The Best Ways To Reduce Your Phone Addiction

Almost 50% of people feel they have an addiction to their phone….here are ways to help

People report feeling anxious about being away from their phone, find themselves spending more and more time looking at the screen and see they are neglecting other things at work, school, and home. All of these are signs of a phone addiction. And with the new smart watches, the impulse to be constantly checking for updates can be overwhelming. But it is bad for mental health and for relationships.  Here are the best ways to reduce your phone addiction.

It is crazy how phone have become such an ingrained part of day to day life. Almost 47% of  admit being addicted to their phones. The average person checks their smartphone 352 times per day. Some 71% of people spend more time on their phone than with their romantic partner. Almost two-thirds of children spend four hours or more per day on their smartphones.

RELATED: This Natural Cannabinoid Makes You Feel Happy

This can have short and long term effects on relationships, work and mental health, so how did you break an ingrained habit?  Here are the best ways to reduce your phone addiction.

Acknowledge there needs to be a change

Recognizing the need to reduce the time on the phone is important. But also also realize you can’t quit totally and immediately. Stopping phone use for even a day could result in tons of anxiety, so try to take it slow at first, reducing your smartphone intake little by little.

Consider setting a timer every 15 or 20 minutes, allowing you to check all of your apps and then putting your phone face down somewhere in your line of sight. The phone in sight can reduce anxiety and, over time, you’ll feel less of a pressing need to check your phone constantly. It also gives time for the mind to develop new patterns of time use.

RELATED: The Best Hydrating Cocktails For A Hot Weekend

Make your phone less attractive

Phone are made to be attractive and enticing, but you can overcome their tricks with a few simple hacks. First, turn off non essential notifications including news, social media, etc. Next, change ring and text tones for essential connections and let others wait until you are ready.  If possible, you the do not disturb mode at key work or sleep hours.

Also, be respectful, when at a meal or with key people and put your phone away. This will allow you to have a different mental engagement.

One method to get you to encourage a change in checking your social media apps is creating folders for each app and putting them on the last page of your screen. This method will make your phone look clunky, but it’ll make these apps harder to access. Also, there is the option to delete social media apps and limit yourself to using the website version.

In addition, consider “old school” alarm clocks to avoid looking at your phone in bed. Keeping the phone from where you sleep is another way to reduce addiction and provide for a better sleep.

Develop other hobbies

Having another habits mean there is less time you’ll have to invest on social media or scrolling. Consider alternating phone use and watching a TV show, baking, physical activities, or a hobby which doesn’t require a phone. It won’t be easy at first, but you’ll feel great afterwards.

Calm your mind

Every time you get a notification from Facebook, Twitter, etc., your brain gets a dose of dopamine, which is why it’s so hard to stop. This endless loop of stimulus keeps your brain moving all the time, so it helps to try calming exercises such as meditation, yoga and routine workouts, which are all natural and more consistent sources of dopamine.