Overcome Your Digital Addiction This Week

How much time do you spend with technology? If you spend at least 4 to 6 hours of your leisure time in front of your computer, tablet, or mobile phone, you are definitely hooked to digital life. Digital addiction has not only infected you, but it has affected practically everyone. The only real problem is that people who are suffering from this type of addiction are unaware that it is an actual problem. 

Did you know that overwatching television and other forms of overdependence on technology have been linked to diabetes and obesity? All that sedentary time spells terrible news for people’s health. 

Are You Addicted?

Are you one of those who laugh at the idea of digital addiction because you have always associated addiction with drugs or alcohol? In truth, a person can be addicted to practically anything. 

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are just some of the social media sites that are designed to get you hooked. They use a kind of positive reinforcement that drives you to achieve social approval. 

It is like your use of them will make you feel like you are “in” a particular crowd. The apps and sites come for free, but your use of them wastes time. 

Instead of using the time to catch up on some reading, you end up checking who liked your post. Some experts have likened the checking of social media status to the use of a slot machine. People check to see how many likes they got or what comments were left. 

These social media sites have created a need for you to monitor your status and the reactions you are getting continually. 

How Do You Help Yourself Get Over Your Digital Technology Addiction?

Choose an outdoor activity over anything else

You spend most of your time in the office doing all the work you need to support your lifestyle. But when you are at home, always choose to do an outdoor activity over anything that involves digital technology. When the sun is up, go ahead and enjoy it! Go for a walk or perhaps a quick run. You can ride your bicycle or walk to your favorite coffee shop. Whatever outdoor activity you choose to do will definitely be healthy for your body. 

You don’t have to do this the whole day. Just give it an hour to start and increase the time as you go along. Make it a habit to do an outdoor activity first before using your phone, tablet, or computer. Apply this rule to everyone in the house, and you will see the vast difference that it makes in everyone’s lives. 

Consider a home furniture makeover

You have spent years living in the same house. Everything you own has found its spot that you know exactly where everything is, even with your eyes covered. Whenever it feels like your home has become too familiar, go ahead and rearrange the furniture. Or maybe find a new style for your house. In the process of planning and rearranging, make sure that you consider the focal point of your whole design. The television should be an afterthought to the rearranging of the furniture. 

While it may not seem too big of a task, the rearrangement of furniture could greatly influence your focus. 

Limit your use of social media

Social media sites have given everyone a new reason to use their computers, tablets, and mobile phones. Whether you are addicted to Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, or Twitter, impose a limit in the amount of time you use them. 

Avoid aimless browsing and use your online time with purpose. Use social media platforms to catch up on the daily news or to build up your business. This proper use of technology will be much better for your mind and your wallet.

Perhaps you could use it to research on upcoming holidays and events. You could also find the answer to the question that has bothered you for days. Then log off and keep yourself busy doing something else. 

Give yourself some reading time

You’ve always loved reading as an activity, but you can now never find the time to do it. Your schedule is just packed with everything you consider necessary. To help you lessen your digital time, challenge yourself to read at least twenty pages of a book before you log into your digital accounts. Before you know it, you’re back to reading and spending less time in the digital sphere. 

Create home projects to keep you busy

Have you ever wondered what you can accomplish when not glued to your mobile phone? Consider starting a home project. Make a list of the things you want to improve in your home. Maybe you can start by organizing the kitchen cupboard. You can label each of the jars to make it easy for everyone to see what they need. 

You could also sharpen the knives or sort the sewing materials you’ve bought. Try doing each one before going to bed at night. Soon, you won’t need screen time to tire your eyes. You’ll be too tired even to check your digital accounts. 

There is no denying that technology obsessions have taken over the lives of many. In this day and age, when everyone has an online presence, it has become impossible not to have your own social media account. It’s like everyone you know is in a world in which you also need to participate. 

Giving up the use of the digital space is a challenge for everyone. But if you genuinely want to take back ownership of your life, you have to try at least to manage your digital addiction. Perhaps engaging in other activities could help create a healthy distraction. Before you know it, you will have created a whole new life outside the digital world.