mental wellbeing

The Science of Weighted Blankets

Weighted blankets are becoming increasingly popular, but do they actually work? I was asked to comment on the science and research behind weighted blankets for The English Home. This was an interesting one for me as I hadn’t considered the evidence base, but I know a lot of people who swear by them for a good nights sleep, so I got stuck in! Fortunately, there are a few published reviews that have already summarised the research evidence for me.

How do weighted blankets work?

In 2024, Yu et al., explained that “deep pressure touch” may explain the calming effects and improvement to wellbeing people experience when under their weighted blanket. They suggest that these blankets provide an even distribution of light pressure on the body, which slows our heart rate and breathing, and we settle into a state of calm and relaxation. This is known as activating the parasympathetic nervous system, or entering a “rest and digest” state. It’s similar to the soothing effects of a really good hug.

How do weighted blankets help?

As well as encouraging relaxation, a review by Wong et al (2024) highlighted that, for people experiencing insomnia and mental health problems, weighted blankets can increase the amount of time they were asleep, and reduce symptoms of insomnia. In addition to this, a review by Eron et al (2020) found that people using a weighted blanket also experienced reductions in anxiety. Yu et al.,(2024) added to this by highlight people experienced fewer negative emotions and improved overall daytime wellbeing when using a weighted blanket.

Do weighted blankets work for everyone?

Dawson et al., (2024) looked at how weighted blankets helped across the entire lifespan. They found a number of positive improvements were reported for adults, much like the reviews above, they included better sleep and improved wellbeing and mood. They also reported reductions in pain for various conditions. Interestingly, people also reported reduced medication use after sleeping under a weighted blanket. This covered a range of different medications, including reduction in prescribed sleep medication. Interestingly, weighted blankets used in senior care settings led improvements in residents’ emotional and psychological expressions during the day, which meant practitioners did not need to prescribe as much medication – I think this finding is really, really cool.

This paper also looked at the effects of weighted blankest for children and adolescents. Whilst they didn’t find as much evidence for improved sleep in younger people, studies about Autistic children and those with ADHD found that after sleeping under a weighted blanket children were more relaxed, and showed fewer signs of anxiety, anger and irritability. This also led to more stable mood and better functioning in schools.

So, to answer the original question: Do weighted blankets actually work? Scientific research seems to think so. They appear to improve sleep duration and quality, and this has a positive impact on mood and other aspects of wellbeing during the day time. It’s important to remember most of the research so far has been carried out by and for people with specific diagnosis or needs, but none of the reviews I looked at highlighted any concerns related to using these blankets. So, if you’re looking to improve your sleep quality, energy levels and wellbeing, trying a weighted blanket might be the answer!

Get started with this one, which comes highly recommended!

References

Dawson, S., Charlton, K., Ng, L., Cleland, J., Bulto, L., Page, M., & Attrill, S. (2024). Weighted Blankets as a Sleep Intervention: A Scoping Review. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 78(5), 7805205160. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050676 (this paper is behind a paywall so I had to read the authors accepted manuscript to understand the findings in more detail)
Eron, K., Kohnert, L., Watters, A., Logan, C., Weisner-Rose, M., & Mehler, P. S. (2020). Weighted Blanket Use: A Systematic Review. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 74(2), 7402205010p1–7402205010p14. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.037358
Wong, S., Fabiano, N., Luu, B., Seo, C., Gupta, A., Kim, H. K., … & Husain, M. I. (2024). The effect of weighted blankets on sleep quality and mental health symptoms in people with psychiatric disorders in inpatient and outpatient settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 179, 286-294.
Yu, J., Yang, Z., Sun, S., Sun, K., Chen, W., Zhang, L., … & Zhu, Y. (2024). The effect of weighted blankets on sleep and related disorders: a brief review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1333015.

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mental wellbeing, mental-health, science communication, Social connection

Good Gossip, Bad Gossip: The Science of Social Storytelling

As featured in PopSugar 9/09/2025

I was asked to comment on the role of gossip, and how this might be a positive tool and exchange of information after a wedding, so here’s what I found:

What is gossip really?

Gossip is often dismissed as trivial or overtly negative, but it has actually served a longstanding social purpose. Gossip is how we exchange information, reinforce social norms, and strengthen interpersonal bonds.

It does this by fostering connection between individuals and also wider social groups. Gossip acts as a form of social currency. The exchange of social information supports social cooperation in large groups (when done in a positive way) can build trust. As people share positive gossip they bond and strengthen ties within a group.

