Dont Lose Sleep Over It
If you find yourself up late at night playing on your phone, whether it is video games, Facebook, or text messaging, you are losing precious sleep over your addiction. The moment you stop putting energy into caring for your basic needs and pour your time and energy into your phone, you are allowing the phone to dictate your health and well-being. If you catch yourself in this scenario, my advice is to power off your phone an hour before bed time to ensure that your last hour is spent in a meaningful way, and that you get to bed on time to start the next day afresh. Your phone is just not worth losing sleep over.
Now its your turn. Do you find yourself in one of these scenarios? Whats your plan of action to ensure that your phone isnt dictating your life? Please share in the comments below, and lets inspire each other to live healthier, happier, more meaningful lives by not caving into a phone addiction.
If you make your own coffee in the morning, chances are youre only making the same boring kind everyday. Now its time to put an end to the cynical habit and turn you into an instant coffee connoisseur.
For those who dont know, there are officially 38 different ways to make coffee. All, except decaffeinated versions will give you the same buzz that can either make you extremely productive or give you anxiety.
The only difference here is taste. And when it comes to coffee, taste matters. A lot.
Causes And Effects Of Smartphone And Internet Addiction
While you can experience impulse-control problems with a laptop or desktop computer, the size and convenience of smartphones and tablets means that we can take them just about anywhere and gratify our compulsions at any time. In fact, most of us are rarely ever more than five feet from our smartphones. Like the use of drugs and alcohol, they can trigger the release of the brain chemical dopamine and alter your mood. You can also rapidly build up tolerance so that it takes more and more time in front of these screens to derive the same pleasurable reward.
Heavy smartphone use can often be symptomatic of other underlying problems, such as stress, anxiety, depression, or loneliness. At the same time, it can also exacerbate these problems. If you use your smartphone as a security blanket to relieve feelings of anxiety, loneliness, or awkwardness in social situations, for example, youll succeed only in cutting yourself off further from people around you. Staring at your phone will deny you the face-to-face interactions that can help to meaningfully connect you to others, alleviate anxiety, and boost your mood. In other words, the remedy youre choosing for your anxiety , is actually making your anxiety worse.
Are You Addicted To Your Smartphone Quiz
One thing without which you cannot spend a single day of your life is Phone! Yes, of course, many of us are found glued to the phones whether sitting alone, in a queue, or between a group of people. The only thing that is left to be said is that Dear Phone, dont ever leave me because you are more vital for my life than food!
Hahaha, are you planning to confess your love to your phone? Well, wait a minute then! Take the Phone Addiction Quiz and get to know how addicted are you to your phone? You are contemplating the fact that what is the purpose of this? Hmm, it would let you figure out whether you come in the category of that 44% of people who value their phones more than relations, work, and even life!
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Psychological Effects Of Cell Phone Addiction
- Sleep disturbances.9
- Cell phone addiction has been linked to an increase in sleep disorders and fatigue in users.
- Using your cell phone before bed increases the likelihood of insomnia.
- Bright light may decrease sleep quality.
- Smartphone use could increase amount of time it takes to fall asleep.
- Light emitted from the cell phone may activate the brain.
Signs That You Are Addicted To Your Phone & Addiction Of Smarthone
There are various signs that indicate that you are addicted to your phones, we have sorted some of the commonly observed so have a look at them!
Anxiety
Whenever you are unable to use your phone due to any reason like battery, crowd, etc then you become anxious and began to feel that something significant is missing. In the case of phone addiction, people fidget whenever they do not have a phone and might even lose their temper at times.
All these are signs that you can observe in your own self when your phone isnt with you. If you go through similar circumstances then you might be a phone addict as well.
Lack Of Sleep
It is a fact that the people who use the phone more than usual or necessary, complain about the problem in sleeping and even if they sleep then its not peaceful as they keep waking up. Due to lack of sleep, humans come across various health issues and arent able to focus on anything when they wake up. Its a fact that this is caused due to excess usage of the phone. So, have you ever asked yourself: “Am I addicted to my phone?”. Maybe this is the reason that you can not sleep well, but you might have a Sleeping Disorder too.
Phone Turns Into A Full-Time Partner
Whenever someone feels bored or wants something else to do then they pick up the phone and began scrolling the screen. Once you make your phone your mate then it means that you have made this machine your all-time partner instead of a human.
