Smartphones have become very handy. They can assist us with whatever we want to do hence, making it very easy for us to get addicted to them without even knowing.
To overcome smartphone addiction, you must maintain a certain level of discipline and consistency in the methods I am going to share with you.
How To Overcome Smartphone Addiction
1. You should try having periodical “smartphone-use-breaks.” Give yourself time off without your phone. Try doing this during your leisure. Instead of checking the latest updates, take a walk, go out for a drink with some colleagues (without your smartphone) or read a book. Make sure you don’t have any urgent appointments. Gradually, this method will help you out of nomophobia.
2. Honestly, you don’t need to check your phone at every given point in time. You can set specific times to check your messages and reply to emails. For a start, every 3 hours should be okay. Within those hours, just don’t touch your phone unless there’s an urgent call.
3. Furthermore, designating activities forbidding phone usage can go a long way to help you. For instance, you can decide not to use your phone when driving, eating or using the washroom.
4. Be careful not to download so many apps. One cause of smartphone addiction is the availability of a lot of apps on your smartphone. Once you have many apps (especially social and news apps), you will receive a notification at every point in time, and these notifications will trigger the desire to use it every time.
5. If you’re talking to someone, don’t answer your phone. Unless you are expecting an urgent call, there is no need to engage in a virtual interaction when someone is trying to get your attention right in front of you; this may affect your relationships.
6. Finding a new hobby can also help you to overcome smartphone addiction. You usually spend lots of hours on your phone when you are idle. Consider engaging in more productive hobbies that will take your attention away from your smartphone.
7. If you find yourself using your phone during the night, you should know that you are losing precious sleep time. If you find yourself doing this, I would advise that you turn your phone off before you sleep in order not to get your sleep interrupted by the buzz of notifications.
8. What do you do during the first 30 minutes of the day? If you use the first moments of your day to check your phone, reply to messages and check your notifications, you are addicted. Immediately you wake up, freshen up, spend some few minutes meditating and set yourself up for a good day ahead. Don’t spend those precious moments with your phone.
9. Concentrate on your work/studies; don’t be destructed by your phone. Instead of putting your phone beside you when studying/working, keep it away or better still put it off until you finish that assignment. This will help you be more productive unless your work requires you to be with your phone every time.
10. Seek professional help from any certified psychologist for long-lasting solutions.
Smartphone addiction can cause you to lose meaningful relationships; hence, getting rid of it is very necessary.
Every addiction story is unique. As an outpatient rehab in Nampa, Ashwood Recovery offers a completely individualized recovery plan that is catered to your specific addiction, background, and mental health needs.
