159: Guy’s Guy Radio with Robert Manni and guest Bill McKenna

159: Guy’s Guy Radio with Robert Manni and guest Bill McKenna

How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober, calm and clear-headed in a hyper-digital age? This UK Health Radio edition of Guy’s Guy Radio with host Robert Manni and guest Bill McKenna, creator of Cogno Movement, looks at the surprising link between phone use, mood, cravings and mental wellbeing. Bill explains how Cogno Movement uses the nervous system, simple physical exercises and eye movements to shift stubborn emotional patterns, from food and alcohol cravings to anxiety and overwhelm.

He and Robert talk about modern phone habits that so many people recognise: lying in bed scrolling, staring down in airports and restaurants, and then wondering why they feel flat, stressed or disconnected. Drawing on public data and his own clinical experience, Bill argues that the real culprit may be constant downward eye gaze, not just social media content.

He notes that rates of depression and anxiety rise in step with daily phone use, and links this to how eye position activates specific areas of the brain associated with sadness and disconnection. As he puts it, “Your eyes are the joystick of your brain,” and where you look can reinforce either low mood or a more uplifted state. The conversation stays practical.

You’ll hear tips like holding your phone at eye level or slightly higher, raising your computer screen, and even using eye position to soften compulsive urges, whether that’s for sex, alcohol, sugary drinks or yet another doom-scroll. Bill walks Robert through a simple exercise to find his personal “love direction” – an eye position that instantly makes tough relationships and situations feel less irritating.

Anyone wrestling with phone addiction, emotional overwhelm or recurring cravings will find this a grounded, easy-going chat that offers simple experiments you can try straight away. Could changing where you look be a missing piece in your recovery toolkit?