Lack Of Concentration
Also Check: Why Is Addiction So Hard To Overcome
Important Parenting And Screen Time Issues In Screenagers
The impact of screen time on kids and teens. According to a study done by the movies authors an average child spends about 6.5 hours a day at screen and more than 11 hours a week playing video games . Among the problems being addressed in the movie are:
- general phone addiction
- teens obsessive desire to take photos of themselves for social media and their worry about how they look
- how too much screen time at a certain age can cause damage to the development of some brain functions
- kids being distracted at school because of their smartphones
- problems associated with multitasking and self perception even though kids were performing worse and worse they were sure that they were actually doing well and even improving
- parents and other relatives noticed many times that some kids almost literally turn into a different person while playing computer games
- computer and video game violence and similar issues it is interesting, that some kids think the video game experience is more important and relevant for their future than things like math or school in general.
Parental authority and the way you should assert it, especially in questions of screen time is another important topic of the documentary. This includes exploration of:
Protect your kids
Screen addiction: the Black Mirror lesson
Too much screen time?
Why this plot is crucial
Technology is not guilty. Marie is guilty
Digital education
Limit screen time
AAP
The hard slog
Turn Off As Many Push Notifications As Possible
You don’t have to be interrupted by every “like” that your latest Instagram picture receives or with the message that your favorite podcast just released a new episode.
An incredibly simple way to cut down on distractions is to turn off push notifications for as many apps as you can. Just head to Settings > Notifications to control your preferences. Personally, I only left notifications on for email, chat app messages, my calendars, and utility apps such as Lyft or GetAround, which only activate when I’m using them.
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Cant Quit Spend A Few Sessions In Therapy
If youre unable to stick to reasonable time frames or strike a healthy balance between online and offline life, a therapist specializing in addiction can be of help, and you likely wont need their services forever.
If you’re having trouble, it shouldnt take more than four or five sessions to figure out what to do, says Strohman.
As for me, Im regaining balance by setting an alarm when I play a game , as well as keeping the phone off my nightstand come bedtime. I actually keep it under my nightstand, out of reach, which is also helping me limit my access to the snooze button come the morning.
Smartphones And Slot Machines Have Something In Common
You know it well: that frisson of anticipation you feel whenever you pick up your phone. Well, psychologists have a term for that irresistible feeling of unpredictability: intermittent rewards. And guess what other common devices encourage addictive behaviors by preying on that sense that something exciting could happen at any moment? Slot machines. In fact, says Price, smartphones are basically slot machines we keep in our pockets.
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Tips For Cutting Back On Phone Use
If you can see that your phone use is getting out of hand, then a few things can be done to break the bad habits:
- Set Specific Goals: Be clear regarding how much time you want to spend on the phone and how it will be used. For example, you might limit yourself to 30 minutes per day of social media scrolling, and keep the phone in the other room during meals.
- Use Apps to Monitor Screen Time: Apps like Digital Well and Screen Time can show a breakdown of how you are using the device. You can also set time limits that will notify you when the limit has been reached.
- Turn Off Push Notifications: Every time a message alert comes through, it triggers the dopamine response in the brain. Turn off these notifications and set predetermined times when you will check your phone. For example, only look at your email three times per day.
- Delete Apps: If you have apps that arent being used or are too tempting, try deleting them from your phone for a while. This is an excellent strategy if you want to take a 7-day social media fast or break from games.
- Find an Accountability Partner: Talk to a friend about your goals and ask them to hold you accountable. If needed, set up a reward/consequence system, so you are motivated to stick to your plan.
When Is Professional Help Needed For Smartphone Rehab
How can you tell when cell phone usage has crossed the addiction line? When the use of a cell phone becomes compulsive and interferes with daily activities, then it might be time to seek help. Some people find it challenging to disengage from cell phone usage to the point where it is getting in the way of conversations, socializing, work, and household responsibilities. Outside support from a medical professional can be critical to break the addiction and help the person reestablish a healthy lifestyle once again.
Addiction recovery programs are now available for smartphone usage, as well as other types of digital addictions such as video games and pornography. Researchers have found that addiction treatment can change the chemistry of the reward circuits in the brain. For example, cognitive behavior therapy can affect neurotransmitters to help people overcome technology addictions.
