Hey everyone. Today I have a topic for you related to your favorite smart devices. Yes, I’m talking about your smartphones. We all spend too much time on our smartphones, whether we are playing games, reading blogs and articles, watching Youtube or TikTok videos, or just being anti-social on social media.
My Struggle With Smartphone Addiction
The above image was a depiction of me when I was struggling with smartphone addiction. I wasted many hours and ruined so many days. My productivity was at an all-time low, and I lost sleep and money just because I couldn’t stop scrolling down and view the next TikTok or the next Instagram feed. Just because I was unable to stop myself, I was getting depressed and was not enjoying anything. All my hobbies and favorite foods stopped giving me pleasure, and it felt like I was done for, that there is nothing I can achieve in life.
Those above mentioned are just some of the harmful side effects if you are addicted to your smartphones. It does sound like I was in an actual addiction, right? Studies show that smartphone addiction works in the same way as all other drug addictions. I got addicted to my smartphone because of the dopamine fixes I used to get from the constant swiping and notifications. I wished for so long that, in some way, I would be able to keep myself away from my smartphone, but it seemed a lost cause. I was losing weight and was getting weaker day by day Because there was no activity and exercise in my life besides the constant swiping. My stamina was getting lower and lower day by day. It seemed like there was no end to it.
Smartphone Addiction
We are simply spending too much time on these smart devices, and this habit is turning into an addiction. Our smartphones have way too much command in our daily lives. That’s what happens when you control your life with just one device. Ultimately that device starts to control you. This extraordinary grant of power to our smart devices has caused a lot of confusion, tension, and issues regarding people’s health, productivity, and overall quality of life. Studies show that smartphone addiction has become a daily norm among people, and some are even doing rehabs to stay clear of using their smartphones. These devices are great for productivity, a tool that can make your life very easy and seamless, but what if we get so used to them that we lose the natural ways. We have this issue in mind. Today I would like to introduce to you the concept of Digital well-being and its importance.
What Is Digital Wellbeing?
Digital wellbeing is a new concept for keeping you safe from your favorite device as smartphone and internet addictions are rising. Digital wellbeing is concerned with limiting and monitoring people’s time on their smartphones. Many social media applications are adapting digital wellbeing policies nowadays. If you have used TikTok, you probably are familiar with how addicting it can be for countless hours lost just because you can’t choose which video to watch. As one video ends, another starts right away without any control. The videos are short, so you only decide to watch one more video, and before you know it, you start at noon, and it’s already midnight. The aforementioned is why TikTok has added a feature in their app that lets you restrict allowed time on the app. Once the limit you set by yourself is over, the app gets locked, and you can’t use it until the next day.
These measures are to reduce your smartphone brain drain. Spending so much time on these platforms has made you lose sleep, productivity, and overall quality of life. Some apps have added a simple notification to remind you of your daily usage limits, along with some analytics, and other apps have given you a complete lockup feature. The ultimate goal is to help you end your smartphone addiction and recuperate. There are some applications to help you utilize your smartphone more responsibly. An example is the Digital Wellbeing App by Google.
Importance Of Digital Wellbeing
Nowadays, digital wellbeing is important as people are spending more and more time on their smartphones, laptops, streaming setups, and other devices that they use daily, either for work or for fun. Many jobs are now online. Many companies are currently opting for permanent work from home. The majority of people who get addicted to the internet are the ones who start using the internet and social media in their free time or as a professional hobby. We need to fast on our internet and social media use. Suppose we want technology to improve our lives instead of taking them over. In that case, we need to give importance to the concept of digital wellbeing and limit our digital usage to work and healthy fun only.
Cure To Smartphone Addiction
Digital wellbeing is not a 100% sure cure to smartphone addiction. Digital wellbeing is a precautionary measure. It is better to be careful of habits and take preventive measures to avoid them, instead of spending countless hours and money in rehab, which doesn’t work for everyone and every time. The most reliable cure to smartphone addiction is to be mindful of your usage. Make sure that you only use your devices for work or a few minutes of fun. Follow your routine strictly and keep yourself busy enough that you don’t have time to waste on the internet or social media.
Will Mega corporations Try To Capitalize
Capitalism has been a significant trend in the last 20 years. With their budget of millions of dollars invested in research and development, the megacorporations have managed to escape every tax policy and capitalize on every innovation. It is more likely that companies like Facebook, Google, and others may limit features and set usage limits, just based on promoting Digital wellbeing. Then demand some payment or greater access to personal data from the people who use these platforms for work or are just addicted to them. The aforementioned is a sad hypothesis, but it is very likely to happen. The same thing happened with television in the last century that we got so used to it that it became a part of our lives, and we even paid to be controlled by the television.
Make The Best Use Of Digital Wellbeing
The best way to protect yourself from any type of addiction is to stay away from it. Spend more time with family and friends in real life, at least the ones you can meet without breaking social distance protocols. Focus on your health and education, read more books, and have a workout routine. These things will take your time, and as you achieve these goals, you will feel better and would not need to spend your valuable time in front of a screen. Studies show that people who keep themselves busy with physical and mental exercise are less likely to fall for addictive substances as they value their long-term goals a lot more than quick doses of temporary pleasure. Mental and physical exercise is a sure way to fast on your digital consumption and achieve dopamine detox.
How I Recovered From Smartphone Addiction?
The best way to get rid of every addiction is discipline. But believe me when I say that it takes a lot of discipline to bounce back when you are this far gone. Luckily I had some ways to keep myself from reaching the phone. The first thing I did was find a way to block the distracting features of my smartphone. I tried the Digital Wellbeing app from Google, but all it did was monitor my use and time spent on each app.
Then I searched again. My search led me to an app review blog. On that blog, I found an app that blocks distracting apps. This app was a game-changer. This app allowed me to set a time limit on the daily usage and the part of the day when I can use it. I blocked all my browsers, games, and social media apps from 10:00 PM to 11:00 AM. 10:00 PM was 2 hours during my sleep time, and 11:00 AM was 1 hour before my office time. This routine gave me no time to use my smartphone addictively, and I focused on the essential things like my chores and being proactive for my next day’s tasks.
Gladly I am passionate about writing, so I don’t use my smartphone at the office unless for work. The real problem was that I had to keep myself busy in other hours and on the weekends. Because if I was free anytime, I automatically started to scroll and swipe on my smartphone. This habit always leads to many hours wasted and plans ruined. I had to grow my discipline. As Tony Robbins once said.
You Don’t Need Motivation. You Need Discipline. Motivation Is Temporary, but Discipline is Forever.
Tony Robbins.
So that is what I did. I started waking up early, and since my distracting apps were blocked, I could use the alarm without being distracted. I strengthened my connection with My Creator through prayer and read verses in the Creator’s Glory. The next thing I did was that I joined the local gym and paid the first month’s fee in advance. The subscription fee was what made me wake up early every day and get to the gym. My exercises were very weak as I was very inactive and lazy. But over continuous practicing and not giving up, I enjoyed the workout more than the scrolling and swiping. Wow, what a journey that was, from the feeling of complete hopelessness to total confidence. Please give my tips a try and share with me your experience. I would like to talk to you about it, and I hope to hear your stories as well. I believe everyone is a hero in his way. We don’t know what kinds of battles you have fought in the past and what kind of battles you are fighting right now. I hope that you have enjoyed my article and I hope that it is helpful for you to achieve a better and more quality standard of life. Thank you all very much for reading and spending your valuable time on my article. Your time is very much appreciated.