Is wedding gossip good?

In the context of a wedding, positive gossip serves to strengthen group identity as attendees, and as important people in the lives of the newly married couple. Gossip also spreads social information, meaning people who weren’t able to attend, or missed particular parts of the wedding, are able to catch up through sharing stories. It might even help the newlyweds, who can’t be everywhere all at once, enjoy more aspects of their wedding.

Why do we gossip?

Research has shown that people who are more central to a social groups with are more likely to share positive gossip, and also more likely to be the subject of positive gossiper. Negative gossip tends to be about people who are less central to a group, and can lead to them being shut out further.

Overall, positive gossip builds connection whereas negative gossip can negatively impact a group and its individual members.

When can gossip go bad?

While gossip can foster connection, it’s important to acknowledge that it can also cross boundaries, especially when the consequence is to undermine others. Research shows that negative gossip tends to focus on people with lower social status or fewer connections within a group, which can lead to exclusion. In these cases, gossip becomes less about bonding and more about reinforcing hierarchies or putting someone in a negative light.

How to stay positive with gossip

To keep gossip positive and constructive, it is context and intent that matter. Gossip that celebrates others, shares joyful updates, or reinforces shared values is good for a group. But when gossip veers into criticism or speculation, especially without a person’s presence or consent, it risks becoming a form of social undermining.

In private scenarios, expressing concerns or frustrations can be valid and even necessary. In these situations it’s best to speak with empathy, and focus on behaviours rather than a person’s character. You can also think about the purpose of such a conversations, is it looking for advice? And ideally it should be done with someone trusted who won’t let the conversation lead to any unintended harm.

Encouraging positive storytelling and sharing helps ensure gossip remains a force for connection, not exclusion.

mental wellbeing, mental-health, self-reflection

How to build a better relationship with social media

As featured in Woman and Home, 19.08.2025

If you’ve ever promised yourself you’d “just have a quick scroll” and found yourself still glued to your phone an hour later, you’re not alone. Social media is designed to keep us engaged,but with some thoughtful steps, you can create a healthier, more intentional relationship with it. Change isn’t about willpower alone; it’s about knowing why you want to change, using your strengths, and aligning new habits with your values.

1. Know Your Why
Before making changes, pause and ask yourself: Why do I want a different relationship with social media? Is it because it’s eating into time with loved ones, affecting my mood, or replacing activities I value? The clearer you are, the easier it will be to build meaningful habits you can maintain.

Try pairing a long-term aim, such as “I want to spend less time scrolling”, with a practical short-term step, like limiting social media use to a 10-minute window in the morning and evening. Tools like app timers can help you stick to these boundaries and remind you when it’s time to move on to something more fulfilling.

2. Chase the Joy of Missing Out
Goals are easier to stick to when they’re framed around what you’re moving towards rather than what you’re avoiding. If you’re cutting down on social media, think about what you’re gaining, like peace of mind, more time for hobbies, deeper face-to-face conversations. This is sometimes called the “Joy of Missing Out” (JOMO): the satisfaction of saying “no” to the scroll and “yes” to something more rewarding.

If that feels unfamiliar, think back to a time you put your phone aside. What did you do instead? How did you feel afterwards? Remembering those wins can reinforce your motivation when temptation strikes.

3. Make Your Goals Crystal Clear
Vague intentions like “spend less time on Instagram” are harder to follow than concrete ones. Instead, try: “Check notifications once in the afternoon, then log off.” This way, you can track your progress and feel a genuine sense of achievement. Over time, you can extend your phone-free periods or reduce the number of apps you check.

4. Celebrate Your Success
When you stick to your new habit, reward yourself. This doesn’t have to mean spending money,it could be making a favourite cup of tea, enjoying a walk, or spending time on a creative project you love. The key is to pause and notice the satisfaction that comes from following through. That positive reinforcement strengthens the habit and makes it more likely to last.

Remember: Forming a new habit takes patience and self-compassion. If you slip up, treat it as an opportunity to learn rather than a failure. With a clear purpose, realistic steps, and a focus on what you gain, social media can shift from a drain on your attention to a tool you use on your own terms.

Book Review, mental wellbeing, Psychology students, science communication, self-reflection

Braintenance – Review

Braintenance: How to Create Healthy Habits and Reach Your Goals – Dr Julia Ravey

If you’re looking for a practical and engaging guide to beating procrastination and building happier habits, I highly recommend Braintenance by Dr Julia Ravey.