At University Urgent Care, we provide quality medical care for people of all ages. If you want to talk to a doctor about physical or mental health concerns, then we invite you to schedule an appointment. These medical services arent only for students. Our ER nurse practitioners offer medical services for people of all ages in the community: 697-0700.
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Even While Getting Ready To Sleep You Feel The Need To Check Your Phone
Addicted people want to check their phones all the time, even while they are preparing to go to sleep.
They will then be in their beds and using their phones until they fall asleep, either going through random apps or talking to someone.
Most people would spoil their whole vacation by being on their phones instead of spending quality time there and enjoying the different place that they are at.
There is no point of a vacation if you remain on your phone constantly there as well.
You might as well then just stay at your home and use your phone there, at least that would save you from wasting any money.
Analyze How You Use Your Phone And Set Limits
With iOS 12, Apple has introduced the Screen Time feature which shows how much time you spend on your phone, what apps you use the most, and how often do you pick up your device. To see the report, go to Settings > Screen Time. Android users can try Digital Wellbeing which works similarly.
If particular apps take too much of your time, you can set daily limits for them. When you reach a limit, your iPhone notifies you about it. Though the limit isnt hard to ignore, it creates an additional barrier between you and the apps you use too much.
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Why Youre Addicted To Your Phone And What To Do About It
As we approach Independence Day, it is worth remembering just how far we have come. But it is also important to acknowledge where we have stumbled.
Nowhere is our independence in more jeopardy than in our digital lives. Various surveys find people more willing to give up food, sleep and sex than to lose their Internet connections. One recent study found that half of us would rather have a broken bone than a broken phone.
How many times do you check your phone a day? I guessed 20 times, and cringed at the thought. But that isnt even close to reality.
Apple says that iPhone users unlock their phones 80 times a day. Even worse, research firm Dscout found that we tap, type and swipe our smartphones more than 2,600 times a day, on average. The majority of us check in front of our kids, during meetings, while we eat and while we should be sleeping.
This is a serious addiction that few people are talking about, probably because we are almost universally addicted. More than just an intrusion into our lives, our smartphones are actually killing us. Pedestrian deaths have skyrocketed as a result of both pedestrians and drivers looking at their phones.
Why cant we stop?
In this case, the anxiety was caused by withdrawal from an addiction. But why are we addicted in the first place?
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I Am Addicted To My Phone
I am addicted to my phone, whether it is social media, YouTube, or even the occasional game. I have big goals in my life and steps that I need to take are being block out my my addiction. I do not know what to do because I am well aware of these goals and I know I need to put my phone down yet I do not. I have tried deleting apps but I always came back and re-downloaded them or just spending more time on my computer watching movies. I think my biggest problem is what to use the time I have for.
I just had I big eye-opener, which is why I am making this post. I just saw that I have been on my phone an average of 10 hours a day this week, which is almost half my day. I am struggling in my most important class most likely because of this. I can not help not picking up my phone. It is causing me extreme anxiety which layers up from the other things my addiction is effecting. I have no idea what to do. I do not think it is as easy as putting down my phone or something like that. And I’ll probably get some comments about how I am enabling my own self destructive behavior, which is probably true but feel like this problem is something deeper that. I am actually shaking as I am typing this because of anxious and aware I am of this issue. I do not know what to do. I need to fix and improve something.
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You Text While Driving
The inability to stop doing something despite the negative consequences it can have on your health or life is a classic sign of addiction, and that’s exactly what texting while driving is. People who text and drive actually have worse reaction time than people who drink and drive. If you can’t put your phone away while you’re driving, you’re a danger to yourself and to others on the road.
Apps Are Selling The Most Valuable Thing We Have
Yes, social media can be funbut Price points out that it’s important to remember that those apps are about more than just sharing selfies. “Have you ever wondered why social media apps are all free?” she asks. “It’s because we are not actually the customers and the social media platform itself is not the product. Instead, the customers are advertisers. And the product being sold is our attention.This is a really big deal, because our attention is the most valuable thing we have. When we decide what to pay attention to in the moment, we are making a broader decision about how we want to spend our lives.”
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