Do you find yourself checking your cell phones all day? From the time to wake up to when youโre stuck in traffic, to watching a movie or out with friends. The serious question is do you suffer from cell phone addiction?
Do you find yourself constantly checking for updates, news, and messages even when there are none? Do you notice yourself answering phone calls all the time?
8 Ways to Curb Your Phone Addiction
Congratulations, you might be addicted to that pocket-size electronic gadget and the chances are that you know the fact very well, but are unable to do anything about it. So, we have compiled some tips to curb your addiction:
1. No Checking Your Phone for The First 30 Minutes of The Day
Logging on to see what happened all night the minute you wake up to a terrible start to the day and likely to depress you if anything bad happened.
So, for the first 30 minutes of the day, try to stay away from its magnetic pull. Dedicate the beginning to being active, having a healthy breakfast, and reading the newspaper.
2. Turn It Off in The Car
When the traffic signal turns red with 120 seconds to go before it blinks amber โ donโt deny it โ we know youโre pulling your phone out for a quick check into the world or a scan through for messages.
Not only is this dangerous, it could lead to suspension of the license if youโre caught, but itโs highly unhealthy to be so attached. So, switch it off before you step into the driverโs seat.
3. Create No-Phone Zones
In your routine, inculcating some hours when looking through a phone is a strict no-no. It could be during meals or the time which you devote to work/study.
It could be the time before bed or the time in the evening when you sit down with the family. Try not to fiddle with your phone when relatives are over though you may find them immensely boring.
4. Interact
When youโre around people, donโt use the virtual world to escape from human interaction. Talk or listen but do not indulge in your phone. Be in the present moment rather than checking your phone for the notification on your Facebook app or Instagram app and start mindless scrolling.
Not only is it rude and makes you seem standoffish and unapproachable, but it also implants a bad image on their minds as you ignore them for a gadget.
So, when youโre out with friends or having dinner with someone, do not keep looking through your phone every two minutes.
Put your cell phone in a kitchen cupboard at the end of the day for a simple and proven approach to keep living in a healthy balance.
Leave your phone in a box or cabinet when you conclude your workday. This is a beneficial habit for everyone, but we believe it is more crucial if you have children or a spouse at home who want our entire attention.
5. No Phone Before Bed
Do not lose sleep over your phone. Try to finish off all your calls and work at least an hour before bedtime and do not stay up with that cell phone on the bed. Not only is the radiation emitted from it going to hamper your sleep but it will lead you to feel groggy in the morning.
Want to know how to discourage your kids or yourself from spending too much time on their phones? Allow yourself to charge your cell phone in their bedrooms only.
Want to discover a terrific technique to stay off your cell phone? It should not be charged in your bedroom.
Many of the negative impacts of cell phone misuse (bad sleep, hampered communication, and intimacy) may be avoided by simply keeping your phone out of your bedroom. This is a philosophy that, like many others on this list, has shown to be beneficial to me.
6. Schedule One Day per Week
This is by far the most typical method we find among those who have taken deliberate measures to reduce their cell phone use nowadays.
But Tammy Strobel was the first person we heard mention it almost 10 years ago. Set aside your phone on one day every week (typically a Saturday or Sunday). Thatโs all there is to it; make it a habit.
7. Modify Your Phone Settings
You may find tips and techniques for decreasing smartphone usage by simply adjusting the settings on your phone, which is one of the most frequently advised strategies for reducing cell phone usage.
Keep only the apps you need on the home screen, which will help you to use your phone for less time. It is also the best way to curb your cell addiction.
Set limits with the following, most often proposed ideas to break your cell phone habit:
- Disable notifications
- Make the screen black and white
- Remove most distracting apps
- Make your passcode longer
- Use the airplane mode
- Disable โdo not disturbโ
- Deleting social media apps
Follow the above tips to curb your smartphone use (smartphone addiction). Turning off alerts is something we believe everyone should do, regardless of how frequently they use their cell phone, and break this addictive behavior.
Just because someone wishes to contact you, mail you, or tag you in social media apps does not imply they deserve your interest.
8. Reset Your Use with A 30-Day Experiment
This has been the most effective method for me in breaking my cell phone dependency. When not actively curtailed, my cell phone use tends to consume an increasing amount of my leisure time.
It happens unintentionally and silently, and we donโt seem to notice it. Although it may seem like just passing time before sleep it is tremendously bad for your mental health.
FAQs
1. How Long Can You Spend on Your Phone Before Being Labeled a Technology Addict?
It all depends on the screen time. Many people do practically all of their work on their phones. For example, some people must use my phone for at least 7โ8 hours every day since we have courses to attend, research to do, and other online internships to complete if any.
However, if you donโt have anything linked to your profession, try to utilize it as little as possible. Because that is similar to an addiction.
If you keep doing or viewing activities that have no consequence, or simply browsing through Facebook and Instagram, which are both pointless, you should stop immediately.
2. Is Teen Smartphone Addiction a Major Mental Health Problem?
Adolescentsโ mental health suffers as a result of cell phone use, and they appear nervous, unhappy, and furious, and some even attempt themselves.
In this day and age, the suicide rate is on the rise. They claim that teenagers use cell phones at night, which causes them to sleep. Insomnia, in turn, leads to despair, anxiety, and depression.
According to one study, one of the numerous applications for iOS and Android built to track phone use, people spend an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes each day on their phones, with the top 20% of smartphone users spending over 4 1/2 hours.
3. Is Smartphone Addiction a Disorder?
Smartphone addiction, often known as โnomophobiaโ (fear of being without a mobile phone), is frequently driven by an Internet misuse problem or Internet addiction disorder.
According to research submitted in the journal Addictive Behaviors, grey matter regions in the brain exhibited alterations in size and form in those with social media addiction. Grey matter governs emotions, speech, vision, hearing, memory, and self-control. We hope you find the article useful with some easy ways to put your phone away and build better offline social connection and enjoy the time you spend with your loved ones.
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-Edited by Steffy Michael|18/6/22
Last Updated on by Laveleena Sharma
