For many people, looking at their cell phone had become a new way of navigating the social complexities of modern life. It has become a way of avoiding uncomfortable situations, as we pick up our phone to avoid unwanted attention from others, a way of meeting potential partners through dating sites like Tinder, and a way of getting constant validation by posting online and seeking “likes.” But staying hyperconnected can interfere with your engagement in real relationships and experiences, can cause aches and pains, and interfere with sleep. It can even lead to internet addiction if you are constantly online and unable to switch off.
How to Quit Your Cell Phone Addiction and Be More Present
So what should you do when you want to disconnect from your cell phone and find it difficult? These tips can help.
Meet Face-to-Face
Whether for business or pleasure, arrange to meet in person rather than relying on the ease of texting or talking on the phone. If you can’t meet them face-to-face, then pick up the phone and talk on the phone, instead of texting. If you have news and you know you could see a friend later in the day, resist texting or posting your news on Facebook or Instagram. Wait until you see your friend, then tell them your news verbally. This will prevent your verbal and social skills from deteriorating through overuse of texting to communicate—a big problem for people with computer addiction. When you are with someone else, turn off or ignore your phone if it rings—taking a call in the middle of a conversation is the height of poor netiquette.
Choose Real Over Virtual Experiences
Make a conscious choice to have real rather than virtual experiences. Instead of checking the internet for information, head to the library and pick up a book. Instead of playing video games, join a team or a chess club. Get out to see live entertainers, rather than viewing everything online. This will improve your physical and mental health, and reduce addictive patterns of behavior. And you might just find the real world is more dynamic, multi-faceted and enjoyable than the virtual world.
Save the Bedroom for Sleep and Sex
A central component of good sleep habits, keeping your bedroom for sleep and sex, and leaving your cell phone in another room of the house will not only improve your sleep quality. It will reduce the likelihood that texting and phoning will encroach on your personal time. And if you are depending on your cell phone for sexting, internet porn, or other cybersex activities, your sex life may be heading for trouble.
Value the Empty Spaces in Your Day
One of the reasons we become dependent on our cell phones is because it is so easy to take them out every time you have an empty space in your day. An unfortunate consequence of this is that it can feel like a waste of time whenever you aren’t checking your emails when you aren’t engaged in another activity. Yet the empty spaces are important for being comfortable with yourself, and the process of just being, which is an important part of mental wellness. Use this time to practice mindfulness or another relaxation technique.
Set Your Own Limits
Instead of automatically thinking you should have your cell phone to hand at all times, set limits around when you will or will not look at it. Deliberately leave it out of reach when you would really rather focus on some other part of your experience. You can always return calls or reply to emails later.