One of the things I really like about this book is its clear structure of Why, Sci, Try. For each topic, Dr Ravey first explains why something happens, then shares the science behind it, and finally gives simple, practical steps so you can try new techniques for yourself. It’s a great way to connect research with everyday life, and is written very clearly.

The advice focuses on topics like how to direct your focus, prioritise processes over outcomes, and beat procrastination. Dr Ravey also uses personal insights to make examples more tangible and accessible.

I recommend Braintenance for anyone looking for science-backed advice on how to improve their habits. I think it’s particularly interesting for students to see how scientists can write about their area of expertise for wider audiences.

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emotional-wellbeing, mental wellbeing, mental-health

Getting over your to do list burnout

Make a list, tick off the chores, feel ready to relax, then suddenly the weekend is gone?!

To enjoy a relaxing and restorative weekend, rather than one full of admin and chores, healthy boundaries and self-reflection around your downtime are key. Self-care isn’t just for when things go wrong; it’s most effective when practised consistently, especially when you feel well and have the energy to form happy habits. These habits build resilience and support your ability to cope when life gets challenging.

Making Intentional Time for Yourself

Making time for meaningful activities you enjoy, whether that is being outdoors, going to gym, or more relaxing hobbies like crafting or reading, helps establish the habit of time and permission for rest and enjoyment. If you find your weekends filled with tasks that aren’t urgent or are simply part of your usual routine, consider whether they truly need to be done now. Intentionally choosing uplifting activities helps us recover more quickly from negative experiences like a long week at work, and research shows that positive emotions play an important role in recovering from stress.

Set Boundaries Around Chores

Creating boundaries between work, life admin, and personal time, helps protect your wellbeing. If there are tasks you need to do, like laundry or shopping, allocate a specific and realistic time to complete them. You can reinforce these boundaries using positive reinforcement. Try listing some simple positive rewards for maintaining your chore boundaries, which can be as simple as time doing something more enjoyable and relaxing.

Spend Meaningful Time with Others

Social connection is essential for psychological wellbeing. Making time for meaningful friendships or connecting through shared interests improves our sense of purpose, and overall improves our life satisfaction. Whether it’s a walk with a friend or making time for a hobby group, it all helps to lift your mood and create a weekend that feels more fulfilling .

The Power of ‘Slow and No’

If your goal is to slow down at the weekend, consider the joy of doing less. The Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) is the positive feeling you get when you choose to say ‘No’. This might be even easier if you are saying no to usual routine activities like chores.

If this doesn’t come easily, you can try thinking about opportunities in the past that you said no to, and what you gained when you did this. Whether it was a day to yourself, or more time for a specific activity, focusing on what you gained helps reinforce slowing down as a positive habit. Remind yourself about these wins when you find new opportunities to say ‘No’ or slow down at the weekend.

Practicing Self-awareness

Making weekends more restorative starts with understanding what you need. Ask yourself why you’re taking a break and what you hope to get from it. This kind of reflection takes practice, but it can help you make choices that genuinely support your wellbeing. Developing awareness of your habits and needs is key to a sustainable work-life balance.

Try my Positive Postcards to get you started making healthy boundaries and happy habits.

emotional-wellbeing, mental wellbeing, mental-health, science communication, stress

Coping Creatively: Resilience Building Workshops

On Thursday 12th July, we hosted our very first Coping Creatively workshop at Newbury Cancer Care.

The event involved a brief introduction to wellbeing, resilience, and why creativity and creative activities can support our wellbeing, even during difficult times. We then got stuck into crafting.

Whatever their experience, everyone who attended left having tried something new, or renewing skills they already had! Whether it was knitting, colouring or mosaic gem art, creativity flowed, and moods were improved.

These workshops aren’t just a nice idea, there’s plenty of evidence to support the benefits of creative activity, especially for those navigating unexpected challenges. Particularly for our attendees who were navigating chemotherapy, studies have shown that engaging with creative activities can help reduce feelings of anxiety, depression, stress and anger during cancer treatment (Archer et al., 2014). These activities give us something many of us are missing in a fast-paced world: time and space to breathe.

