3 Practical Techniques I Use to Control Cell Phone Addiction
The #1 habit stopping you from losing weight.
Mobile phone, which arrived two decades ago, has become something that everyone cannot live without.
I realized this when I was waiting in line at a cafeteria. Everyone was flipping through their social media feeds. Most people get excited when they see a comment on one of their posts or a heart on an Instagram photo.
This is why apps like Snapchat and Instagram are gaining even more popularity than Twitter and Facebook. Micro feedback responds to our desire as human beings to be noticed, receive recognition, and experience recognition.
When was the last time someone told you that you posted a great photo, or that you look great, or that you finished an assignment on time, face to face? I even bet you’re reading this from your phone, right?
Now you get the point. Smartphones interfere a lot in our lives, take up a lot of time, and worsen our health. Phones indeed make life better, but many are so addicted to them that they forget many other things.
5 signs of phone addiction
As society becomes more addicted to media and devices, we have to worry about our health. We tap, swipe, and click our phones 2,617 times a day. iPhone users unlock their phone an average of 80 times a day, while Android users unlock their phone 110 times a day. This means that iPhone users check their phone six to seven times an hour or once every 10 minutes on average daily use.
That’s not all. Here are some shocking signs that show how addicted we have become to phones.
Checking your phone first in the morning
When something becomes an essential part of your daily routine, it can affect thinking and emotions. A Wharton study says that 25% of adults wake up at night to use their phone, while 33% of teens take the phone to bed at night.
When bored, you use your phone
Many people experience feelings of excitement or euphoria before or after using their smartphone. A recent survey shows that 87% of millennials say their smartphone never leaves their side. This creates a highly addictive response, making them want to repeat the action repeatedly.
Frequent use of mobile phones
Baby boomers spend 5 hours using their phones. Millennials spend 48 minutes texting every day. Social media is responsible for the 2 hours and 24 minutes of global internet time that the average user spends online every day. Not to mention the 75% of Americans who use their cell phone in the bathroom.
You feel anxious or agitated without your phone
Some people experience feeling stressed, irritated, and panic when they cannot find or be separated from their phone. This indicates that they have formed a dependency on their phone. Harvard research pointed out that 73% of phone users have experienced anxiety about losing their phones.
You receive complaints about how often you use your phone
85% of smartphone users check their phone while talking to friends and family. If loved ones often say that you are always on your phone and it bothers them, it’s probably time to cut back. The use of smartphones can negatively affect social life or family time.
How do mobile phones contribute to weight gain?
Using your devices before bed can make it difficult to lose weight or even lead to weight gain over time. Although exposure to LEDs may have a minor effect, the reduction in sleep can cause long-term physiological changes.
Unlimited access to a cell phone can be addictive. Whether it’s gaming or spending time on social media, it can be easy to lose track of time and spend hours staring at the screen. If you sleep with the phone next to your head, you are constantly exposed to RF radiation.
In addition, blue light stimulates the brain and reduces the production of melatonin, the hormone that causes sleep. This is why apps like Facebook go heavy blue and white — it keeps your brain active and awake, which means you spend more time on the app.
Lack of sleep is a particular problem for millennials. Not only do they need more sleep than adults, but it also causes poor concentration, irritability, and an increased risk of psychological problems. Blue lights can cause headaches, decreased attention, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and depression.
How to control phone addiction and lose more weight
Our phones are glued to our hands like glue. It is a little scary. The devices are convenient and useful, especially in a work environment. It is the micro feedback that causes the problems. Using phones for real work, real conversations, and avoiding the trap of looking for digital rewards can help you improve your work and your health.
Set up a social media calendar
The problem here is that we are often tired when we finally get to the mall or have to wait in line at the cafeteria, so we pick up the phone and looking for micro feedback to deal with boredom and routine. If you feel like you are constantly catching up on your social channels, a social media calendar solves these problems.
Take time off from your phone
Take a whole month off social media, and see how it affects your day and how much you interact with people on a face-to-face level. To make sure I’m not tempted to scroll and play games with my phone, I keep it in a drawer and hide the key somewhere out of reach. So in order to access my phone, I would have to go through a herculean task of ransacking and rearrange, which, by the way, I don’t like doing.
Replace the phone habit with another activity
As with any addiction, it is extremely difficult to break the habit of using your phone. One of the most effective ways to avoid using your phone so much is to replace it with something else when you tend to pick it up. For example, you can pick a book and read a few pages instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. Or, when you’re home, you can push yourself to get up and do some push-ups or clean up. Everyone is unique and has unique needs. Find out what works for you.
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