Finding Balance

If you look back on your week and wonder where it went only to realize you spent most of your down time mindlessly scrolling for hours, there is definitely a problem—especially if it is affecting your sleep. Fighting any addiction is extremely difficult, but especially hard if you’re unable to cut it out of your life entirely. In our current digital world, we are constantly surrounded by technology in both work and school spaces—answering emails, writing papers, and keeping up with homework—that isn’t much in our control, so it’s important to limit the screen time we do have control over in order to prioritize our mental health.

Set Clear Boundaries

The first thing you should do is start holding yourself accountable by setting reasonable boundaries. For example, if your phone addiction is causing you to lose sleep, set a certain time where you have to put your phone down for the night, and put a reminder on your phone to alert you when you’ve hit that chosen time. You can also set times throughout the day where you don’t allow yourself to look at your phone at all, like when you are eating or there are other people in the room you could talk to instead. However, since battling a phone addiction isn’t always a quick process, in order to not lose motivation when you feel guilty for overscrolling, it’s okay to give yourself a little screen time here and there where you fully allow yourself to be guilt free.

Get Rid of the Problem 

If you find yourself ignoring your own boundaries, deleting the apps that are causing you the most issues might be a better option. This could be TikTok or YouTube or some random gaming app, but if you’re spending more than an hour a day on any of these apps, the best thing might be to delete it entirely. However, sometimes deleting the app isn’t enough if you still have the ability to redownload it any time you feel the urge, so enlist some friends to hold you accountable. It may seem excessive, but let them set up parental controls on your phone to either restrict your ability to download certain apps or limit your time on them—just make sure not to bite their head off when you actually do get cut off.

Prioritize Offline Activities

Arguably, the most important way to to fight a phone addiction is to find that mental fulfillment you get from your phone elsewhere. Throw yourself into hobbies and other activities that are strictly offline. This could be working out, reading, or just hanging out with friends who make you laugh just as much as videos online. If you start getting excited by doing those activities instead, the urge to doomscroll will likely lessen with time.

Let us know if any of these tips help you @theedgemag on Instagram!