In fact, research has shown that even something as simple as colouring can make a real difference. During chemotherapy, participants who took part in art classes reported feeling more relaxed, describing the sessions as ‘breathing spaces’ in an otherwise difficult time (Bar-Sela et al., 2007). In another study, people who coloured during hospital visits reported less stress, with many saying they would do it again (Barnes et al., 2019). In other medical contexts adult colouring books have been linked with reduced anxiety, such as in emergency hospital settings (Rajendran et al., 2020).

These benefits are not limited to one age group. While we often associate creative play with childhood, adults of all ages can benefit just as much from reconnecting with their creativity. Creative activities have been shown to support mental health and wellbeing across the lifespan, helping to reduce loneliness and depression, while improving physical and emotional health (Gorny-Wegrzyn & Perry, 2022). For children and young people, arts activities have been linked to increased self-esteem, better social connection, and improved resilience (Zarobe & Bungay, 2017). Our work on colouring found students experienced less stress after 2 weeks of colouring regularly (3 time per week; Palmer-Cooper et al, 2024)

Resilience is something we can all build, at any age, and not just during hard times. Creative practices help us express ourselves, regulate our emotions, and connect with others, all essential ingredients for building resilience. When we engage in creative activity regularly, we’re building habits that support our wellbeing. These habits become resources we can draw on when things feel overwhelming or uncertain.

This growing body of evidence points supports what many people already feel instinctively: creative activity is good for us. So whether you’re facing a specific challenge or looking to improve your wellbeing, creative activities might be for you! You don’t need to be an artist or have expensive materials. Just a bit of paper, some colours, and a willingness to begin.

We’ll be running more Coping Creatively workshops soon, and we’d love for you to join us.

Getting started: simple craft supplies for wellbeing

(Paid links)

Felt Tips and Crayons

These are (in my opinion) the best felt tips ever:

Adult Colouring Books

Dot colouring books

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digital boundaries, emotional-wellbeing, mental wellbeing, mental-health, self-reflection, Uncategorized

How to take time away from tech

As Featured in Woman & Home, 11th June 2025

If you’re looking to reset your relationship with your tech, forming healthier habits is possible with a bit of thought, planning, and self-compassion.

Start with a Clear Goal

Before you jump into making changes, take a moment to think about why you want a healthier relationship with your tech. Defining your goal clearly can give you direction, a plan, and improve your motivation.

Ask yourself:

Is this a long- or short-term goal?
Can you break it into smaller steps?

Short-term goals help you stay on track and build confidence, while long-term goals provide something to strive for, which is linked to better wellbeing. For example, your overall goal might be to ‘Stop checking emails after work’. A useful short-term step could be setting a 10-minute window for emails, then putting your phone away for the evening, then muting notifications. You can make your tech work for you by using screen time limiters on specific apps after work.

Focus on the Positive

When setting goals, try to frame them as something you want to move towards rather than something you’re trying to avoid. Instead of a goal of ‘Stop using tech’, try ‘Spend more time doing things I enjoy in the evening’. Research shows that goals based on positive outcomes, rather than avoiding negatives, are more likely to improve your wellbeing and help you stay motivated.

Be Specific and Measurable

A vague goal like ‘Spend less time on my phone’ is hard to stick to. Instead, be specific: ‘Put my phone in another room for 10 minutes after dinner’. That way, you’ll be able to measure your progress and feel a sense of achievement as you stick to your goal. If you want to increase your time away from tech, you can set new goals as time goes on. Increasing your tech-free time to 20 or 30 minutes will help build the habit over time, and show how far you’ve come!

Picture Your Progress

A simple but effective way to stay on track is to use mental imagery. This means imagining yourself in the future, and the possibilities available to you as you work on and achieve your goals. Picture the steps you took to get there, what decisions you made, what challenges you overcame, and how you will feel when you’ve done it. You could visualise one week from now, then two weeks, a month, and so on. This process helps build belief in yourself and maintains motivation.

Make It Practical and Doable

A goal like ‘Spend more time on activities I enjoy’ sounds lovely, but what does that actually look like? Start small: even just 10 minutes focused on your interests can lead to big changes in your wellbeing, and build long-term habits around your tech use. Consistency is key. Choosing behaviours that you know are manageable regularly are more likely to lead to lasting success.

If you want hints and tips on how to make new, Happy Habits, try the Happy Habits Box or Positive Postcards; science-backed tools for everyday happiness.

emotional-wellbeing, mental wellbeing, self-reflection, stress

Navigating the ‘quarter-life-crisis’

As featured in The Mirror 01.02.2025

Increasing numbers of young adults are experiencing what they call a ‘quarter-life-crisis’.

