Top tips to reduce your phone screen time!
Top tips to reduce your phone screen time!
It can be so easy to spend hours using your phone, especially during these times. Covid-19 has us glued to our screens, whether checking news updates, scrolling social media, watching the latest TikTok craze or keeping up with the endless WhatsApp group chats but it can quickly feel overwhelming and time-consuming.
Signs that you might have an unhealthy relationship with your phone:
• You catch yourself on the phone at the dinner table or when you’re chatting to your family even though you are enjoying conversation
• You realise you never have your phone out of sight
• It’s the first thing you in the morning and the last thing you see at night
• You use it as an escape route. Bored? Scroll Facebook. Procrastinating? Check Instagram. In a queue? Text.
• If you’re having a dream moment and instead of savouring it, you take your phone out to “capture” it.
• Do you get very anxious if you have left your phone at home?
Try to reduce your dependence on smartphones by:
Turning off your notifications
Every time your phone pings or buzzes, do you check it? Of course we do! By simply turning off our notifications or putting them on silent, you can stop keep this constant checking to a minimum and get other tasks completed or enjoy the moment you’re in.
Getting outdoors
A lot of the time using your phone is down to pure boredom, you are scrolling for hours on Facebook to achieve absolutely nothing. Yes, we too have been there. So why not use this time to get outside and enjoy your one form of exercise without your phone.
Taking short breaks from your phone
Ease yourself into taking breaks from your phone. Start by putting your phone away for 15 minutes without looking at it for one day, the next break day, away for 30 minutes.
In addition, set aside daily periods with no screen time such as mealtimes with the family.
Starting to read
Who doesn’t love a good book and cup of tea? So, grab a book – when things return to normal your hectic lifestyle will quickly come back and you mightn’t get the chance to enjoy reading. Reading is the best medication for a healthy mind, and it allows you to escape into a different land, even for a little while.
