Ok, it’s time to get out of denial and accept the fact that we are addicted to our phones; we are addicted to what is going on in everyone else’s lives besides our own. As an extremely busy college student, I realized I needed to appreciate what is going on in my life. One minute you’re nine years old and in third grade but then you blink and you’re 20 years old with bills and real responsibilities *sigh*. It’s time that we all realize that we need to take a step back, breathe, and appreciate the little things in life. So here are a few tips to help us cut down on our addiction – taking baby steps at a time.
1. Turn your notifications off.
I know, you’re probably thinking “why in the world would I do that”. But if you turn off your notifications to Twitter and Instagram then you won’t know when someone is liking your photo or tweet, so you won’t feel obligated to go check your interactions every time. This way, you’ll only think about checking the apps when it’s on your time instead of every single time that you get a notification. I’ve done this and it has helped tremendously because I never feel that constant pressure of having to check my notifications.
2. Stop focusing on who likes your pictures.
Why does it matter who likes your pictures/posts because the entire point of having a social media page is to post things that YOU like? So if you’re feeling your self(ie) then it shouldn’t matter what others think!
3. Unfollow negative people.
If we are going to be addicted to social media, we might as well follow people who are going to send us positive messages. Unfollow the people who bring negative thoughts to your mind because ain’t nobody got time for that!
4. Put your phone in a pile when you’re with friends.
When I’m with my friends at dinner we all put our phones in the middle of the table and the first one to check their phone has to get up and get us all dessert or refills on our drinks or something like that. Many people say that the person pays for the meal… but let’s be real, we are broke college students. Besides, we are lazy; getting up to get something feels like the end of the world.
5. Limit social media before bed.
Ok let’s be honest… we all get into our beds at 10 p.m. but then we don’t go to bed until probably midnight because we just sit on our phones the entire time. This takes away from our beauty sleep, so a way to help this would be to give yourself only 30 minutes and then turn your phone off. But putting your phone down after a certain time is a good habit to start to help you get to bed early and to help you unwind from other people’s lives.
6. You are NOT obligated to post your every move for the day.
Stop feeling the need to post everything that you do. If you feel like you have to post all of the time for your followers, then you have fake followers because your followers should be loyal whether you post 20 times a day or once a week. You have a life outside of social media so it is okay if you can’t post all of the time, and you shouldn’t feel like you have to.
7. Stop relying on social media to meet new people.
Social media is a great advantage to network with other people, but that cannot be the only way that we interact with other people. Social media is going to make people incapable of socializing in real life, don’t let that happen to you!
8. Put your phone down and appreciate the moment.
Sometimes we forget that we are experiencing once in a lifetime events or that we are in the middle of something extremely beautiful or fun. We are too busy posting about it on social media instead of taking the time to take it in for ourselves. Snapchat doesn’t care, but you should.
9. Read a book in your free time instead of being on social media.
I have to admit that anytime I have free time in-between a class or just free time in general I usually spend that time on my phone. Instead, let’s try to have a book that we like to read or something that’s due for class that we can work on during our free time.
10. Put your phone away in class.
It’s such a hassle to want to pay attention to your professor lecturing about agriculture or something that doesn’t spark your interest, trust me… BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! But it will ultimately help you in the long run if you put your phone in your backpack and don’t touch it until the end of class. Not only will it help your grades, but it’s respectful to your professor because they can point you out even in a 300-person lecture room…
11. Always remind yourself of your priorities.
Whenever you know that you have homework or other important priorities that are more important, fight the temptation and get off Twitter. Sometimes we need to make a list of everything that we need to get done before we can allow ourselves to get on our phones. SELF-CONTROL PEOPLE, WE GOT THIS!
12. Put your phone down in “awkward” situations.
We are all guilty of relying on our handy phone to get us through those awkward moments of being in the elevator with strangers, or using it so we don’t have to be social. NO. Put your phone down and talk to people, that is what life is all about… what do you think people did before phones existed?
13. Remember, the outdoors DO still exist.
Don’t let your phone or any electronics stop you from going outside and enjoying the weather. This world is full of different things to do and nature gives us plenty of free options. There are also many other things to do like rollerblading, bowling, or mini-golfing… just remember that you don’t have to Snapchat every second of your day ;)