Overcoming Smartphone addiction
When I told my friend to have self-control to quit alcohol, little did I know that it is easy to say but tough to follow. Everyone feels like a Guru while giving suggestions, but following them is another story.
I tried several times to get rid of my smartphone addiction, but it was not at all easy. I used to use a feature phone for a few days and then used to go back to the smartphone. Having a smartphone is comfortable and makes so many things easier. But checking it multiple times throughout the travel, in the temple, in the party, while working, and while listening to mom is not at all right and will make you feel like a slave to it. But living without a phone is not an option for many, mainly because it keeps our loved ones tension-free. But if anything makes you feel miserable, you should do something about it.
Once I spent a few days without a phone, and for a few days, I had a feature phone only to give up on the goal after a while. In the process, I found some hindrances for de-addiction and the best way to overcome them.
- Assessing the need:-
In my childhood, we used to write letters to our cousins. That was in inland letters. Many times, there was so much to tell but so little space. Letters in the last lines were like ants, a bit difficult to read. Sometimes, we used to send two letters to the same person as there was so much to tell. Now, I speak with my besties for hours and hours and most of the conversation goes like 'inka?'(What else?)... 'nuve cheppali' (you say, I'll listen). That's because every update of life will be immediately shared on call or through messages. So, the other calls contain lots of inka.. nuve cheppali. LOL :D
How beautiful it would be to fix a day in a week to meet and chat if possible offline or else online. That'll be so refreshing.
And also assessing other needs will help. For example, I use my phone so much for ordering food and to book auto & cab. Setting alternatives will reduce dependence on the phone. We can do those things using laptop also. To take notes, keeping a small book and pen with you helps a lot. Tell your family when you'll come back in the evening, and inform them from your office phone if you go late.
My friend, who is addicted to alcohol always says that drinking helps in forgetting the harsh reality of life for a while. And I read somewhere that we use our phones too much to escape from reality. Stark similarity. Isn't it? I think many addictions work the same way.
Questioning ourselves why are we going to it, and doing something about it helps a lot rather than just trying to quit. The tasks we have to finish, the problems we have to solve sometimes overwhelms us, and then we just do something to get them off our mind. And that too we go for the thing that is easily accessible. So, that brings us to the next thing that we need to work on.
- Availability:-
In my childhood, we haven't seen wine shops much. But now there are so many wine shops, maybe because the government earns from it well. Too much availability is turning so many youngsters into alcohol addicts. What you can do is to not store it at your place. If you see it, it's difficult to resist.
We carry our phones all the time. If it is in your hand all the time, you keep checking it. Switching off the notifications helps, but what if you feel like opening Whatsapp thinking that you got a message but not notification?
If it is ok at your work, downgrading to feature phone helps a lot. You can always check your work emails on your laptop. If you check them on the laptop, you'll mostly close it after a while, unlike the smartphone, in which you check other apps. And it's quite difficult to use the laptop on city buses and while walking.
If you can, ditching phone altogether for a few days a week also helps you in your goal of de-addiction. Then, you will not stare at the screen when you are sad or just bored. You'll go for the next available things. Make sure they are good ones.
- Transfer:-
In the process of de-addiction, you'll feel so much void. The void created by the absence of your addiction. At first, we think of filling this void with many things. But that may not work for all. For me, what worked is transferring the obsession to something else at least for the initial months. What's the thing that you like so much but haven't concentrated on it due to lack of time. It may be a musical instrument or cooking or any other skill that you are fond of.
Whenever you have free time and you feel like going back, divert your mind towards your new obsession, something which you already like. Choose only one obsession, otherwise confused mind is more likely to go for the old addictions.
- One day a week for your addicted soul:-
Giving up your addiction completely at once may backfire. At one point of time, you'll feel like 'till when?' and then you tend to go back. So, assigning a day in a week to use phone and to check messages and all the other apps will give you clarity on your goal. And then after a few weeks, you may not use your phone much even on the allotted day, because by then you've developed a system of alternatives in your daily routine. You'll most likely to follow it even on that day. And then if you want to get rid of the phone altogether, you can do it easily.
For now, I use my phone only on one day a week, and I do want to live without a phone in future. We can always use a landline to be in touch with friends. Moreover, landline doesn't give you anxiety.
Comments
Post a Comment