Internet Addiction
Introduction
An Internet addiction can be debilitating as it an impulsive behavior that causes you to seek out relief. There are many who are drawn to participating in a faceless community with cyber relationships anonymously. If this addiction is keeping you from living a stabilized life you can learn how to control your behavior before it damages your ability to manage priorities and physical affiliations.
The reasons for internet addiction vary although it often gravitates toward status, fantasy, games and the want for satisfaction. All of us use the internet in our own way and for different
reasons although there is a difference between using it for varying amounts of time and using it excessively. It can become a problem when it starts getting in the way of outside activities and causes us to neglect responsibilities or relationships. There are symptoms toward internet addiction that are easier to identify with than others. This isn't a behavior that's easy to reduce on your own and if you choose to get help from a counselor who can help stop the activity you'll learn how to avoid triggers. By learning how to use techniques that help you balance your life you can grow emotionally and socially as you interact more with the people who are physically around you.
How Internet Addiction Becomes Unhealthy
The internet has the power to become unhealthy if it is one of the few things that you turn to for relief. It you tend to avoid personal obligations and responsibilities because of internet use it can become damaging. It's easy to isolate yourself from others and if you are already experiencing gaps in your relationships it is a good indicator that you are focusing too much of your time on the internet. This is classified as an addiction because the individual can find satisfaction in the activity as it provides them with a sense of belonging and control. Half of this control is having the opportunity to socialize with others without having to worry about confrontation. It's also a way to hide behind a different identity that you have more confidence in. If you rely on it for relief or as a form of gratification it can point to an underlying issue. Internet addiction might cause other people to notice your behavior and acknowledge it over time. If you react defensively or feel guilty about other people bringing it up it is also an indicator of internet addiction. When it gets to the point that it is causing physical symptoms such as strained vision, body aches or fluctuations in weight it's important that you get help from a therapist who will teach you how to control these desires through management strategies.
Internet Addiction and External Relationships
Constant use of the internet for gratification and for escapism can cause problems in your relationships as you tend to neglect them and forget about the importance in contact physically (outside of the online network.) If the activity that you partake in on websites makes your spouse or partner feel betrayed it might push them away from you, especially if you're having a hard time stopping yourself. If you begin to isolate yourself from physical relationships completely it can have an indefinite effect on your own health and create a lack of physical interactions. There are many who turn to online relationships because it can remain anonymous – but, if this is your only confrontation in relationships it might end up changing the way that you
take care of outside responsibilities. Internet addiction can change the way that you express yourself completely and develop emotionally.
How Therapy Can Help
Deciding to get help can put you back on the road to confrontation and good health. The goal of counseling for internet addiction is to help you reduce the amount of time that you spend on the internet or put the activity to a halt altogether. This depends on your needs individually and it also depends on your personal goals. The therapist will explore the origin of the problem and reasons behind the addiction. You will learn how to change your own thought processes so that you can avoid triggers that cause this behavior. Counseling is a safe environment for you where you can explore the addiction furthermore and consider how it is shaping your future happiness. If you are lacking in fulfillment in other areas of your life it's understandable that you are making up for it by seeking gratification on the internet. Working with a counselor will help you thoroughly understand the circumstances and look at the choices that you have while you're attempting to make this positive change. This is another support system for you when it seems difficult to overcome an addiction that may have controlled you for an extensive period of time. When you understand your impulses furthermore you'll learn how to improve other elements of your life so that you can experience healthy pleasure instead of depending on it through internet use.
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