Who’s in Control?
Until you learn to control your thoughts/impulses, you will never be in control of your own life.
Let’s say you have your music playing while you’re in the midst of working out, painting, baking, or anything else you love to do. You go to change the song and soon, you find yourself falling into the abyss of mindless scrolling once more.
Overtime, this mere act has become an automated habit that may seem unbreakable. We’ve engraved in our minds that each moment our phone is unlocked, we must open apps x, y, and z.
Even when we have a specific task to do on our phone (ex: change a song), we will, more often than not, find ourselves fulfilling the prophecy of this insidious habit.
How to Take Back Control
1. Each time you open your phone, open it mindfully, even if you’re merely checking the time.
It helps when saying aloud (or to yourself) what you intend to do once the phone is on/unlocked before doing so.
2. Catch yourself when you begin to drift away into the endless rabbit hole.
If you find yourself closing out of an intended app (Spotify) and begin to open another that was not intended (social media), pause for a moment before continuing. This gives you some time to refocus your attention on your goal of breaking this habit.
When I find myself in the midst of doing this, I immediately press the power button, set my phone down, and go do something else/re-engage with the task at hand. I often remind myself that this is not what this moment is for (checking social media), but for changing a song/etc.
3. Set a timer.
If all you intend to do is use your calculator or something quick as such, set a short timer (10–20 seconds) to give you only enough time to do what you intended. When the timer sings, press that power button!
4. Keep social media apps from being easily accessible.
Completely deleting them is the most extreme, but not entirely necessary. Merely deleting them from all home screens or even placing them on the last will give you enough time to become aware of what you’re beginning to do before completely engaging.
5. Learn to find comfort in the uncomfortable.
One of the various reasons of subconscious scrolling is unavoidable voids throughout our day. If we as so much find ourselves in a room filled of others, we pull out our phone to fill the empty space of discomfort.
Just as we trained our mind to open specific apps once unlocked, we’ve also taught it that we must visit these apps as well when a void/discomfort is present.
6. Have a designated time for social media with a timer.
This will help distinguish when visiting social media is acceptable vs. not.
Though it may seem impossible, taking back control over our phones is within reach. It takes time, in which we will continuously fail, but we must forgive ourselves and persevere with this goal to truly have control, not only over our thoughts/impulses, but our lives as a whole as well.
