Everyone uses their smartphone way too much. Here’s how you can stop.
Smartphone addiction may sound like an exaggeration, something that only bloggers and celebrities are affected by, but then you find yourself reaching for your phone subconsciously and you realize that your will isn’t as strong as you thought it was. It’s no one’s fault. Smartphones are designed to be as enticing as possible, begging for your attention even when their screens are off and there’s nothing going on.
Popular Science reports that the average smartphone user unlocks their phone 70 times a day, using it for a couple of minutes and then putting it away. The cycle repeats itself every 10 minutes, leaving us in an endless loop of phone-checking that makes us all look a little crazy.
Here are some tips that can help you quit your smartphone addiction.
Don’t quit all at once
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Quitting your phone for a couple of days straight may only result in tons of anxiety, so try to take it slow at first, reducing your smartphone intake little by little.
Popular Science recommends setting a timer every 15 minutes, allowing you to check all of your apps and then putting your phone face down somewhere in your line of sight. The fact that your phone is in front of your will reduce your anxiety and, over time, you’ll feel less of a pressing need to check your phone constantly.
Make your phone less attractive
Even though smartphone addiction goes beyond the fact that your phone beeps and it attracts your attention, make sure to turn off all of the notifications you can find.
Popular Science recommends a sort of extreme method to get you to grow bored of checking your social media apps by 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. You can also delete your social media apps and limit yourself to using the website version.
Develop other hobbies
The busier you are, the less time you’ll have to invest on social media, so try to let go of your phone and watch a TV show, bake a cake, do a sport, all without checking you phone. It won’t be easy, but you’ll feel great afterwards.
Calm your mind
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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.
Use the physical version of useful apps
Just because you’re trying to use your phone less doesn’t mean your life has to get messy. Instead of keeping notes in your phone, carry around a physical notebook and use a physical calendar. Same goes if you purchase an alarm clock, which might even keep you from scrolling in bed.
