How to start using your mobile phone less and pay more attention to your surroundings

It cannot be denied that mobile phones have managed to become one of the most versatile objects that we own and use regularly; If we had been told a few decades ago that these electronic devices would become a kind of miniature computers and with integrated video camera, surely we would not have believed.

However, this also has its drawbacks, especially considering that various applications and digital platforms they have become very good at offering us a constant bombardment of content that matches our tastes and interests. That is why many people ask themselves the following question: How to start using the mobile phone less and pay more attention to what life offers me? In fact, there are those who perceive their problem as if it were an addiction.

At present, more and more people realize that they make excessive use of their mobiles on a daily basis and that they intend to reduce the use of the telephone in their day to day to live a more conscious life focused on the stimuli that come to us from the physical world, the one with which we interact in a more authentic.

Tips to use your smartphone less and pay attention to your surroundings

If you too want to make this change in lifestyle a reality, here are the main tips that you can follow to start using your mobile phone less and start paying more attention to your environment.

1. Include in your schedule activities designed to be incompatible with the mobile

The first thing we must learn to use the mobile less is that we are the ones who must control the technology, and not the other way around. This means that, whenever we have doubts about whether or not we are able to control the need for manipulate the mobile, we must try to carry out all kinds of leisure activities that facilitate the things; instead of focusing on suppressing the urge to look at the screen of our smartphone in search of something that the digital world can offer ourselves, it is better to focus on other activities that, while being motivating, are incompatible with watching the mobile.

For example, if you notice that when you go to the gym you find it difficult to resist the urge to use your mobile while you If you exercise on the stationary bike, change this exercise for the elliptical, which will keep your hands busy. If you have noticed that you spend most of your free time in bed using WhatsApp, include hobbies in your schedule that require you to give all your attention to other things: painting on a canvas, restoring old furniture in your house, going for a run, etc.

Some of the plans that we can carry out without our mobile are: playing sports, reading, going to the movies, meeting friends, going for a walk, playing sports, going out to dinner or going on excursions in the countryside.

• Related article: "How to build healthy habits?"

2. Leave the mobile at home from time to time

Leave your mobile at home from time to time, as long as you don't expect an urgent call or message, too will help you verify that living without being glued to your smartphone is possible.

It is likely that the first few days it will be difficult for you to leave it at home, due to the need that we have developed to constantly have the mobile with us; however, that process is part of a normal "disengagement" progress.

3. Leave the mobile to another person you have close

Leaving your mobile phone with a trusted friend, relative or partner is also one of the tests that you can put yourself to discover if you are capable of disconnecting from the phone for a few hours.

Being a few hours without this device, knowing that another person has it will allow us to live fully our life for several hours and focus more on the real world around us, and to the time we make sure that in case we are told of an emergency we will be available.

4. Boost your social life based on in-person encounters

The best thing to forget about the mobile is to focus our attention on other things and social life can be one of the great supports we have to get rid of the ties of technology mobile.

Going out and meeting other people, forgetting about the tyranny of screens It will make us live calmer, calmer and will allow us to enjoy a better quality of life.

• You may be interested in: "How to make friends and deepen your relationships, in 7 steps"

5. call instead of writing

Starting to call instead of writing via instant messaging will allow us to reduce the time in which we are connected to the mobile and will also serve to that communications are shorter and more fluidmoving away from the feared FOMO that generates waiting for someone to write us back.

Although it may seem tiring or exhausting, acquiring the habit of calling to directly say what we want to share will help us to depend less and less on the mobile.

6. Turn off notifications

In this period of change it is also time to consider the deactivation of mobile phone notifications, especially those accessory ones that are not so important, such as those of social networks that we rarely use or other applications.

This will help us to be much calmer and will avoid having to keep an eye on when our mobile device rings at all times.

7. Remove useless apps

Deleting useless applications that we do not need will also help us to reduce the number of distractions that our device can have as much as possible.

The ideal is to leave the mobile without any accessory application that can make us waste time excessively, such as photo apps, games, hobbies or photos. All this will leave us free time to enjoy our life in the real world.

8. Look for other alternative devices

In case we use the mobile to listen to music, read books or play video games, it may be a good idea to “assign” these tasks to other products, such as an electronic book reader or paper book, a conventional game console, a smart watch, etc.

9. Use night mode

At bedtime it is important to avoid any contact with the mobile and in general all kinds of electronic devices that can keep us awake or disturb us.

That is why it is of great importance to activate the night mode before going to sleep so that no noise from totifications or calls can disturb us during sleep.

10. Put your phone away when you work

When we work or carry out any important activity that requires our full attention, it is important to put the phone as far away as possible and face down. This applies both when working and when studying, being in a work meeting or in any type of important project.

11. Propose personal challenges

Assuming personal challenges about disconnecting with the mobile phone will allow us to improve ourselves and beat your own time records without looking at your mobile.

For example, we can propose to spend 3 or 4 hours without looking at it and increase our brand the next day.

12. Turn off your work mobile at the end of your day

At the end of our work or when going to dinner we can turn off the mobile and spend the rest of the day enjoying some quiet time alone or with our family.

This is important to be practiced by both adults and adolescents and young children.

Are you looking for psychological assistance to improve your lifestyle?

If you want to have the help of a psychologist to give a boost to your personal development and better manage your time, contact me.

My name is javier ares, I am a psychologist specialized in Clinical Psychology, and I offer face-to-face sessions and by video call.