Medically reviewed by Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Shera.

Are you worried about your phone if it is not in sight for more than 2 minutes? Are you addicted to your phone and want to keep it with you at all times? Do you miss your phone while charging it? There is a debate about this mobile addiction and whether it is actually healthy or not. Many people argue that these devices help them connect with others virtually and create a better work-life balance. Research, however, says that when we get addicted to technology then our social skills and intellect weaken. We might be connecting with people virtually but what about connecting with real people in your life?

Your smartphone addiction might not be your fault. But, if you actually want to get some time off your phone then you can follow these ways to feel better.

Keep a check on yourself

It is important to time yourself when you use your phone. We might think that only an hour passed by, but actually, 4-5 hours must have passed by. People with phones know the euphoric feeling of getting engrossed so deeply that you tend to forget about your surroundings.

Therefore, you need to constantly look at the time. Or you can download apps that remind you to take a break from your phone. Use your phone only in an allotted time period and then go talk to your family members, watch TV with them and get yourself hooked to other activities.

Kill your notifications so that you can rest in peace

This is an amazing trick to keep your smartphone away. Disable all your notifications so that your mobile phone doesn’t ring or display any of them.  This trick helps because when we see a notification then instinctively we move to other applications and keep on using our phones.

During the initial days, you will unlock your phone and see if you have missed any notifications. But, as days pass, you will stop unlocking your phone and the addiction will wear down.

Start by turning off notifications from useless apps. Only let important notifications be turned on, so that if your friends or family members can call you when they need you.

Stop scrolling and give your thumb a break

Often, we tend to open up our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and keep on scrolling through the newsfeed.

This is because your mind keeps wandering and wants to look at new things that keep popping up. However, scrolling can make you easily lose track of time. A stream of bottomless social media posts forces you to continue the search and find out more interesting and engrossing posts online.

Therefore, try to delete applications with infinite scrolling options and see how much time you can save. Definitely, would be a lot of hours!

Nay to Virtual Applications and Yay to Physical ones

We rely so much on our phones because we have stopped using actual physical products. Calendars, cameras, calculators, notebooks, alarm clocks, and books are nowhere to be seen because of these smartphones.

Our constant dependence on our phones and these applications make us stray off and start using other applications. For example, we have opened the calendar on the phone to look at some date and we get distracted and turn to our Facebook application for 20 minutes. To avoid this, we need to use physical tools and not digital ones.

So, instead of using your alarm clock application get a real alarm clock. Instead of an e-book, get a hard copy. Try to replace all of these apps so that you don’t get pulled back into the digital loophole of no escape.

The Digital-Free Ending

Yes, it is ironical that you are reading this blog on your phones or laptops. But, after you read this article, keep your phone on the side and talk to your friends. Go out for dinners instead of scrolling on your Instagram newsfeed and looking at drool-worthy food pictures. Play board games offline, instead of playing them online with people you don’t know. Remember, you need to make a decision and your decision needs to be made offline. Stay healthy, keep your phone and yourself safe!

Guest Credits: Asma Qadri