Do you know the feeling of being on your mobile phone too much but not knowing what to change to make it better? Everyone has had this feeling at some point. For me, it has intensified over the last few months. That’s one of the reasons why this blog exists now, because I want to share with you the things that have helped me to break through the doom scrolling, reduce my time on social media and find new wys to create joy.
Let’s start at the beginning. Why do we regularly reach for our mobile phones?
Reaching for your mobile phone initially gives you a positive feeling. The endorphins that are released when we use our favourite apps reinforce this feeling. Because it makes us feel so good, mobile phone use can be seen as a reward.
However, there are also situations in which we don’t feel so good. The homework is very complicated, an email that you haven’t wanted to write for a fortnight, or even a short walk that requires you to get out of your pyjamas. Yes, I also like to stay in my pyjamas for a whole day. To distract yourself from the bad feeling, you try to quickly replace the situation with a positive feeling. This leads you to pick up your mobile phone and start doom scrolling. The more often you repeat this behaviour in these situations, the more automatic it becomes. The more pronounced the automatism is, the more difficult it is to stop the behaviour again.
How to reduce your time on Social Media.
There are many ways to reduce regular mobile phone use. Below I have put together some tips that have helped me to limit my use of social media.
– Put your mobile phone out of reach. This will make you more aware of when and how often you pick up your mobile phone.
– Set a timer as soon as you open social media. When the timer rings, think about whether the content you are looking at is having a positive impact and whether you are learning something useful. If not, close the apps and put your mobile phone away.
– Count backwards from 5 and start the next action from 0, whether it’s your first time on your phone or you’ve been on social media for a while. When you realise your action, count backwards and put your phone away at 0.
– If that doesn’t work, there’s always the cold turkey option. Uninstall the apps that you automatically go to and that unknowingly eat up hours of your day. This step requires a lot of willpower and energy the first time. But afterwards, you’ll realise how often you’ve picked up your phone, gone to the apps and let yourself be entertained. I promise you, it will get better after the first two days.
If you manage to limit your scrolling, you suddenly have a lot more time for other things. The only question is: What can you do in your newly gained free time? What do you really enjoy and bring you joy?
Whether you already know or are still looking for something new. On this page you will find suggestions for new hobbies, book recommendations on various topics and delicious recipes. Maybe you can relax by cooking. Or you might prefer to spend your evenings with a new book. Try out new things and see how you like them. Maybe you’ll DISCOVER JOY in it.
