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Smartphone Addiction 37
Smartphone Addiction texting or blogging is your way of coping having lunch, dinner, or drinks together,
with stress or anger. Or maybe you have have everyone place their smartphones face
trouble relating to others and find it easier to down on the table. Even as the phones buzz
Continued from Page 35 communicate with people online. Building and beep, no one is allowed to grab their
skills in these areas will help you weather device. If someone can’t resist checking
the stresses and strains of daily life without their phone, that person has to pick up the
Withdrawal symptoms from relying on your smartphone. check for everyone.
smartphone addiction • Remove social media apps from your
• Recognize any underlying problems that phone so you can only check Facebook,
A common warning sign of smartphone or may support your compulsive behavior. Twitter and the like from your computer.
Internet addiction is experiencing withdrawal Have you had problems with alcohol or And remember: what you see of others on
drugs in the past? Does anything about your social media is rarely an accurate reflection
symptoms when you try to cut back on your
smartphone use remind you of how you of their lives—people exaggerate the
smartphone use. These may include:
used to drink or use drugs to numb or positive aspects of their lives, brushing over
distract yourself? the doubts and disappointments that we all
• Restlessness
experience. Spending less time comparing
• Anger or irritability
• Strengthen your support network. Set yourself unfavorably to these stylized
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sleep problems aside dedicated time each week for representations can help to boost your mood
• Craving access to your smartphone or other friends and family. If you are shy, there are and sense of self-worth.
device. ways to overcome social awkwardness and • Limit checks. If you compulsively check
make lasting friends without relying on your phone every few minutes, wean
social media or the Internet. To find people yourself off by limiting your checks to once
Self-help tips for smartphone
with similar interests, try reaching out to every 15 minutes. Then once every 30
addiction
colleagues at work, joining a sports team or minutes, then once an hour. If you need
book club, enrolling in an education class, help, there are apps that can automatically
There are a number of steps you can take to get
or volunteering for a good cause. You’ll be limit when you’re able to access your
your smartphone and Internet use under control.
able to interact with others like you, let phone.
While you can initiate many of these measures
relationships develop naturally, and form • Curb your fear of missing out. Accept that
yourself, an addiction is hard to beat on your
friendships that will enhance your life and by limiting your smartphone use, you’re
own, especially when temptation is always
strengthen your health. likely going to miss out on certain
within easy reach. It can be all too easy to slip
invitations, breaking news, or new gossip.
back into old patterns of usage. Look for outside
Modify your smartphone use, step-by- There is so much information available on
support, whether it’s from family, friends, or a
step the Internet, it’s almost impossible to stay
professional therapist. on top of everything, anyway. Accepting
To help you identify your problem areas, this can be liberating and help break your
For most people, getting control over their
keep a log of when and how much you use your
smartphone and Internet use isn’t a case of reliance on technology.
smartphone for non-work or non-essential
quitting cold turkey. Think of it more like going
activities. There are specific apps that can help
on a diet. Just as you still need to eat, you (Continued on Page 38)
with this, enabling you to track the time you
spend on your phone. Are there times of day that probably still need to use your phone for work,
you use your phone more? Are there other school, or to stay in touch with friends. Your
goal should be to cut back to more healthy
things you could be doing instead? The more Dan Clark, Co-Host of Heart Two Heart with
levels of use.
you understand your smartphone use, the easier Dan and Angela on John Le Bon’s
it will be to curb your habits and regain control “opinions” on 9/11 stated during his
• Set goals for when you can use your
of your time. interview with Rob McConnell on The ‘X’
smartphone. For example, you might
Zone Radio Show in a message to Rob:
schedule use for certain times of day, or you
• Recognize the triggers that make you
could reward yourself with a certain amount
reach for your phone. Is it when you’re “Thank you Rob!!!
lonely or bored? If you are struggling with of time on your phone once you’ve
depression, stress, or anxiety, for example, completed a homework assignment or You were an American hero last night
finished a chore, for instance.
your excessive smartphone use might be a throwing that crazy conspiracy theorist off
• Turn off your phone at certain times of
way to self-soothe rocky moods. Instead, your show.
the day, such as when you’re driving, in a
find healthier and more effective ways of
meeting, at the gym, having dinner, or
managing your moods, such as practicing
playing with your kids. Don’t take your These guys need to be shut down hard.
relaxation techniques.
phone with you to the bathroom.
This type or crazy rhetoric hate from people
• Understand the difference between • Don’t bring your phone or tablet to bed. like John Le Bob,needs to go back into the
interacting in-person and online. Human The blue light emitted by the screens can holes they came out of!
beings are social creatures. We’re not meant disrupt your sleep if used within two hours
of bedtime. Turn devices off and leave them
to be isolated or to rely on technology for
in another room overnight to charge. Instead This was no different than saying Nazi
human interaction. Socially interacting with
of reading eBooks on your phone or tablet at Germany concentration camps never existed.
another person face-to-face—making eye
night, pick up a book. You’ll not only sleep
contact, responding to body language—can
better but research shows you’ll also This is so disrespectful for Those who
make you feel calm, safe, and understood,
remember more of what you’ve read. suffered.
and quickly put the brakes on stress.
• Replace your smartphone use with
Interacting through text, email or messaging
bypasses these nonverbal cues so won’t healthier activities. If you are bored and Thanks for standing up, for all those who
have the same effect on your emotional lonely, resisting the urge to use your suffered, they deserve it!!
smartphone can be very difficult. Have a
well-being. Besides, online friends can’t
plan for other ways to fill the time, such as May this action you took be an example for
hug you when a crisis hits, visit you when
meditating, reading a book, or chatting with all of us to follow when these type people
you’re sick, or celebrate a happy occasion
friends in person. start make noise!!”
with you.
• Play the “phone stack” game. Spending
time with other smartphone addicts? Play Dan Clark
• Build your coping skills. Perhaps tweeting,
the “phone stack” game. When you’re
