The word I use for the anxious lifestyle of social media addiction we have in current times is “Hyperlinked”. It means what it says. “Hyper” meaning excessive and “linked” meaning connected. It is super easy to connect with people virtually now. Connecting over the phone, video calls, texts and social media are what is keeping the community feeling alive. But how much is too much? What is the point when we will learn to turn off the notifications on our phones?

#1 TACKLE THE APPS YOU USE

Uninstall the unnecessary apps you have. Turn off all notifications from apps that are distracting. On my phone, I have notifications coming from only a medication reminder and no other apps. The hyperlinking attitude makes us want to check on every notification. When you get used to reacting to notifications, you tend to yearn for it too. Have you noticed how people keep checking their phones even when it does not ping. Fidgeting or craving for the bell sound has become very common. It is taking away our control over our lives.

#2 DO NOT TAKE DEVICES TO BED

This is a great way to avoid the impacts of devices on your sleep. Experts have found that the blue light from the phone gives a signal to the brain that this is still daytime. Even though consciously we know that it is night, the blue light sub-consciously makes us conclude that this is the day. This makes our biological cycle go crazy. The brain starts wandering and thinking of things to do, more videos to watch, look for something to eat, etc. Basically, do all the things that you do in the day.

#3 CREATE A JUNK FOLDER IN PHONE

If you are someone who cannot visualize yourself being without apps and notifications, try this. Move your energy-draining, binge-inducing and distracting apps to a folder called “Junk“. If you want to be a bit more daring, name it “Makes me anxious“, “distracts me”, “energy drainers” or “Garbage” folder. Every time to open an app from this folder, it will be a reminder to ask yourself, are you really getting any use out of it? Are there better ways to entertain yourself than aching your neck staring at a phone?

#4 FOR THE SAKE OF WHAT

A clear purpose for use of each social media app is important. When I was a kid, I always heard that TV is an idiot box. TV was made into a villain because most children and even adults wasted all the leisure time watching TV. If entertainment is your reason, think moderation. Amusing yourself does not have to be passive staring at a screen. There can be many simple activities that don’t involve staring at a device – Walking in nature, listening to music, reading, mild workouts, dancing, cooking or talking to family. If you find a specific purpose for using social media, stick to that purpose and disable other features or notifications in the app to prevent those prompts.

#5 ALTERNATIVE ALARM

A great solution I have personally employed to avoid using the phone in the mornings is, set an alarm on my watch. I wear my fitness tracker watch to bed, which buzzes when it is time to wake up. Simple, hassle-free. Doesn’t need a phone. Picking up a phone to turn off the alarm means inviting the urge to address notifications in the morning. Diving into the phone the first thing in the morning gives a bad and anxiety-inducing start to the day. Especially if you have those news reporting apps enabled. Just like the alarm, think of any other alternate habits instead of using the phone. The traditional alarm can be one solution too. But think of other aspects like – read from books instead of phone kindle, play outdoors instead of phone games, play music on Alexa or music player instead of a phone, etc. You get the idea.

Hope this article gave you some hints to cut down on mobile and social media addiction. Please comment to share what you do.