Baskadia

Humans are adaptive. Civilization has existed for many

centuries without relying on phones. For the younger

generations, this may seem impossible to imagine, but it is

true.

Human minds were not intended to and not evolved for

excessive device usage. There is simply too much stimulus for a

person to handle nowadays. There is nothing to be ashamed of

if you are experiencing phone addiction, or if someone you love

is.

This information may seem unsettling, but there is a bright

side.

While addictions are tough to overcome and those amid such a

struggle may feel hopeless, addictions can be defeated.

Addictions are created and maintained by a series of toxic,

repetitive habits and behaviors. Through actively

understanding the nature of phone addiction, one can break

their addictive phone-use cycle and increase their mental

health.

If you take the time to learn about what unconscious habits are

creating addictive behavior, then you can change your habits,

and thus change your behavior. This may seem very challenging

at first, as it can seem for any addiction. Change is frightening

and the first few days will be extremely difficult if someone is

severely addicted to their phone.

It is something that has become so ingrained in society that it

feels hard to fathom how you can function in society without

checking your phone every minute of the day. However, it is

possible, and so many people have broken free from the hold

of addictive devices. Proper research and intentional

precautions can help a person heal from such compulsion.

Set aside one day a week to put your phone away

One way to start easing your way into the de-toxification

process is by setting aside one day a week to put your phone

away. This may seem hard initially, but the old saying is true -

“out of sight, out of mind.” You have to become comfortable

with not being around and not having access to your phone.

You have to sit with the feeling of being uncomfortable that

this distance from your device may make you feel. You have to acknowledge how anxious you are without your

device. In fact, this anxiety is more than likely exactly why you

feel the need to continuously and compulsively be on your

phone. What is more ironic about this truth is that your

dependence on your device is exactly why you feel so anxious!

It is a dangerous feedback loop of feeling uncomfortable,

turning to a certain behavior for relief, relying on the

temporary relief through repetitive action, and then losing the

ability to regulate without said behavior. It is possible! Start

small. Put your phone in a drawer, somewhere out of sight.

Maybe do this on a day where you don’t need to check work

emails or other activities that you would be required to

perform for others. Let your friends, family, and colleagues

know that you will not be answering them for non-emergencies

on that specific day. Find other ways to distract yourself than

just using your phone all day.

Your phone might be useful for socializing, but you will not miss

out on anything for just one single day. Perhaps even schedule

an event or a get-together on this day so that you will have

more support and not feel lonely without your phone. It will be

difficult to feel like you are missing out on something if you are already in the middle of enjoying the company of people you

love.

Focus on a hobby that interests you, or that you have not done

in a while. Read a book, rest your eyes, cook a familiar meal,

and live your life differently, even if for one day.

Turn on “do not disturb” while working, spending

time with loved ones, or going to sleep

Another simple way to being working on decreasing your

phone time is by utilizing the “do not disturb” function on your

phone. This is a great option for people who are too

uncomfortable with the idea of completely setting aside their

devices but still want to address their nomophobia.

Consider the number of times you might check your phone

unnecessarily while you are in the middle of something, all

because you received a notification. The sound triggers you to

check what activity has just happened, and then you are drawn

into the rabbit hole of all the other options available on your

phone.

Maybe someone tags you on a Facebook post, or sends you a

funny picture on WhatsApp - these are not urgent, time-sensitive messages; these are not notifications of an emergency

event, or a weather disaster, or anything of the like. However,

when you hear the notification sound, your addicted brain

perceives every single notification as an emergency and puts

your body on high alert. To ease the feeling, you compulsively

check the phone.

If you simply put your phone on “do not disturb” mode while

you are at work, you will be less tempted to spend your

downtime scrolling through social media. If you are spending

time with loved ones, putting your phone on “do not disturb” is

actually a display of love - love for yourself, and also love for

them, because you are demonstrating that their company is

more important than a quick thrill from a useless meme.

You may have also noticed the “do not disturb” button is also

sometimes referred to as “sleep mode.” This is not for no

reason! If you are trying to go to sleep, it will be much easier to

rest your mind if you are not receiving notifications. This will

prevent you from being tempted into staring at a bright screen

and catching up on celebrity drama until three in the morning

(because let’s face it, many people are guilty of doing this

before bed at least once in their lives!)