5 Tips to Overcome Mobile Addiction

What is the first thing that you do after waking up in the morning? You check your Phone! Getting addicted to Mobile Phone is common for people nowadays, but there are several disadvantages of Digital addiction, be it with Mobile Phones, Computers, Laptops or other Gadgets.

But, is there any way to control this addiction?

There surely is!

Let’s check out and understand the 5 tips to manage temptations of technology!

Mobile Addiction & Brain Chemistry: Dopamine

Using gadgets and being addicted to digital technology and gadgets is also associated with Brain Chemistry. There is a chemical in our body that’s dopamine which causes us to search, seek and desire. How does it get stimulated? Through a post on Facebook and the likes that it gets! Every time, your post gets rewarded with a ‘Like’ or ‘Share’ the Dopamine Level in in your brain goes up, feeding the excitement.

This unique reward system based on Brain Chemical Dopamine ensures that we get addicted to platforms like Facebook and Twitter and constantly keep checking our Mobile Phones, Laptops and other gadgets.

How to get over Mobile Addiction / Digital Addiction?

Like any other addiction, getting away from Facebook and Twitter is a tough task. But it isn’t impossible. Let’s check out five simple steps that will help you stay away from your Mobile Phones and other electronic gadgets and social media easily.

Step 1: Go Offline

The easiest way to stay away from Mobile Phones or from Social Media Platforms is to turn your gadgets offs. Whenever you are doing something important, switch-off your mobile phone, and put it on silent, turn the notifications off.  Doing so will kill the urge to reach for your mobile phone every time the notification light pops up. Going offline will help you to keep all the distractions at bay while also assisting you to concentrate better on your work.

Step 2: Get Out Of Home

When was the last time you stepped out of your house without a Mobile Phone? Today, the mobile addiction has gone to such lengths that people end up staring at stars or looking a beautiful sunset through their mobile phone. So, to avoid this, next time you step out of your house, leave your phone behind. Just go out with the sole intention to focus on yourself and the people around you. Go for a walk, out for a run, breathe in the fresh air, meet new people, talk to your neighbours. Getting out of your home without your mobile will not only help you overcome your mobile addiction but it will also help you to pursue your hobbies and interests.

Step 3: Allow Yourself Some Online Time

Cutting yourself completely off from Mobile phones, Laptops and other electronic gadgets immediately may go against your goal of overcoming mobile addiction. Because just like other addictions, if you stay offline all-day the urge to come back and use mobile phones or access Facebook again, multiplies exponentially. To avoid this, don’t stop using the mobile phone completely. Instead, Allow Yourself Some Online Time!

There is a highly effective function on your mobile phones called ‘the Timer’, set it for ten minutes and only use your mobile phone during that time. During these 10 minutes use whatever you want; check your emails, go on your Facebook or access Twitter. But at the end of set time, get back to your work. This will help you curb the time you spend using your Mobile Phone.

Step 4: Do A RealityCheck.

The fourth step in the process of overcoming Mobile Addiction is about doing a reality check about the time you use Mobile Phone. The reality check is about assessing the worth of using mobile phone and the value it adds to your life. There might be a few cases in which using mobile phone might help you, but over using or using it for extend time may not. Therefore, do a thorough reality check and understand if it is it really worth spending that time, energy and money that you spend on social media. Give it a thought!

Step 5: Turn Your Determination into Action

No matter how much you plan or how strong your will-power is, you will not be able to accomplish anything until you turn your determination into action. The final step in this list of tips to overcome mobile addiction is about this.

To overcome mobile addiction, put your thoughts into actions. None of the above mentioned steps will work if you don’t work on them. Train your brain to restrict mobile usage. Build affirmations to only use the mobile phone for next 10 minutes and stay true to them and get back to your work as soon as the time set by you gets over.

Taking action is the only sure shot way of managing your temptations of technology, be it mobile addiction, laptops or any other gadgets.

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About the Expert

Rajat Soni is a Teen Life Coach, a motivational speaker and the founder of RajatSoni International, an organization catering to the overall personal development of teenagers. He helps teens and pre-teens overcome shyness, social anxiety, learning difficulties and any other factors that may be stopping them from achieving their full potential.