Our lives seem to be ruled by smartphones and technology: here are five things to give up today to change course
Nothing to deny we live immersed in technology, or rather in a smartphonein every moment of our days, from the moment we open our eyes in the morning to the moment we go to bed at the end of the day.
This is because of the small screen we always carry in our pocket or hand. it has long ceased to be “only” a means of communication (vocal or written), but with the development of technology, it has absorbed the functions of different subjects.
A smartphone is an agenda, a calendar, a reminder, a morning alarm clock, a shopping list in a supermarket, a credit card, a virtual store, a music and movie player, a source of information, a video game. console and a thousand other things together.
In short, it is an incredibly useful tool that can make our lives easier in many ways. But it can also ruin it. Indiscriminate smartphone use not only takes up a lot of our time, but also consumes our mental energy and leaves us demotivated, tired and bored.
Do you know that feeling of “emptiness” that comes after half an hour of browsing social media or watching YouTube videos of kittens? The content we consumed led to the release dopamine cheaply entered our brain and somewhat anesthetized it.
Our brain, which is “programmed” for get maximum satisfaction with minimum effortbecomes addicted to these dopamine releases resulting from the use of social networks, which, in order to be perceived, do not require any intellectual or physical effort on our part.
All we have to do is open the social network app and move our finger to switch from one content to another. Our brain is instantly gratified and will soon become addicted to this type of entertainment.
The misuse of technology in our daily lives leads to alienation from the present moment, isolation and ultimately unhappiness. How can we break this dangerous cycle of addiction and reclaim our lives with a more peaceful and happy life?
Here are five tech habits you should quit right now (and tips on how to do it better) to regain full control of your life and your well-being.
See also: Smartphones: the danger of unconscious and ignored addiction in a new study
Infinite Scroll
As we said, getting lost in the maze of social content will get you nowhere – quite the contrary. makes our brain more and more lethargic and are not inclined to work hard to achieve results (in school, sports, social relationships).
Before trying any solution, let’s check how much time we spend with the screen of a mobile phone and in particular on social networks – all smartphones are equipped with an interface that allows us to find out this information.
We will be surprised at the amount of time lost on Instagram or TikTok.especially if we complain every day that we don’t have time to call a friend or go to the gym.
To limit this waste of time and energy, we can activate a time block on the social networks and apps that grab our attention the most. We are not too demanding of ourselves – at least at first.
If we are used to spending hours on social media, we set an initial limit of 30 minutes, which we will gradually reduce over several weeks: too strict restrictions will be unbearable at firstand we will be tempted to abandon our goal.
At the same time, by limiting our use of social media, we find alternative activities to overcome boredom and keep our minds busy. We could replace scrolling with reading a good book, some kind of manual activity (crocheting, decoupage…) or a useful crossword puzzle.
Read also: Why you should activate this setting on your smartphone if you want to reduce your dependence on social networks
st.notification overload
Kitten videos or recipe videos aren’t the only things that are addictive in our brains. Notification sounds too (messages, emails, social networks) that constantly distract us and prevent us from focusing, they are addictive.
Why? Subconsciously, every time we hear a call, we know that someone is thinking of us – and this also brings satisfaction. In addition, we are interested in knowing who wrote or contacted us, and this makes us immediately pick up a smartphone.
We regain control of our concentration disabling unnecessary notifications and setting Airplane mode when we work or we spend time with loved ones, limiting responses to messages and comments to a certain (small) period of the day.
Read also: Digital detox, 100% relaxation guaranteed! Spend your holidays without being distracted by notifications
Comparison on ssocial media
Spying on the lives of others through social networks is harmful and dangerous.. It makes us jealous of a friend who is on vacation in an exotic place, who has a dream job, or who has a fantastic sentimental relationship.
What we see on social media is not reality: we all show only the best sides of our days – very often artificially created only in order to arouse the admiration and envy of others.
Again, let’s limit social media use and reject those people (influencers or people we know) that we end up jealous of in a negative and toxic way.
Then we take a piece of paper and a pen and put down on paper our skills, our strengths, the beautiful things in our lives that we often don’t realize: with this simple exercise we will find that we have so many things that we can be happy and satisfied with.
See also: Bafta TV Awards winner Kate Winslet gives a poignant speech on social addiction with her daughter Mia
Mobile phone in bed late
Using a mobile phone until late, for example when we take it to bed, makes it difficult to fall asleep and greatly impairs the quality of a night’s rest.
The blue light emitted by screens actually suppresses the body’s production of melatonin, the hormone of rest and sleep. In practice, by exposing ourselves to this light, we deceive the brain into believing that it is still daytime, and thereby delay the time for falling asleep.
It goes without saying that a poor night’s sleep harms our productivity during the day. For this reason, we should turn off all devices at least an hour before bedtime, preventing the smartphone from entering the resting environment.
If we’re having trouble falling asleep, let’s resist the temptation to spend some time on social media and read a few pages of a book instead: reading calms our nerves and slows our heart rate, preparing us for proper rest.
See also: Smartphone in bed. How not to lose sleep due to blue light
No to multitasking
For too long we have been told to do several things at the same time (the so-called multitasking) was a way to become more productive.
The use of technologies that allow us to do more things at once and be in more places at the same time has done nothing but support the “benefits” that come from multitasking.
Multitasking leads to fragmentation of our attention, distraction and inattention, and possibly to making stupid mistakes that we would not make if we focused on only one thing.
Try to focus on one activity (by eliminating distractions, as we mentioned) and you will immediately notice an increase in your levels of focus, speed, and productivity.
See also: Multitasking reduces memory, and ultimately IQ. New studio
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