3 Ways to Cut Back Internet Consumption Addiction
It’s been a while since I noticed my wrist and thumb are hurting from using my phone. At first, I ignored the pain thinking I will get used to it. But after a few weeks, I could already feel the discomfort even when I’m not holding my phone. The pain didn’t go away, and I didn’t get used to it as I wished.
Long before I felt the discomfort in my hand, I already knew I had to cut back on using my phone my mindlessly. I have devised some methods before to lessen the time I spend in social media, and I was successful at times, then I would get back to the same habit of scrolling in bed before I sleep. Sometimes, the quick scrolls to help my self sleep become two hours to sleepless. This becomes more frequent that I would forget I was supposed to use my phone less. Then I would proceed to hate myself in the morning for not sticking to the rules I set for own. The cycle repeats.
So, as a part of helping myself trim down on my mindless scrolling and over consumption of information online, I’m sharing three things that helped me spend less time on my phone.
1. Uninstalling Instagram
I uninstalled Instagram on my phone since I realize that I spend time in the rabbit hole of reels, and aesthetics which are eye pleasing but serves no purpose in my daily and long term life. I do not have Tiktok, and I only have Messenger to communicate with my friends and family, so it was easy to remove this app on my phone since the only thing I’ll be missing out on is liking the celebrities’ posts I follow. Nothing interests me on IG that I don’t see on Pinterest.
2. Phones Off the Dining Table
Way before we had smartphones, my parents were strict on being present in mind and body at dinnertime. This training instilled in me that it is time off every time I am seated for dining no matter who I am with. Now that I am living away from home, this phones-off-the-table applies even when I’m eating alone in the condo.
3. Having Activities That Do Not Involve Using Phone
We live in this time where a new term was coined for staying too much in bed and in our phone, it’s called bed-rotting. Whenever I feel like I have been inactive for too long, I like asking my friends to eat outside, and catch-up. Sometimes, I also get tired of using my phone for hours that I feel like I need to move my body. I take this as a sign to move around and keep my phone off. Every Saturday, I like to reward myself with watching in Youtube after doing chores to feel good about my accomplishments. I’m also trying to get my sketching juices back by drawing twice a week.
It’s true — there are better things to do than mindlessly scrolling on our phones getting dopamine shots from strangers online, or indulging in the overflow of contents.
There are other ways to improve our internet consumption that suit every lifestyle. As long as we acknowledge the addiction, this leads us to have discipline and more conscious consumption.
