have a negative impact on both your physical and mental health when people use food or alcohol as a way to soothe themselves or cope with difficult feelings.
“To stop these habits, the first thing is to plan regular meals and snacks with good quality healthy foods. Identify the trigger points that set off your binge eating and find alternatives rather than just eating. Make self-care a priority. As I mentioned before, engage in other activities like exercise or other hobbies. You might want to try journaling too.”
Journaling as a form of self-care
“Journaling can help you to control your behaviours. Through journaling, you learn to address your problems, your fears and your concerns. You can track your activities during the day, recognise what things trigger up and find ways to control them in a better, healthier way. It’s an opportunity for self-talk and reflection,” Shannon said.
“Use your journal to express thoughts, fears and emotions freely and you’ll actually get to the heart of what’s really going on. Journaling has many benefits such as reducing the symptoms of depression, improving problem solving and even enhancing your body’s immune functioning!
“If these ideas appeal to you and you’re determined to take back control of your life, let me tell you about Encapsulator. It’s a video-journaling app that you can use instead of an old school pen and paper journal. Encapsulator provides you with on screen prompts so you can do some deep dives as you record yourself talking and working out your inner most thoughts and feelings.
“It enables you to keep yourself accountable by capturing your progress in the form of video journalling. It is easy and can be done on the go through your phone on the Encapsulator app, which is often when you need to capture thoughts most – when life happens.”
Better future
“When we break the cycle of our bad habits and actively replace them with newer, healthier choices, activities and habits, you’ll feel a new sense of life and optimism come flooding back into your life. You’ll start to make active plans and goals about your life. Feel free to dream again! It’s a form of empowerment like never before. You’ll be surprised by just how much mental, physical and emotional capacity you actually have within you!” Shannon said.
About Encapsulator
Created by Danny Shannon, Encapsulator is a newly launched app that helps people journal in video form. Particularly aimed at those in recovery from addiction, Shannon used his past experiences as an addict to create this app to help others record their journey towards a better life. The app has already received a warm reception and has been extensively covered in the Australian media over television, radio, and news.
