You got off of Instagram, Tiktok, and the like. Now what?
By: Alisa Portnova
I used to have a screentime average of ten hours a day, most of which was spent rotating through Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube. I had tried several times to quit the apps cold turkey, but failed within a week or so each time. Now, it has been approximately 5 months, and I still haven’t wanted to come back. I no longer find myself craving the easy dopamine nor the mind-numbing effects of doomscrolling.
The first step to fixing your phone addiction is to recognize it for what it is: an addiction. The human brain wasn’t made to receive so much dopamine so easily, and looking at your phone becomes a compulsion. You crave the much-needed dose at the most inconvenient times; at dinner with your family, a night out with friends, or waiting for transit–once it becomes reflex, it is almost impossible to separate yourself from your phone.
Don’t expect miracles and a clear road ahead. At first, my days felt too long, and I was constantly bored. Worse, I was always emotional. Social media was, to me, a suppressor: I scrolled until my brain went numb, avoiding my anxiety and stress by turning off my mind instead of confronting the issues at hand. That is also why I always went back in the past; I had nothing else to hide behind, and the hobbies I wanted to spend more time on didn’t give me the relief I craved.
Determine what crutch social media gives you, and find a hobby synonymous with that feeling. Here are some ways to manage usage:
- Scrolling to get your brain to slow down
- try coloring, doodling, mobile games. Find an activity that keeps you occupied, but that you don’t have to think too hard about.
- Using social media to repress
- Journal: Talk to friends/family/a mental health professional. Turn on some sad music and cry it out if you need to. The hard truth is, your problems are still going to be there when you stop scrolling on your feed.
- Living vicariously through others’ achievements
- Bake something easy, craft, exercise, try to tidy your room. A small source of pride from your own creation and hard work always beats looking at someone else accomplishing something totally irrelevant to you.
- Scrolling to entertain yourself
- Watch a movie, a show, read a book. If you feel like your attention span is beyond saving, watch reality TV and read thrillers–everything is so fast-paced that you’ll be too engrossed to pick up your phone for a bit.
I would also advise not go cold turkey, especially if your screentime feels synonymous with what mine once was. Start little by little. Don’t take your phone into the bathroom (gross, but I am sure we’ve all been there). Try to put it down for ten minutes of your commute and look out the window. Only take your phone out of your pocket after you finish dinner and before dessert. It really does make a difference when your phone isn’t in direct reach, like in a purse, drawer, or another room.
Making swaps helps, too. For example, when picking up my phone was still a reflex, but I had nothing to do on it, I played a lot of mobile games. Solitaire, Candy Crush, you name it. I found that playing a level got me the same dopamine burst, but it became so repetitive that eventually I would want to put my phone down, instead of forcing it out of my hands. If you scroll before bed, try an audiobook tonight, or just put a comfort show/movie on with the screen down.
There is an anxiousness about the fear of missing out. Everyone is tethered to their phones and to the lives they have created in their online presences. I promise that you aren’t missing much in the world of pop culture. There will always be celebrity breakups, new music, and other gossip that is only a small blip in your life. Besides, your friends who have social media will keep you in the loop–they have to discuss the newest reality show couple with someone.
The last thing that really made this successful for me was a plan. I wanted to read a book a week and to learn to bake. I wrote my recipes by hand from websites, and looked for new reads in the library instead of influencer recommendations. I had goals I wanted to meet, and acknowledging that my social media habit stood in the way of them would make me put my phone down for longer and longer periods of time, until I didn’t have to give myself five more minutes of screen time before a simple task.
