surprising that we view them as indispensable, to a point that we would find ourselves lost without them.
However, if you are spending more time checking texts, scrolling through you social media or playing games more than you are interacting with real people, chances are you might be addicted to your smartphone.
Smartphone addiction, which often arises from Internet overuse problem or Internet addiction, can be detrimental to your work, studies, relationships and daily life.
According to HelpGuide, such addictive behaviour can negatively impact your health by increasing loneliness and depression; fuelling anxiety; increasing stress; exacerbating attention deficit disorders; diminishing your concentration, creativity and critical thinking; disturbing your sleep; and driving self-absorption.
Overcoming smartphone addiction requires recognising its symptoms, which can be done by keeping a log of your smartphone usage.
These symptoms include having trouble accomplishing tasks at home or work; isolating from family and friends too frequently; concealing your smartphone use; experiencing a “fear of missing out” (FOMO); and feeling dreadful, anxious or panicky when leaving your device at home.
It also helps to find any underlying concerns that trigger your smartphone use; a research on smartphone activities and addiction among college students in the United States believed that those who compulsively use them might be their way of avoiding issues in their lives that they find too difficult to resolve.
Other steps in curbing smartphone addiction include:
- Removing time-consuming apps from your phone
- Changing your settings to eliminate push notifications and other disruptive alerts
- Setting your screen to greyscale or blue light filter to keep it from waking you at night
- Keeping your phone out of sight and charging your phone outside your bedroom
- Developing more fulfilling hobbies by replacing mobile games and social media apps with real-world activities, such as meeting with friends, playing sports or doing volunteer work
- Adopting a growth mindset, because it takes time to overcome the addiction. Expect some setbacks, and learn from each experience in your journey towards healthier smartphone use
- Seeking outside help and support, whether from family members, friends or a professional therapist
