Let’s face the truth, we are all addicted to social media and the internet! Can you remember when was the last time you didn’t go to the internet or one of your social media profiles a whole day? I’m sure you can’t! Well, it’s not easy to live one day without the internet, because most of you probably has to work with it every day. It’s not easy to live only one day without our smartphone, is it? Whenever we forget it at home, we kind of panic, we become anxious. We have become enslaved to our phones, and it’s tough for us to regain control. That’s the truth! It’s crazy how tempting it is to resort to your phone when the silence gets thick, the conversation lulls, or you get a notification on your phone you can’t / don’t want to ignore. Maybe we’re a little bit too addicted. That’s why we should learn how to break this digital addiction, to regain control. Here’s how:
How to break your digital addiction
Well, the following tips are not the one and only solution how to regain control. They won’t tell you how to live without social media and all the stuff. These tips will help you to reduce the usage to a minimum and that’ll help you not only to feel better, but also to regain at least a little bit of control.
Lay down clear rules!
You should lay down clear rules when and when not to use your phone. E.g. no phone when you’re with your family or no phones on the table. Do you really need your phone while you’re eating? And do you really need your phone when you see your beloved ones? To make sure not to break down, you should leave your phone in your bag or somewhere NOT close to you. Because you know you’ll look down as soon as the screen lights up. 😉 Out of sight, out of mind!
Stop always being available 24/7
Having a smartphone in the pocket or bag lets us be available no matter where we are or what time it is. But guess what? We don’t have to! You don’t have to answer every single call that comes in when it comes in; you don’t have to answer every message or mail right after you received it. Most things can wait, so take this time for yourself, especially on the weekend!
Have a digital detox day
When nothing helps, and you don’t feel like it’s getting any better with your digital addiction, have a digital detox day. Lock your phone away, go out without having your phone with you and do other things instead. Don’t even look at your computer! A digital detox day means no phones, no other devices and no computer! To make sure, you’ll actually take a day off, you should schedule the time. It will be strange, and you might feel helpless from time to time, but trust me, you’ll feel better after that one digital detox day.
Break your digital addiction to become a little more present, enjoy time with your beloved ones and do all the things you haven’t done in a while. What experiences do you have with digital addiction? What helps you to regain control?
