Ten Ways to Deal With Smartphone Addiction

While smartphone addiction is not an official diagnosis in the mental health community just yet, it wouldn’t be surprising if that changed in the near future. As early as 2008 the term “Nomophobia,” or “no-mobile-phone-phobia” was coined by a British research organization. Over the past 15 years smartphone use has only increased among users, with Americans checking their phone an average of 344 times per day (or once every 5.5 minutes). Both smartphones and social media are designed to be addictive and to encourage users to interact with them in a compulsive way.

 Signs that You Might be Addicted to Your Smartphone

• You feel irritable, anxious, or angry when you do not have your smartphone on you

• You are guilty of routinely phubbing people, or “phone snubbing.” Meaning that you frequently ignore someone physically present with you in favor of your phone.

• You reach for your phone when you are sad, stressed, anxious, lonely, bored etc.

•  You consider scrolling through social media an actual activity or hobby   

• You’ve experienced painful “smartphone thumb.” (Yes, it’s a real thing).

• Your mood is directly correlated to the number of likes and comments you get after posting something on social media

Are you concerned about your smartphone use? Here are 10 tips for you to try to change your relationship with your phone:

1. Remember that There is Power is in the Pause

Smartphone addiction thrives on habituation and unconscious behaviors. We often find ourselves opening social media apps before we are even conscious that we are doing it. Try moving the apps to different pages of your phone so that you have to consciously look for them. In that moment really consider if opening the app and scrolling through social media is really something you are choosing to do in the moment. 

2. Avoid Using your Phone to “Kill Time”

Bring an element of mindfulness when using your cell phone or social media. Meaning that if you do choose (keyword, choose) to engage in those activities, have a specific intent in mind. If you have to post something on social media for your job, make sure that you put your phone away upon completion of the task. Or if you choose to check your favorite gossip sites or want to see what your friends are up to, make the conscious decision that you will put your phone away after a set number of minutes. Avoid checking your phone in those in-between moments like at stop lights or while waiting on line at the grocery store. 

3. Turn Off Notifications

Social media developers prey on the dopamine in our brains to deliberately cultivate addiction, most notably through constant alerts and push notifications. Reduce the temptation to check social media by turning off any notifications you do not absolutely need for work or family responsibilities. 

4. Create Friction with Phone Use

If you need to use your phone, make it as uncomfortable or annoying a task as possible. Keep your phone in a certain area of your home and only use it in that location. So for example, charge your phone by your front door and only use it if you stand in the foyer.

5. Avoid Multitasking

Turns out that just having your phone near you can reduce someone’s ability to focus on another person or task. Practice being fully engaged with whatever activity you are doing. If you are getting coffee with a friend, keep your phone in your pocket or bag. If you are watching television with your spouse, put your phone in a different room.  

6. Replace Your Phone with Something Else

Most of the time it is not enough to try and stop doing a particular activity, which in this case is reducing cell phone use. We have to replace the unwanted behavior with a behavior that is more in line with our goals and values. Choose an activity or hobby that interests you and will engage your attention. Such a list can include reading, journaling, gardening, cooking/baking, calling a friend or family member, taking the dog to the park, knitting, scrapbooking, knitting, or exercising. Challenge yourself to create a list of 10 things you can do instead of going on your phone.

7. Do A Digital Detox

Set a time each day to put your phones and screens away. If this feels tremendously difficult, start with as small steps as you need to at first. This could mean leaving your phone in a different room while you complete some chores around the house. So much of screen time use depends on routine, and any change in your routine is a chance to consciously make different decisions. 

8. Create A Device-Free Morning

One great time of day to focus on a digital detox is the morning. The first few choices you make each morning can set the tone for the rest of your day. Reaching for your phone before anything else can inadvertently be a time suck, quickly putting you behind schedule and making you feel more rushed and disorganized. Instead of checking your social media first thing, try doing some quick yoga stretches, drinking a glass of water, or even making your bed which can get the ball rolling on tackling your daily goals. Something else to consider: getting into sunlight as soon as possible after waking up can be a huge mood booster for the rest of the day.

9. Make Your Phone Less Visually Pleasing

Activate the grey-scale feature on your phone, which will turn off all the vibrant, fun, stimulating colors. In addition to making your phone battery last longer, it is simply less visually appealing, meaning we do not care to look at the screen as much. Remember, all apps and phones carefully use colors and fonts to make users want to look at the phone as much as possible. Turning off colors will go a long way to breaking free of this advertising trick.

10. Lastly, Embrace Boredom (Yes, this might be difficult at first)

This is a tough one for people, but it is truly the crux of smartphone and social media addiction. Try observing how you feel when you interact with your phone. When do you find yourself checking your phone? Is it when you are bored? Worried about something? When you are procrastinating another task? Trying to avoid uncomfortable moments? Many people turn to their phones to avoid feeling certain unpleasant emotions. When we start to run from feelings, we inadvertently train our mind to believe that these emotions are dangerous and should be feared. This makes us more likely to rely on our smartphone to escape them again. This feedback loop can be perpetuated indefinitely without taking conscious steps to address it. Learn to sit with those uncomfortable feelings, even if it is just for a 1 or 2 minutes at first. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, dealing with compulsive smartphone use or overuse can be a significant challenge for many people. These devices are designed to hook and keep us addicted. However, the overwhelming majority of people who choose to consciously reduce their phone use find that their lives become more enjoyable overall. Many report that they stop thinking about checking social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, and feel more able to live a fully present and engaged life.  

Need a little bit of help figuring out how to get started? Feel free to contact me about setting up an appointment so we can address this together. You do not have to feel like you need to start this journey alone.