Love Island is back, and it’s back with a bang! Not only do we have Tyson Fury’s younger brother to drool over, but we’ve already had our first love triangle, plenty of tears, some under-the-cover action, hot tubs and hideaways, the inevitable repetitive phrases, and the islanders haven’t even unpacked yet! But how do you know if Love Island is causing addiction in your life?...
Are you addicted to Love Island?
You have high hopes for the couples - Have you started rooting for a particular couple? Do you feel like you’re invested in their relationship? You have started using the lingo - Every season, there seem to be a few phrases that stick! Of course, “my type on paper” has to be one of the iconic Love Island phrases! Oh, and if you shout “I’ve got a text” every time your phone goes off, you’ve probably crossed the line between interested viewers and obsessed Love Island fans. You have the merchandise - If Love Island has made buying a £15 water bottle acceptable, we need a chat… You spend your morning trawling for spoilers - You don’t know why you bother watching the show. After all, with all of the digging you have done throughout the day, you know exactly what is going to happen by the time 9 pm comes about. You have a Love Island WhatsApp group - It’s not as bad if your friends are addicted too, right? You hate Saturdays - So, Saturdays are supposed to be everyone’s favourite day of the week. But, that’s flipped on its head now because there is no Love Island on a Saturday. How do we cope? You follow them on Instagram - One hour every night a week is not enough. You follow their tracks on social media too, even though they’re not posting because they’re on the show. If you’ve fallen asleep and woken up to find yourself on a contestant's trip to Marbella in 2014, you’ve gone way too far. You feel like you know the contestants - Lucie needs to stay away from Joe - you’ve seen that type of behaviour before. Yewande needs to have more confidence and just enjoy herself, right girls? Is Love Island impacting your relationship?
You’ve started thinking it might be good to be single so you can have an experience like this - News flash; this is ‘reality television’ - not real life. While it may seem fun on the surface; just think about all of the tears and stresses and strains! It’s not flamed! You argue over contestants - If your loyalty lies with one of the Love Island contestants over your partner, you need to step back and evaluate things. Yes, you may think that Michael deserves more air-time, but is there really any point in arguing about it? You compare your own relationship to those on Love Island - Tommy told Lucie he would walk to the moon and back for her and he’s only known her two days, we’ve been together for two years, why don’t you say that to me? You keep having ‘chats’ about the status of your relationship - Ever noticed that most of Love Island involves a contestant saying, “can I have a chat?” and then they discuss their feelings and relationship level? Yes, there’s no need for that! When Love Island binge-watching gets more serious...
While we all enjoy watching the drama unfold on our screens, it is important to recognise how programmes like this can have an impact on mental health. Yes, we can have a laugh and a joke with our friends about how much they’re hooked on the show, yet it is important to recognise that shows like this can cause depression and anxiety among a lot of people. People become body conscious due to watching ‘perfect’ people on their screens every evening, and there are those who can question their relationship or become lonely. Love Island can also become an addiction. So, if you think someone needs help for addiction, as their binge-watching is impacting their relationship and their life in general, or you’re worried someone you love may be having suicidal thoughts because of the pressures a show like this can put on the young generation, don’t ignore it. Also, if you’re feeling this way yourself, it is important to recognise that help is available and no one from your personal circle needs to know about it if you don’t want them to. All you need to do is give us a call today and we will be there to help you. 
