Withdrawal vs Neuroplasticity; It’s a game changer for the better!
You are a courageous and caring mom who has just unplugged your gamer.
You are worried as they are feeling sick. But he is sick for good reason. Their brain is in the process of seeking out good brain health called homeostasis.
Our wonderful bodies have a built in feedback regulation loop to create our own personal ‘flow state’ of wellbeing. But those dastardly game developers exploit our kid’s brains with their own specially crafted ‘flow state’. The route to addictive play.
All those accumulative hours of video gaming forced your child into an unnatural state and changed how his neurons fire. His neurons are now scrambled and screaming for relief.
Remember this fact, our gamers are very familiar with this inner restlessness, anxious, panicky feeling when they try to stop after binging and why they rant and rave ‘rage’ at us to continue. They are trying to mediate the looming withdrawal effect that is setting in.
Imagine what that has been like for their body. Forced to go against all natural self-preservation, “brain protection” by adapting to a neurotoxic activity for 7+ hours a day on a yet fully developed brain! No wonder the older kids never launch. Their brains never get a chance to finish developing. This technology essentially becomes the main barrier to adulthood.
Yes, I am concerned about what we don’t see as the emotional uproar is a direct side effect of getting back to ‘normal’, but what about the unseen permanent biological changes? Perhaps the mind bending withdrawals is a good wake up call for our gamers. At least we have a tangible marker / measurement guiding our families to make some serious changes.
Just remember the Silicon Valley game designers have a low tech to no tech style of parenting their own children! Plus, the adults do regular “dopamine fasts”! Why, so they don’t dysregulate themselves like they are so willing to do to our families?
If you are in the process of detoxing your child, herd them outside for as many hours of the day as possible.
First, they need to break a sweat (breaks the bad mood), combined with some repetitive skill drills like playing ball, swinging a bat or golf club using whiffle balls if the batting cages or driving range is still closed.
Yoga and balancing exercises even designing an obstacle course to master. Become a Ninja Warrior kid!
Your child's brain has now been unleashed to think freely and come up with their own creative ideas. His brain was waiting for this moment!
Second, read books aloud to each other (rebuilds a loving connection). It is good for focus, (attention building) and to set a new pace, a new rhythm, not a rapid fire pace like their games!
Our kids need to seek out stimulating activities that are appropriate to their development. We wouldn’t let them snort coke or guzzle booze or Red Bull, but they are guzzling dopamine and other "sacred brain chemicals" every time they click away on those machines!
We are now promoting healthy brain activity. We are helping to strengthen new neural pathways utilizing the gift of neuroplasticity. :-)
Neuroplasticity is the way out of this madness. Because there are no quick fixes but rather a steady well thought out daily plan back out of this seriously sick way of living, one ruled by a video game.
Our kid’s brains deserve better! Moms deserve peace of mind too!