It seems that I go through phases of getting sucked in to phone-checking, and craving social media notifications, and at the moment, I feel like I am coming out the other side of a period of constant checking and posting, and checking! To me credit, I am glad that I realise that I get sucked in when it happens, but for me the challenge is to realise it as soon as possible and start working on getting out of it. I also like to remind myself that this is a classic ‘first-world problem’ as they call it.
Anyway, personally speaking, some the warning signs of having a negative social media habit include:
- Having a sneaky check of the phone while in the company fo friends of family
- Checking the phone first thing in the morning.
- Going on social media late at night.
- Finding myself lost in a zombie-like scrolling fest on my Facebook homepage.
- Checking notifications while I am in the middle of cooking dinner or making a coffee.
- Feeling the urge to charge up my phone immediately if the battery is running low.
- Stopping during a nice experience to get my phone out and take a snap instead of just enjoying the ride.
All of the above make me feel like I am wasting my time of planet earth, putting my sense of self worth into how many people like the things I put out there on the internet, and give me the feeling that I am not valuing the time, presence, and energy of the people whose company I have the please of being in. So below are some of the things that I fall back on/ resurrect when I feel that I am getting sucked in to digital nothingness. Instead of focusing on the negative ‘just put your damned phone away‘, which also works, I choose to focus on positive things that create a sense of wellbeing and clarity, hopefully making the next ‘relapse’ shorter and further away!
Morning Ritual
Having a few simple things to do in the morning is a great way to do something productive to set up a nice day for myself, instead of automatically checking whats happening in the fake world of status updates. A glass of water, a page of the ‘Daily Stoic’ book, and and entry into the 5 Minute Journal, is pretty easy, and super rewarding.
Journaling
Taking a bit of a time out to write in a journal is a great way for me to regain my awareness of how I spend my time. In fact this blog post is doing just that right now. Two birds with the one stone! Winning.
Reading
Having a great book at hand is the best personal substitute that I can find for my phone scrolling antics. Instead of killing brain cells with likes, shares, follows, and blue light emitting screens, a mind enriching and personally expanding read does just the opposite!
Company
OK, this is a big one for me. Setting up some meetings with friends, and chatting about business, sports, books, or anything really is a number one way to get social media stalking and aspirations of ten million followers out of your head. A fun and grounding alternative to giving your thumb tendinitis from excessive scrolling! There is only one of every person on earth, and if I have the gift of being in someone’s company, I sure as hell don’t want to throw that back in their face by checking for a little red like on my phone from some randomer half way across the world. If Karma exists, this seems to be one sure way of getting a swift kick up the ass from the Universe at a later stage!
Reminders
Things that I like to remind myself of when I find myself getting sucked into the phone are that:
- If I am not reading and learning, and am checking for social media reminders instead, I need to have a right long look at my priorities in life.
- Someday, I will be dead. Maybe today. ‘Momento Mori’ as the saying goes. Remember that you are mortal.
- The people who are right in front of me right now are more important than people I don’t know on social media.
- There is shit to do, and life to live.
- Scrolling on social media is by and large a waste of time.