Forget the mid-life-crisis stereotypes of a middle aged man buying a sports-car in his 50s. Now people in their 20s are struggling with life transitions and understanding world, and who they are within it.

Culturally the concept and transition to adulthood has changed and become longer than for past generations. Emerging adulthood is now not a transition stage but a full developmental phase that lasts from18 years to about age 29 years of age. Whereas in say the 1970s, people were in full time work, married and having their first child by 25, these traditionally ‘Big’ life events are happening up to 10 years later than in the 1970s.

In the present day, people in their 20s are still learning about their identity – who are they, what is their place in the world, what do they want to do with their life.

It is also a stage of great instability in terms of their environment, as people figure out who they are they are also navigating an ever changing employment and economic landscapes.

It is no surprise then that more half of emerging adults often experience anxiety, and a third report often feeling depressed. Even if this is not a clinical diagnosis, more complex living environments twinned with expectations that do not align with changing society can lead to more stress and negative impacts on mental wellbeing.

Emerging adulthood can bring opportunities

Though this period of life seems defined by uncertainty, it can also present a lot of opportunities. Having more time as an emerging adult allows for exploration, learning, and self-understanding, that can ultimately lead to more intentional life choices. Rather than viewing this stage as a crisis to be fixed, it may be more helpful to recognise it as a normal part of modern development.

A good way to navigate this new season of life is to ensure you have good social support, realistic expectations, and have open conversations with people around you. Ask for advice, help and support. Take time to make decisions and reflect on their outcomes.

By acknowledging the challenges of emerging adulthood and reframing them as part of a longer journey toward self-understanding, society can help reduce negative views of emerging adulthood and empower young people to find meaning and resilience in the face of change.

mental wellbeing, self-reflection, stress

Are you an over-sharer?

As Featured in the Metro 22.05.2025

As Featured in Your Coffee Break 27.05.2025

We all have experiences and personal histories that shape who we are. Deciding how much of this to share, and where, often depends on the nature of the experience and the context of the sharing. In any interpersonal setting, finding a balance between openness and privacy is important not only for maintaining healthy relationships, but also for protecting our own wellbeing.

Oversharing typically refers to sharing personal details in a way that may be inappropriate, either because it’s overly intimate, causes discomfort to others, or brings about negative psychological consequences for the person sharing or their audience.

Oversharing online

It’s important to consider how we interact with social media platforms when we talk about oversharing. In face-to-face interactions, we receive immediate visual or verbal feedback from the person we’re speaking to. These cues help guide how much to share and indicate whether our disclosure is appropriate or welcome.

When sharing online, however, the process is different. We often create content alone, then post it for others to see, without immediate feedback. There is usually a time lag between posting and receiving any response, and that response may be minimal or absent altogether. This delay can make it difficult to judge whether what we’ve shared was appropriate or helpful.

Benefits of sharing

One possible benefit of online sharing is that certain digital spaces allow people to express themselves more freely. Some feel more able to be their true selves online, known as the online disinhibition effect. The perceived anonymity of online platforms can also make people more willing to share personal or emotional content, particularly if they believe their identity is concealed.

Online platforms can also help foster connection. Many people find community and support online, particularly around shared experiences, niche interests, or identities that may be underrepresented in their offline lives. Since sharing personal information often helps build social connection, being open online can serve as a substitute for interpersonal connection when it’s lacking in everyday life.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Pexels.com

If sharing leads to a sense of relief or validation, for example, if others empathise with the content, it can reinforce the idea that (over)sharing is a positive experience. In addition, social media platforms actively reward sharing behaviour. Likes, comments, and shares act as social reinforcers, and this can lead to habitual oversharing as a way to seek out more interaction. For people experiencing loneliness or a desire for recognition, oversharing can become a way to feel seen, understood, or connected.

Drawbacks of oversharing

However, using online spaces to seek connection through oversharing can come with significant downsides. When we’re primarily engaging online with people we don’t know offline, we may give less thought to the long-term consequences of what we share. What’s shared online also tends to stay online, and unlike private, in-person conversations, online disclosures can be screenshot, reshared, or misinterpreted by people far outside the original intended audience.

While openness can promote connection, oversharing can also backfire. In some cases, it may be a coping strategy; people might share a way of seeking support for unmet emotional needs or difficulties with emotional regulation. However, this can make others feel uncomfortable, overwhelmed, or unsure how to respond, resulting in awkwardness, embarrassment, or damage to personal or professional relationships.

