Online addiction: Five tips for a digital detox!

Do you always want to be online and accessible? Is your life on the internet more important than your real life? Neglect your school, work, friends or your hobbies? Do you sleep poorly? Perhaps you are then addicted to the internet or social media. Is it in your way and do you want to get rid of it? Then read the following tips that can help you with this.

FOMO: The Fear of Missing Out

A round of channel zapping. Scout news sites and F5s. Scroll your timeline endlessly. They are symptoms of the same thoughts: that there is an experience that others have and you are missing. You waste your time while you can actually do something much nicer. As long as you know where to find it. 

Recognizable? We all have it sometimes. But when you notice that you actually spend too much time on social media than you want, you might be addicted online.

Five tips for a digital detox

1. Recognize your problem. Check how much time you spend on the internet. Special apps are available for this. It may be confrontational, but it helps to understand the problem.
2. Turn off the sound. The notifications of all apps usually only distract from what you are doing. Check your e-mails at set times, for example twice a day. Turn off your mobile in the evening and adjust again the next day.
3. Take small steps. Do not expect to get rid of your addiction in one day. Set realistic goals. Use a real alarm clock instead of the alarm on your phone. Let your environment know that you are doing a 'detox'. Start with 24 hours offline, and build it up slowly.
4. Think up fun activities. What did you like to do before you were stuck behind the screen? Get active again with activities such as sports, reading and cooking with friends, which you can undertake in the time that you normally spend behind a screen. Make the appointment to completely silence your mobile.
5. Are you unable to rehab on your own? Then contact your doctor. He can refer you to a specialized clinic. Or contact an organization specializing in addiction such as Trubendorffer. Addiction care is reimbursed from your basic insurance.

Read more tips about less Facebooking here