Is digital detox calling your name?
Despite TikTok’s resurgence, serial scrollers (some of whom may even be addicted to the social app) may still want to take a break from consuming media incessantly.
Estimation 210 million people People suffer from social media addiction, which can cause mood swings, disrupted sleep, neglect of responsibilities, need for approval, lack of hobbies, and more.
For example, people who are addicted to TikTok say they can’t live without it, but also obsessively check the social media platform to see the number of likes and views, or Some people spend most of their time staring at a screen.
“Many apps work to maximize our engagement and engage systems in our brains that encourage us to do things over and over again until they become a habit,” said Erin Calipari, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research. , designed using knowledge gained from psychological research.” Yahoo News.
But how do you break this innate habit?
First, Chiarai Prewitt, director of outpatient psychology at the Cleveland Clinic, told the magazine that the first step is to set goals.
“It’s important to have specific goals for how you want to reduce your cell phone use,” she said.
According to Yahoo News, this can be for a variety of reasons, such as not wanting to use your phone after work or setting a certain number of hours allowed on weekends. It also helps to have someone to hold you accountable, she added.
Prewitt explained that it might not be a screen, but a specific app or group of apps.
When she detoxed from her devices, she simply logged out of her social media accounts on her phone. As a result, she was not tempted to launch the app because she was “not alerted” and had to go out of her way to see a particular post.
On the Apple iPhone, users can limit usage time in certain app settings or set their phone to “Do Not Disturb” to avoid annoying notifications without logging out completely.
Prewitt also advised people to “limit how much you get drawn into.” He recommended using one app at a time before trying new apps because “new apps and more are coming out all the time.”
If all else fails, you can treat your cell phone just like a landline. Instead of being tempted throughout the day, keep it in a certain room of your house and only use it at certain times.
Neda Gould, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, told Yahoo News that leaving your phone in a separate room at night “creates that space away from your phone.” “It’s an easy way to get started.”
“Otherwise, it will be the last thing we use before we go to bed and the first thing we pick up in the morning,” she warned. “Just stepping away from your phone can help you detox from it.” [and] Take some space from there. ”
Because clinging to our phones is “so habitual for us that we don’t even realize we’re constantly connected,” he advised people to intentionally start doing daily activities that can be done without a phone.
While safety should always be considered, there are some outings and activities that can be done without a cell phone, she said. For her, this means picking up her kids from school.
Gould said people need to break out of “this automaticity of doing things with a sense of urgency.”
“When you get an email saying you have to do something else, I think the question to ask is, ‘Does this have to be done right away?'” she says. “If not, maybe you have some time in your day.” [for] I’ll work on things around the house. ”
“Digital detox may be difficult to do at first because you’ll be breaking some patterns, but with practice it can become more tolerable and maybe even enjoyable. ”
