5 Tips For Breaking An Addiction to Social Media and Your Phone
There’s no question that social media has become an integral part of our lives as a society. According to the University of Maine, there are 4.8 billion social media users across the globe, which makes up nearly 60% of the world’s population.
Social media can be a great thing. It allows you to stay in touch with friends and family. It gives people a glimpse into your life and can be an easy way to keep up with your favorite businesses. If you play your cards right, you can make money on social media by reaching “influencer” status.
Spending some time on social media each day isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But, because it’s so powerful and prominent, your social media use can quickly turn into an addiction. If you feel like you can’t live without it and you spend more time scrolling than not, it’s time to start thinking about what you can do to break the addiction and turn to healthier digital habits. I personally knew things got out of hand when I saw men scrolling on their phones while using the urinals at professional sporting events!
Let’s cover a few tips you can put into practice right away to break your addiction to social media and ultimately have better sanitation at the Ravens game.
1. Perform a Digital Detox
Sometimes, the best way to break free from an addiction is to go “cold turkey.” When your addiction is to social media, that means letting go of your digital devices for a while.
Consider putting your phone away for an entire weekend. Or, leave it at home when you work in the morning.
If you need to be on a phone or computer for work or to check in on your family, that’s okay. But consider temporarily deleting your social media apps. You might be surprised by how much better you feel after just a few days away.
2. Turn Off Alerts
Even if you can’t wholly be away from your digital devices, your social media platforms will be much less tempting when you aren’t constantly hearing the sounds of notifications.
Turn off all notifications that come from social media apps. You won’t feel the urge to look at your phone every time something comes through, and you can focus more on spending specific times of the day on the platforms rather than scrolling most of the day.
3. Give Yourself Time
If you don’t want to completely “give up” social media, consider setting a timer for how long you can spend on it. Try starting with 30 minutes daily to look through your social media apps. It might seem like it goes by quickly at first. But you’ll get used to it and use your time on social media more effectively and efficiently.
4. Find Things to Do Offline
Many people use the excuse of scrolling through social media out of boredom. If you tend to look at your apps when there’s nothing else to do, and you end up losing hours of your time, consider some other interests.
Start a new hobby. Take a class. Get a group of friends together and do something new and exciting in your community. By finding something you enjoy doing offline, you’re less likely to turn to social media when bored.
5. Interact With People in Person
In addition to spending more time offline, it’s just as important to interact with people away from digital platforms, too.
It’s straightforward to wish someone a happy birthday on Facebook. But it can be far more rewarding to call them or suggest meeting in person for a coffee. The more you start interacting with people in the real world, the less alluring social media becomes.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with spending some time on social media. But when you notice that it’s starting to take over your life in an unhealthy way, it’s time to step back and break free from addiction. Try using some of these tips to jumpstart your freedom.
Reach out to learn more about anxiety treatment or addiction counseling.