Smart phones control every aspect of our daily lives, including our relationships, our free time and our sleep. It's about time we reclaim our lives.
The Nagging Feelings of Addiction: "What if Someone Texted Me?"
While going through our day, few distractions arise that could trump the constant nagging feeling of what we're missing out on. It's surprising when you realize that, "The average smart phone user checks their phone over 47 times per day," according to statista.com. This constant checking of our phone leads to a decrease in productivity. Every time we check our phones it derails our focus. It becomes more difficult to complete tasks when we experience a stop-start side-effect from our smartphone addiction.
Improving Your Relationship With Your Phone:
The strategies found to be most effective are:
1. Managing notifications and blocking spam:
Go through your apps that spam you with useless notifications and turn off their notifications. Turning off spam notifications will allow you to focus on other aspects of your life, rather than focusing on those random coupons. Also, keeping your phone on silent allows you to check your notifications when it's most convenient.
2. Your pocket is your friend:
Keeping your phone in your pocket or purse while socializing allows you to focus on being present in conversations. If you're constantly checking your phone, it becomes impossible to hold a real conversation. Your friends and family will appreciate your participation in their conversations. You may not realize it, but, "85 percent of smart phone users check their phone while interacting with friends and family," according to Bankmycell.com.
3. Socialize, not social media:
Rather than texting, why not invite your friends over for in-person conversation? In-person socialization is necessary to living a healthy life. Face-to-face interaction holds more psychological value than textual conversations according to forbes.com. The human mind thrives off of human interaction. Actually, "People who are chronically lacking in social contacts are more likely to experience elevated levels of stress and inflammation. These, in turn, can undermine the well-being of nearly every bodily system, including the brain," according to nytimes.com.
4. Narrow down your apps:
Do you really need 12 social media apps and 5 different photo editing apps? Probably not. When you download more apps, you also gain new ways to be distracted. Every app comes with its own set of notifications and activities to help you procrastinate or impede your participation in social situations. Deleting extra apps can streamline your phone usage and help you free yourself smart phone addiction.
The Takeaway:
Regardless of how addicted to your phone you are, reducing the time you waste on your phone can vastly improve your daily life. Smart phone addiction can lead to failing school, losing friends, and all-around stressing out. When you focus on healthy tactics when using your smart phone, you can watch your relationships practically rebuild themselves.
