Do you find yourself staring at your smartphone for hours at night? Do you check your phone constantly throughout the day? Or has your addiction to your phone reached the point where you check your phone first thing in the morning and last thing at night?
You are not alone if you are struggling with smartphone addiction. Recent scientific research suggests that more than 60% of Americans are addicted to mobile devices.
Mobile phone addiction can be highly destructive to your health. For starters, it is unhealthy for your sleep and emotional state. It can even lead to depression. Fortunately, you can take specific steps to overcome your mobile phone addiction.
Seven foolproof ways to conquer your smartphone addiction include:
1. Set your phone aside for one day each week. By making one “No Phone” day per week, you can cut down on your screen time and give yourself a break from your smartphone.
* Setting aside a day is a common approach to curb other addictions such as alcoholism and drug addictions. Giving yourself a day each week to rest from your cell phone can work wonders!
2. Write a contract about phone use. Many of us use our phones as a crutch to cope with boredom, loneliness, and social anxiety. However, the damaging effects on our mental health are enormous. Using your phone excessively can lead to stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation.
* As time goes on, it can become a vicious cycle that results in depression and other mental health issues. Writing a contract can go a long way toward helping you overcome your mobile phone addiction. The contract you draft can include rules and rewards for your phone use.
* For example, you can develop rules such as “No phone after 8 pm” or “No phone during meals.” You can also draft rewards for following through with your contract, such as “watch your favorite movie” or “play your favorite game.”
* Writing a phone contract can help hold you accountable.
3. SIlence your notifications. Many people check their phones all the time for messages, updates, and the like. These constant notifications can make it harder for you to focus on your work.
* Many people do not have the willpower to set down their phones, so turning off notifications can be a significant first step in your battle against mobile phone addiction.
4. Put your phone in a different room. Putting your phone in a separate room can make ignoring it easier. At first, you may feel the urge to check your phone, but over time, this habit will slowly fade.
* The best time to try this is when you’re going to bed. Having the phone in a different room ensures you use your phone when you should be sleeping. Set a timer if you need to use your phone while you’re working. That way, it doesn’t distract you for more than a few minutes at a time.
5. Set alarms that specify when you can use your phone. If you tend to use your phone out of boredom or pass the time while waiting for something, you can set an alarm that tells when you can use your device.
* For example, you can create an alarm for thirty minutes after you get home from work that tells you you can start using your phone again. That will help you avoid excessive phone use during those dull periods of your life and keep you focused on the present.
6. Try a 30-day phone weaning experiment. One solution many people opt for is putting their cell phones away for a day, a week, or even a month and seeing how they handle it.
* While this may seem like an extreme step for some, it can help if you consider yourself “addicted” to your cell phone and find that your phone use interferes with your daily life.
7. Turn it off while driving. Turning off your cell phone while driving is essential if you don’t want to be pulled over by the police for distracted driving ” plus, it can also help keep you focused on the road and avoid accidents.
Phone addiction is something that most people experience at one point or another. However, it can become a problem if your obsession causes you to neglect your responsibilities or your loved ones. Use these steps to help curb your addiction and become more present in your life.
