Is a digital detox calling your name?
Despite TikTok’s restoration, serial movers — some of whom may be addicted to social apps — may still want to take a break from their perpetual media consumption.
An estimated 210 million people suffer from social media addiction, which can result in mood swings, disrupted sleep, neglect of responsibilities, need for validation, and lack of hobbies.
Those hooked on TikTok, for example, say they can’t live without it, while others may find themselves compulsively checking their social media platforms to check the number of likes and views, or beat the majority. of the day looking at their screen.
“Many apps are designed using what we know from psychology research to maximize our engagement and engage the systems in our brains that drive us to do things over and over again until they become habits,” said Erin Calipari, director of the Center for Addiction Research at Vanderbilt. Yahoo News.
But how to break this innate habit?
For starters, Kia-Rai Prewitt, Cleveland Clinic’s director of outpatient psychology, told the media that the first step is to set a goal.
“Coming out with a specific goal in terms of how you want to use your phone is less important,” she said.
According to Yahoo News, this could be anything from not wanting to use your phone after work or setting a certain number of hours allowed on weekends. Having someone to hold you accountable can also help, she added.
Prewitt explained that it might not even be the screen, but a particular app or set of apps.
When she detoxed from her device, she simply logged out of her social media accounts on her phone. As a result, she was “not alerted” so she wasn’t tempted to launch the app and had to go out of her way to see certain posts.
On Apple iPhones, users can limit screen time in their settings for certain apps, or they can set their phone to Do Not Disturb to avoid annoying notifications without going out completely.
Prewitt also advised people to “limit how many things you allow yourself to be attracted to.” Since “there’s always a new app or something coming out,” she recommended using one app at a time before trying a new one.
If all else fails, a cell phone can be treated just like a landline – just keep it in certain rooms of the house for use at certain times rather than being tempted throughout the day.
Clinical psychologist Neda Gould, an assistant professor at John Hopkins in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, told Yahoo News that keeping your phone in another room at night is a “simple way to start creating that space.” from the phone”.
“Otherwise, it’s the last thing we tend to use before we go to bed and the first thing we take in the morning,” she warned. “Only this separation from our phone can help us detox from the phone [and] get some space from her.”
Being connected to your phone is so “common to us that we’re not even aware that we’re constantly connected,” she said, so she advised intentionally starting a daily activity that can happen without a phone.
While safety should always be a consideration, she said there are outings or activities that can be done without having a cell phone on your person. For her, it’s walking to pick up her children from school.
Gould said people need to break out of “this automatism of doing things with a sense of urgency.”
“When you get that email that something else needs to be done, I think the question to ask is, ‘Does this need to be done now?'” she said. “And if not, maybe you have a block of time in your day [for] addressing household matters.”
She added: “At first, it can be challenging to do a digital detox because you’re breaking some patterns – but with practice it becomes more tolerable and maybe even enjoyable.”
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