Monday 24 July 2017

What steps should you take to check your social media addiction?

Today, smartphone and social media go hand in hand. For data hungry Indians, the love of staying glued to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp has become a habit which is difficult to shed. We are slowly becoming a nation of citizens forever checking their phones, laptops or PCs for the instant status update, comments, and tweets. This habit has started influencing our social activities and has made us a slave of different social media sites.
No matter how absorbed you are with your social media activities, there are ways to curb it and keep it under your control rather than be controlled by it. Here are some tips which may help you if you are serious about the issue:
  • 1.       Fix a time of the day: it is indeed helpful if you fix a time in the day where you will spend some time with your social media apps. Choose a time when you are free and not disturbed by anything or anyone. However, make sure you do not touch your gadget early in the morning just after you wake up. That eats up your time and early morning is usually a rush hour in most households.
  • 2.       Curtail the amount of time you spend: Most of the social media interactions are trivial in nature. It is not wise to spend hours on it. Keep in touch with friends, have a say on a social issue, thank someone for wishing you well, but, that is about it. Do understand that these do not have any serious impact on your way of life.
  • 3.       Cultivate other interests: it pays to cultivate a hobby which keeps your mind and body healthy. If you were fond of reading but, lost it because of FaceBook, reignite it.  Pick up a good book instead of your phone. If you love gardening, start investing time in your garden.
  • 4.       Interact with your neighbours/friends: Develop an attitude to strike a friendship with your neighbours. Real friends are always at hand than virtual friends with whom you spend so much time. Invite your friend for a small get-together on the weekends. Have fun with real people.
  • 5.       Plan a small trip: plan a small trip to the nearby town/ sea beach, temples in the weekends. Moving out of the house sometimes can unclutter your mind and you can discover new ways to enjoy your free time.
  • 6.       Control the urge: there is always an urge to update your status the moment you click a picture, come across an interesting situation or take part in an ongoing debate. There is no need to be present everywhere dealing with everything all the time. These things can wait. Ask yourself if it is really necessary to give a reply, post a comment or upload a picture at the instant. Most of the times, it is not.


Remember the best way to control your social media addiction is to condition your mind to spend your time doing something worthwhile. It may be difficult to do so at the beginning, but, over a period of time with your attitude and will power you will come out as a winner.