Need some advice on how to conquer phone addiction

[Illusory Self]

I am very addicted to constantly checking my mobile phone, browsing through content on youtube that does not serve me, constantly turning my phone off of do not disturb mode to see if anyone has messaged me. It basically feels like a drug to me. I constantly get voices in my head to check my phone to see if anyone has messaged me and tend to act compulsively. It does not make me feel good in the long run as I can get sucked into digital vortexs and waste hours of my days just scrolling through random stuff on YouTube to waste my time. This is definitely a negative habit that I would like to quite but I have been saying this for a very long time and have not done anything about it. 

I need some practical steps on how to slowly ween my phone usage time down, I can kind of rationilize and say I need to check incase my family messages me etc. But it feels very unhealthy for my wellbeing and growth. I mainly use it as a distraction and it has got a grip over my mind. The problem is I have it in my pocket most of the day, I have an app I use on it when I go to the gym and use the timers on my phone for doing inner work. 

But the fact of the matter is that if the phone is near me, I will most likely get the compulsive urge to check if anyone has messaged. 

 

It is like I want to use my phone without it using me, I never knew how bad this addiction was. Especially if you tell yourself to quit but fail to do so. It just feels hard as it is intertwined with my family who live nearby and the app that I use at the gym. Obviously I would like to check it a couple of times a day but I often fall into the trap of using it as an escapism. I think a few times a day to message people will suffice.

 

Any tips appreciated!

[Thought Art]

I stopped paying for internet at home. I’ve got data and if I abuse it - it’s gone 

Edited August 8, 2022 by Thought Art

[Realms of Wonder]

I have some experience with this.

 

Currently, 9 days out of 10, I wont go on my phone till my morning routine is done (around an hour and 55 minutes,) my phone usage is around 1.3 hours a day, using it for music, texting, facetiming parents and friends, total time on YouTube is around 30 minutes a week, no social media.

 

There are a few different levels to this, and multiple ways to approach it so I will share what has worked for me.

 

Mental/Mindset Layer.

 

• Big Picture: Bring awareness to the issue, the consequences and potential results. Then create a vision of what you want in your life, leading you to make a CLEAR, WELL INFORMED, DECISION. About what you want in your life.

1. What will happen if you dont quit? 
   1. visualize the worst case scenario and write it out, 1 year from now, 5 years from now, etc..
   2. This will help your you mind realize why its not in its best interest to continue the way it has.
2. WHY Do you want to quit?
   1. This needs to be really clear, without understanding why you are quitting, why would you? especially when the mind tries to seduce us into checking it, this WHY will ground you.
3. What are the costs of breaking your addiction to your phone/computer?
   1. Important! if you cant accept the costs, how can you change?
   2. Examples include
      1. Losing the easy stimulation when I am bored
      2. Cannot use it to escape my self and emotions
      3. Boredom/facing boredom
      4. etc..
4. Make a comprehensive list of every way you can think of, that your mind tries to seduce you into checking/using your phone, and watching YouTube, etc..
5. You have to really WANT to change. Until then, you wont, your decision to stop will be half assed and you'll keep caving, at some point you'll realize "Holy shit, I want to change, I am tired of how things are, how I keep falling into the same traps over and over again, and losing out on what I am capable of." 

 

Outer/Technique layer.

 

• Big Picture: Sustainably lowering the amount of time you spend on phone, YouTube, social media, etc..

1. At night, put your phone in your bathroom or kitchen to charge. 
2. Make a commitment to finishing X amount of work/practice/routines before checking phone (start small)
3. Expect resistance.
4. Do research into how to quit
5. Slow is best.

 

There really isn't an easy solution to this, it may take years to completely break the addiction, for myself, its taken a LONG time, and its still something I am aware of and working on, and not every day is perfect. However, it is possible, and worth it!

Edited August 8, 2022 by Realms of Wonder

[Average Investor]

I found it helped me to remove any distracting apps off of my phone. I also have made the google search to where it does no show any trending search or articles. Another thing I found helpful was using the app blocksite to restrict certain cites off my phone. 

Granted, I still spend a good deal of time on my computer. For me it saves me a lot of hours to block a lot of those applications. I use similar things on my computer and will even use a different user account to help keep me focused. 