There may also be a difference in how people respond to oversharing online compared to in person. Online, people may be less inclined to intervene when they notice someone oversharing. This might be due to uncertainty about how to respond, a feeling that it’s not their place, or simply digital fatigue from frequent exposure to emotionally charged content. As a result, someone sharing intensely personal information online may be met with silence, judgement, or indifference, rather than the support they hoped for.

Finally, there are also practical concerns: oversharing can expose sensitive personal details that increase the risk of identity theft, scams, or data misuse.

What to do before you share online

If oversharing online stems from an unmet need for empathy or validation, it may be helpful to explore alternative ways of processing those thoughts and feelings. This might involve seeking out different relationships, practices or outlets that offer support without relying on a public platform.

Journalling, for example, can be a useful way to get thoughts ‘out of your head’ and into a space where they can be organised. Often, simply writing things down helps to regulate emotions and your thoughts, meaning that detailed public sharing may no longer feel necessary. Journalling is also very flexible, you can use a traditional notebook, an app, or even a voice note if you find it easier to express yourself verbally.

Likewise, counselling and psychotherapy offer confidential, supportive environments in which to explore thoughts, feelings or experiences. These services are open to anyone looking for a space to feel heard, gain insight or work through challenges, and don’t require any sort of diagnosis to be accessed. If the desire to share online is actually about needing to process something, therapy might be a more private and constructive option.

Before posting something personal online, it’s worth asking yourself: “Am I happy for everyone to know this about me, or is it something I’m still working through?” If you’re uncertain, it’s probably best to hold off until you’ve had time to reflect and feel more confident in your decision.

For instance, if you’ve received exciting news about a job offer, you may want to celebrate publicly. But it might be sensible to wait until the offer is confirmed in writing. Similarly, if your social media includes colleagues or professional contacts, consider how sharing this news might affect your workplace relationships. It’s usually best to let your employer know formally before posting anything that could be seen by others in your professional network.

Ultimately, it’s about pausing to reflect: “Who might see this, and am I comfortable with them knowing this level of detail about me?” That moment of consideration can help safeguard your privacy, protect relationships, and ensure that your sharing is intentional rather than reactive.

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

digital boundaries, emotional-wellbeing, mental wellbeing, mental-health

Creating digital boundaries for your mental health

As featured in Women’s Health; 13th May 2025

While technology has improved access to information and made life easier in many ways, it requires finding a balance. Smartphones have created both benefits and challenges in daily life.

After having my daughter, during a baby first-aid course, I was told my smartphone was the most powerful tool I could have on me if she suddenly fell poorly – you can ring someone for help immediately and search what to do while waiting. However ease of access to online spending has increased challenges faced by people experiencing gambling addiction and impulsive spending.

The pandemic drastically changed smartphone usage patterns, leading to increased reliance on digital communication to stay in touch with friends and family, and also adapt to working at home. But many people also experienced an increase in screen fatigue.

This can be addresed at work by doing things like blocking out time in your calendar so you know you won’t be called into a zoom meeting, or making space to move, breathe, or just take a break from your screen.

Research has shown associations between problematic phone use and conditions like anxiety and depression, though the causality remains unclear. There are suggestions that this relationship becomes cyclical, where anxiety leads to increased phone use, as with doom scrolling, which in turn fuels more anxiety. Other research shows that doomscrolling can enhance feelings of anxiety.

Identifying problematic use is about understanding how and why you’re using your phone. Are you picking it up out of necessity or habit? If you’ve set aside time to reply to messages, do you put your phone down afterwards or do you start scrolling mindlessly?

Setting boundaries with smartphone use is really important. Knowing if you have a tendency to use your phone in ways that don’t benefit you, such as spending money or losing time when scrolling, means you can start to set boundaries with a timer or “buy later” list.

There are some simple practical strategies you can use to start enforcing these boundaries, like blocking out specific times in your calendar for scrolling, messages or checking up on news.

Try turning off notification for everything, except emergency contacts, during working hours and when you go to sleep to avoid getting distracted. Carve out a specific time to respond, such as at lunchtime.

If you find yourself picking up your phone out of habit, try swapping it for another activity. The required conscious decision-making about when and how to use smartphones, but can lead to huge improvements in your wellbeing and provide more balance in your life.

Try the Happy Habits box to learn news ways to build resilience and wellbeing.