Do you constantly update your activities on Snap-chat or Instagram every day? Are you keeping track of your friends on Facebook or cruising through those hard levels on candy crush or Mario Kart? You must be tech savvy! But are you sure you’re not losing more than you are gaining? Read on to know more.
Living in a pro-technology age has a plethora of advantages. Our lives have become much easier and we are headed towards a highly technology dependent era. But with this immersion, somehow the thought that you can’t survive without it, seeps into your mind.
There comes a time when you realize that when you are not on your laptop, you’re chatting with someone on your phone or watching TV. Look closely, and you may be doing all three at the same time. If this sounds like you, perhaps you are headed towards addiction to the digital screens and the internet.
Effects of Internet and Screen Addiction
Those who spend more than 6 hours on the internet on their laptops or phones, outside of official work, are said to be addicted. One would presume that an internet or screen addiction may not be as intense as being addicted to alcohol or nicotine, but this is not so.
Along with leading to bad posture and losing that 20/20 eye-sight, screen and internet addiction is seen to be related to low self-esteem, irritability and even depression when your phone or a steady internet connection is not handy.
There is a reduced need to engage in conversations outside the virtual realm and this is where the dependency (both mental and physical) begins. The internet is often seen as a getaway from the issues or obstacles in one’s life. Some create online personas that assure anonymity and acts as a way to create friendships that they are comfortable with. This sometimes unconsciously fuels one’s underlying insecurities about their appearance and personality, beginning a vicious cycle of anxiety and addiction.
How to overcome this?
This addiction, thankfully, can be positively reduced by perhaps engaging in other activities that do not involve continuously using your computer till 5 am. Although you are quite happy doing this on a daily basis, in the long run it is definitely going to take its toll.
The following measures can be followed to overcome an addiction to the internet and digital screens.
– Set a time limit – Slowly reduce the amount of time you spend using your phone or laptop and adhere to the limit that you set for yourself.
– Seek help from someone close by – Ask someone at home or from your immediate friend circle, to make sure that you are keeping to your scheduled internet and phone/laptop time (You can always watch the next episode of your favorite show tomorrow)
– Keep your internet limit low – As a precaution, revert to a lower internet plan so that you will be compelled to use it economically, not limitlessly.
– Manage your accounts – You do not need that extra email-id when you already have a fully functional one. Only keep the accounts that are a necessity and delete the others.
– Use your creative energy elsewhere – Find a replacement for the activities that you engage in on the internet and dispense that energy elsewhere.
– Find a new pass time – The internet is notoriously known for being a place where people spend their free time on. Try to spend that time reading a book, taking a walk or learning a new craft.
– Lean on your support system – Although you may think the internet feels like home, your family and friends are the living embodiments of that. Spend some time away from your phone or laptop, with your friends and family.
If you feel like the above has not worked in curbing your addiction, seek professional help. Psychologists recommend that an early intervention can prevent this from growing into an addiction that interferes with your life and goals. Do reach out to us if you would like to know more about screen and internet dependence.
Contributed by: Ms.Namrata Ramaprasad
References
http://addictionhypnotherapy.com
http://www.livestrong.com
http://www.addictionrecov.org