4 tricks to reduce your addiction to social networks

You go to the bathroom with your mobile, you go to the kitchen with your mobile, you are watching television with your mobile, and if you could, you would put your cell phone in the shower.

Don't you think your use of technology is a bit exaggerated? In this article you will find several key ideas to prevent social media addiction or weaken it if you have already started to develop it.

• Related article: "The 14 most important types of addictions"

How to keep social media addiction at bay?

We often feel tremendously dependent on the fact of using the mobile phone and different devices electronics in order to be super connected to the outside world and, above all, not miss anything (belief false).

The other day I saw an interview that the psychologist Bertrand Regader conducted for BBVA, in which he talked about FOMO syndrome (Fear Of Missing Out). In this one he explains to us what is this fear of missing something that the rest are experiencing (and despite the fact that he related to saving, I would like to relate it to the addiction to be aware of the networks); Due to this phenomenon, we spend the day in social networks seeking to live those experiences, and thus those platforms virtual make us want to continue consuming and accessing situations of this kind Bertrand).

For these reasons, This rooting that we suffer, firstly to the mobile phone and secondly to the hypervigilance of the networks, generates a state of very high sensitivity for which we want to be highly attentive to something that does not stop stimulating us (since we follow many people on the Internet).

Faced with this reality, I have written a series of tips or tricks that I would like to help you with; I have used them on a personal level and also with patients, so I think it's great that you apply them too. Without further ado he left you with them.

1. When you go to sleep, leave your mobile in a fixed place

When you go to sleep it is important to leave your mobile phone in a place that is not within reach of your hand. So you will not fall into the use of this device and you can start the dream without being distracted. Has it ever happened to you that you open your eyes at 4:00 a.m. and the first thing you do is pick up your mobile to see the time and there you see a WhatsApp, you read it, it makes you think, you wake up, and in the end they give you 6 o'clock? I propose:

• Do not use the mobile as an alarm clock.
• Buy a table alarm clock.
• Leave the mobile charging in the living room.
• Put the mobile in airplane mode when you go to sleep.

2. Look at moments of total disconnection

Fixed hours of disconnection are essential. The brain also suffers from neuronal fatigue and letting it relax without any stimulation is very healthy. Why do you think that when we go to sleep with a head problem the next day we see it much better? To think, the brain well needs to rest. For this I am going to propose:

• 2 fixed hours a day without the mobile.
• Don't look at it until after you eat breakfast.
• Install an app that restricts use.

3. Do not focus your free time on it

Surely you do many things in your free time on it, such as games or other hobbies. There is more life beyond the mobile! Think about it. Surely you have abandoned activities of the past that you would like to rediscover. In this case it is important rediscover hobbies without using screens. Similarly, you can start going out on the street to run, or for example painting or any other activity where you set your mind.

• You may be interested in: "How can I make the most of my free time? 7 steps to follow "

4. Locate your loops

It will surely happen to you that you enter an infinite loop of social networks, following a hypervigilance of these and never giving you for satiated. It is important that you see and pair them. I advise you to look at the time of use of your mobile apps to become aware of which ones you use the most and thus begin to ration the use of them.

Gaining a new life without dependence on social networks

I recommend you follow all these tips and put them into practice. When asked "how do I know if I am addicted to social networks?", I would tell you to look at how far they lead you to stop doing things in your day to day or whether all your leisure focuses on them, thus generating anxiety when you do not have direct contact with these platforms digital.

Maybe you need the opinion of a specialist ...

My name is Javier Ares and I am a specialist in anxiety and disorders related to it (such as addictions).

If you need help, do not hesitate to contact me through my directory where you can see opinions of other patients about me. do click here to go to my directory.