Phone Addiction Is Real | 9+ Tips to Shed the Dopamine Urge
You've probably heard it before, but you can actually be addicted to your phone. Unfortunately, many of us are already addicted, even if we don't know it already.
Just like any other addiction, your phone can be addicting because of the dopamine your brain releases when you use it. This chemical makes you feel good and makes your brain crave more dopamine by doing the same thing you did before: browsing social media, playing games, watching movies, you name it.
Unfortunately, the more dopamine you release, the more tolerance your body creates against it, making it hard to have that good feeling you did before, even though you're doing the same thing on your phone.
So if, for instance, your body used to release dopamine simply by using your phone for 30 minutes, now it might need 45 minutes to do the same. In the future, it might need one hour, then two hours, and so on.
Unfortunately, just like every addiction, this happens automatically. If you're not careful, you might have an addiction to your phone without even noticing it.
The good news is that there are things you can do to stop the dopamine urge. Read on for 9 tips for stopping your phone addiction before it begins.
Set a Time During the Day or Week to Not Use Your iPhone
One of the best things you can do to avoid any dopamine addiction is to be mindful of your obsession and stop using your iPhone. While some people suggest that you should go a whole day or even a week without using your phone, or at least using it as little as possible, we know that feels nearly impossible.
Instead, you should start small. Choose a time during the day when you'll be off your phone for good. You can start with 60 minutes without even touching your phone and then start increasing the time when you feel more comfortable.
Your goal should be to aim for a complete day when you don't use your phone at all. For instance, force yourself not to use your phone at all on Sundays. The good news is that if you can do this without feeling anything, then you might not be as addicted to your phone as you feared.
Get Rid of Apps That You're Using Way Too Much
This tip seems like a no-brainer, but it's incredibly difficult to implement, especially if you're not tracking how much time you spend on your phone.
After all, it's not your phone you're really addicted to; it's all the apps and platforms that have spent millions of dollars finding new ways to get you addicted to them. These are the apps you should get rid of.
Sure, apps like Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok are obvious options, but what if you have other apps you haven't even considered? For this, you can use the Screen Time feature on your iPhone.
Go to Settings > Screen Time, and then tap on See All App & Website Activity. This will show you how much time you spend on your iPhone and which apps you use the most. If they're not apps that you need, like work or school apps, delete them from your iPhone.
Set Up App Limits on Your iPhone
If you aren't ready to delete all the addictive apps on your iPhone, there's something else you can do.
Your iPhone has a feature called App Limits as part of the Screen Time settings. With it, you can choose to set a time limit for a specific app or group of apps per day. For instance, you can set a 30-minute time limit for Instagram, which means that your iPhone will "block" the app after you've used it for half an hour.
Unfortunately, this feature isn't as effective, as you can always just choose to keep using the app for a few more minutes before you see the alert on the screen again. Still, it's a great way to start if you don't think you're ready to get rid of all your favorite apps.
Turn Off All Notifications
One thing that makes apps so addictive is all the notifications they send. Even if you close an app and are ready to be productive, you might still get a notification about something you feel like you've got to check out right away.
Of course, these notifications can usually wait and are often not worth your time.
This is why you should consider turning off all notifications that aren't important. Go to Settings > Notifications, scroll down, and turn off the notifications from as many apps as you can. You can leave notifications on for important apps like your mail app for work-related stuff.
If you don't get any notifications during the day, it'll be harder to lose your focus when you're supposed to be productive.
Start Using Focus Modes
If you feel like you have to keep some notifications turned on for school or work-related stuff, you can use Focus Mode instead. Focus Mode on the iPhone works like the Do Not Disturb feature. When it's turned on, you won't get notifications from any app or contact unless you make an exception.
The great thing about Focus Modes is that you can create as many as you want for different parts of your life. So you can create a Work Focus Mode for when you're in the office, and then turn on a Personal Focus Mode, when you're with your family, so you don't get distracting notifications from coworkers who don't respect your boundaries.
You can create as many Focus Modes as you want by going to Settings > Focus. From there, you can create any Focus Mode you want. You can set different Lock Screens and Home Screens so it's easier to find the apps you need during specific parts of your day.
Keep Your Phone Far Away
One way to resist the urge to use your phone is to keep it away from you as much as possible. Try keeping your phone in a different room when you're working or studying.
Also, it's recommended that you don't sleep with your iPhone nearby. The farther, the better, as you won't be tempted to scroll the web for a bit before you sleep. Additionally, keeping your iPhone away from your bed is a good way to ensure you'll always wake up on time, as you'll be forced to stand up to silence the alarm.
Make Your iPhone Uncomfortable to Use
Another simple way to make you want to stop using your iPhone is to make it hard or uncomfortable to use. There are many ways to do this, and sometimes you'll need to get creative, but here are a couple of suggestions.
First, you can turn your screen black and white. This will remove the flashing colors that might pop up on some apps or games designed to give you that dopamine rush. If you have an iPhone, you can change your display by going to Settings > Accessibility > Display Text & Size > Color Filters.
From there, turn on Color Filters and select Grayscale. You can also choose other options and even switch the intensity. It doesn't matter which one you choose; just try to make your iPhone as uncomfortable to use as possible.
On the other hand, if you like using your iPhone at night, be sure to set your brightness all the way up. If you do that, it will be almost impossible to pick up your iPhone and use it at night without feeling like you're staring directly into the sun.
Last but not least, try using a hairband. Yes, you read that right. Some people recommend putting a hairband right in the middle of your iPhone. This way, not only will your visibility be blocked, but doing things like texting or scrolling down will be annoying and almost impossible. Still, the hairband still gives you enough room to answer work messages or phone calls.
Turn Your Smartphone Into a Dumb Phone
Dumb phones have become more popular over the last few years, and there's a reason for that. Many users feel overwhelmed by the constant notifications and distractions a smartphone brings.
While you can't necessarily make your phone completely dumb, if you have an iPhone, there's a way to limit your access to almost all the apps installed.
This is thanks to a feature called Assistive Access, which is actually meant to simplify your iPhone so it's easier to use for people who have difficulty using smartphones.
Here's how to set up Assistive Access:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and go to accessibility.
- Scroll down and tap Assistive Access.
- Tap on Set Up Assistive Access and then tap on Continue.
- Follow the instructions on your screen, and then choose and customize the apps you want to be available in Assistive Access.
Will Assistive Access do the same work as using an actual dumbphone? Probably not, but it's a great way to only focus on specific apps while leaving all the distracting ones behind.
Find Something Else You Can Do (Offline)
People often habitually reach for their phones simply because they have nothing better to do or feel bored. If that's one of the things that makes you want to use your phone, the best solution is to find something else to do.
There are plenty of ways to kill time without using your phone. You can go for a walk, start a puzzle, learn to draw, read a new book, maybe even learn how to cook or start working out at home. The possibilities are literally endless.
Find something you might enjoy doing and use it as a replacement for your phone addiction.
Don't Let Your Phone Control You
Smartphones are very useful tools, and to some extent, we're privileged to have so much technology in the palm of our hands. However, they're also a double-edged sword.
Having a phone addiction is a real problem, and you should treat it as such. Fortunately, it's easy to start breaking your phone addiction and build better habits along the way.
Of course, remember that you need to be mindful about it and try to follow the tips on this list. Sure, you can delete all the apps on your phone, but installing them again in a flash is just as easy. Make an effort and push yourself past the urge to browse social media or play video games on your phone.