How togetrid of a smartphone addiction?

Have you ever thought about what causes addiction to a smartphone, and why we simply cannot live without gadgets? We check our phone dozens and hundreds of times every day. We can sit in it for hours. Play games, watch movies or just chat with friends. Yes, some people use gadgets for work or school. But most of them just waste their precious time on them. And this is good if you have started to understand the issue and want to know more information on how to get rid of smartphone addiction.

But I am sincerely sorry for those people who do not realize this problem. According to psychologists, addictions are often formed from the need to eliminate pain, rather than experience pleasure. This pain can be mental, physical, or a combination of both.

As a society, we struggle with ever-increasing levels of stress and depression. And when we try to calm ourselves down with social media. The relief provided by the smartphone is temporary and does not have much of a benefit to our mental health, but quite the opposite. Smartphone addiction is unnecessary stress. In addition, we spend our time, which could be invested in productive work to achieve our goals and improve the quality of life. That we have a smartphone. Here’s how you can tell if you are having an “unhealthy relationship” with this or not.

How to identify smartphone addiction

1. Stress and anxiety

You are constantly putting your mind and body under chronic stress because you are always thinking and worrying about something. You are ready to immediately respond to every notification and experience a special experience if you are waiting for a message or a call from someone. And if the gadget is discharged while you were doing something important, then this is even more stress. If you cannot use your smartphone, then you feel anxiety and anxiety that you will miss some message or notification.

2. Insomnia

You don’t sleep well at night. You find it difficult to turn off your phone even while you sleep. You get insomnia because your mind is overloaded with information. The bright light from your smartphone also disrupts the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes our body fall asleep.

3. Permanent smartphone check

Even if you know there are no new messages, emails, or notifications, you still check it. You can pick up your phone to go through another level in the game, scroll through the endless feed of posts on social networks, see new photos of your friends or some interesting video. You will find any reason to get your smartphone, just to pick it up and turn it on.

How to get rid of smartphone addiction

1. Keep your phone as far away from you as possible

If you don’t need it now, leave it in another room or put it in your bag. Give up the habit of keeping your phone near you or in your pocket. When you’re at home, turn off your smartphone or put it in silent mode. If you’ve finished your job and done everything, why would you keep your phone near you?

2. Turn off all notifications

Disabling all notifications is a must if you want to be attentive and do your job well. It is impossible to stay focused on a person or object if you continue to hear ringing and noises every few seconds. Research has shown that we cannot multitask. When we try to do this, it really takes us much longer to complete the tasks. Even when you are chatting with a person, keep your phone away. When you see a device on your desk, your brain starts thinking about social networks and messages that you haven’t checked in a long time.

3. Avoid the habit of checking social media. the network

It can be very difficult to force yourself not to check your social media. When you have the urge to test your smartphone, make a conscious effort to avoid it. After all, when you constantly check your feed on social networks, you develop a habit of doing it over and over again, even if there is nothing new or interesting there. So avoid this behavior. By making a conscious intention to stop yourself before picking up your smartphone.

4. Replace your habit

Instead of quitting your smartphone entirely, use the time you previously spent on social media researching useful information. Or if you can’t give up games, then play educational and more meaningful games. Download educational apps so you can read books or learn new skills. Instead of constantly flipping through your Instagram feed. By doing this, you will be doing rewarding activities that will make you free from smartphone addiction and you will start to feel much better.

5. Take a thirty day break

Set some goals for yourself. For example, do not check your social networks for thirty days. Do not play games, and only use your gadgets for their intended purpose. And after thirty days, gradually start returning only what you really need. If you do this, then over time you will notice that you will begin to lose taste for your bad habits. And at the same time, start developing good habits, such as: reading books, acquiring new skills, playing sports.

6. Plan your actions in advance

If you want to get rid of your smartphone addiction, it is important to anticipate when you will be more inclined to check it again. This can be waiting in line at a store or when you are traveling in a minibus, standing at a bus stop or anywhere else. Keep your phone in your backpack or wherever you find it most difficult to reach. Take a book with you so that you can grab your bag and pull it out instead of your smartphone. If you love using your phone to fill in the gaps in your conversation, then you should also kick this habit. Instead of getting your hands on your gadget, think about what question you can ask the person to make your conversation more productive. Planning your actions ahead of time can help you get rid of the temptation to check your smartphone. Finally, stop clicking “like”. Start using social networks and messengers only in order to establish interactions with people in the real world, and not replace it.

Work on your mental health

All our addictions are associated with psychological stress. So if you want to get rid of your smartphone addiction, surround yourself with people who love and support you. Spend time with them in person without relying on technology. If your loved ones live far away, chat with new people and don’t be afraid to make new acquaintances. If you lack confidence or feel shy when communicating, then start working on your self-esteem. When you have a strong network of people around you and you focus on living life to the fullest, your smartphone addiction will go away on its own.