[Vido]

1 hour ago, Illusory Self said:

I am very addicted to constantly checking my mobile phone, browsing through content on youtube that does not serve me, constantly turning my phone off of do not disturb mode to see if anyone has messaged me. It basically feels like a drug to me. I constantly get voices in my head to check my phone to see if anyone has messaged me and tend to act compulsively. It does not make me feel good in the long run as I can get sucked into digital vortexs and waste hours of my days just scrolling through random stuff on YouTube to waste my time. This is definitely a negative habit that I would like to quite but I have been saying this for a very long time and have not done anything about it. 

I need some practical steps on how to slowly ween my phone usage time down, I can kind of rationilize and say I need to check incase my family messages me etc. But it feels very unhealthy for my wellbeing and growth. I mainly use it as a distraction and it has got a grip over my mind. The problem is I have it in my pocket most of the day, I have an app I use on it when I go to the gym and use the timers on my phone for doing inner work. 

But the fact of the matter is that if the phone is near me, I will most likely get the compulsive urge to check if anyone has messaged. 

 

It is like I want to use my phone without it using me, I never knew how bad this addiction was. Especially if you tell yourself to quit but fail to do so. It just feels hard as it is intertwined with my family who live nearby and the app that I use at the gym. Obviously I would like to check it a couple of times a day but I often fall into the trap of using it as an escapism. I think a few times a day to message people will suffice.

 

Any tips appreciated!

Hey!!!!

 

I had this tooo! So here's some things I did!

 

1. Turn off notification sound. not even vibrate. 

2. Apps like what'sapp, messenger, etc, disable the pop up notication. You can do this by swiping left, giong to settings, and changing it

3. Remove apps from the home screen. Goal here is to make it as hard as possible to open the app. You could use APP lock, etc.

4. Lets say the desire to check messenger comes up, don't open immediately, rather count from 1 all the up to 10 and then open it. Goal here is to increase the count from 10 to say 50!

5. Don't beat yourself up too much because you are addicted. Companies literally spend over 50 mil $ to make sure you do. That include companies like even lays. They even have a fake mouth to simulate the crunch, creepy

 

[Illusory Self]

12 hours ago, Thought Art said:

I stopped paying for internet at home. I’ve got data and if I abuse it - it’s gone 

@Thought Art That might be worth looking into, how much data you get?

[Illusory Self]

13 hours ago, Realms of Wonder said:

I have some experience with this.

 

Currently, 9 days out of 10, I wont go on my phone till my morning routine is done (around an hour and 55 minutes,) my phone usage is around 1.3 hours a day, using it for music, texting, facetiming parents and friends, total time on YouTube is around 30 minutes a week, no social media.

 

There are a few different levels to this, and multiple ways to approach it so I will share what has worked for me.

 

Mental/Mindset Layer.

 

• Big Picture: Bring awareness to the issue, the consequences and potential results. Then create a vision of what you want in your life, leading you to make a CLEAR, WELL INFORMED, DECISION. About what you want in your life.

1. What will happen if you dont quit? 
   1. visualize the worst case scenario and write it out, 1 year from now, 5 years from now, etc..
   2. This will help your you mind realize why its not in its best interest to continue the way it has.
2. WHY Do you want to quit?
   1. This needs to be really clear, without understanding why you are quitting, why would you? especially when the mind tries to seduce us into checking it, this WHY will ground you.
3. What are the costs of breaking your addiction to your phone/computer?
   1. Important! if you cant accept the costs, how can you change?
   2. Examples include
      1. Losing the easy stimulation when I am bored
      2. Cannot use it to escape my self and emotions
      3. Boredom/facing boredom
      4. etc..
4. Make a comprehensive list of every way you can think of, that your mind tries to seduce you into checking/using your phone, and watching YouTube, etc..
5. You have to really WANT to change. Until then, you wont, your decision to stop will be half assed and you'll keep caving, at some point you'll realize "Holy shit, I want to change, I am tired of how things are, how I keep falling into the same traps over and over again, and losing out on what I am capable of." 

 

Outer/Technique layer.

 

• Big Picture: Sustainably lowering the amount of time you spend on phone, YouTube, social media, etc..

1. At night, put your phone in your bathroom or kitchen to charge. 
2. Make a commitment to finishing X amount of work/practice/routines before checking phone (start small)
3. Expect resistance.
4. Do research into how to quit
5. Slow is best.

 

There really isn't an easy solution to this, it may take years to completely break the addiction, for myself, its taken a LONG time, and its still something I am aware of and working on, and not every day is perfect. However, it is possible, and worth it!

 

@Realms of Wonder

Amazing, thank you so much