Battling social media addiction? Here’s how you can beat it


With our eyes half open, the first thing in the morning we do is to reach out for our phones and start scrolling through our social media to get the last night’s heads up. If you are guilty of doing that every single morning, and if this addiction continues throughout the entire day, you might need to contemplate your daily habits. They might be draining too much of your energy. Social media surely helps us keep up with trends, and sometimes gives us that daily dose of motivation. While limited time of mindless scrolling might feel like therapy if that extends to hours in a day, you need to hit pause and change your habits for the better. Social media addiction is real these days and with the flood of information and options available over social media, people find it hard to beat this addiction and are often left bewildered.

Health shots got in touch with Kamna Chhibber, a clinical psychologist, to understand how to beat social media addiction.

Avoid social media distractions at work to improve work life balance. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

5 ways to avoid social media addiction

Some of the major causes of social media addiction are low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and personal dissatisfaction among teenagers and people these days. Most people feel more comfortable interacting with someone virtually than in person since they don’t feel highly of themselves. If you are a social media buff wondering, “how to get rid of social media addiction?”, read on to know what an expert has to say on that matter.

1. Look for better alternatives

The expert says, “Be mindful of the time you spend on social media. Recognise the purpose it serves for you, it might serve as a good source of distraction, a filler, or even a source of information.” Once you are aware of the input it is giving to you, you can go ahead to determine if other mechanisms can be brought into place that could help fulfil the objectives that social media is helping with.

2. Cultivate more fruitful interests and hobbies

Even if social media is helping you in good ways, spending unlimited time can do more harm than good. “If you wish to let go of this bad habit, work actively to develop areas of interest and hobbies that might help. Look to incorporate activities that aid in providing purpose and meaning to your routines and day”, suggests the expert.

how to beat social media addiction
Overcome social media addiction with these tips! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

3. Try to harbour real interactions

You might have found your safe space in interacting online, the truth is that nothing can parallel real interactions. The expert reckons to engage more actively with people around you, and never allow yourself to substitute real interactions with virtual ones.

Also read: 4 ways to deal with social media trolls and their impact on mental health

4. Set time limit

Getting completely off social media might be the worst piece of advice for someone who’s already battling addiction. Instead, you can take things slow. Set time limits for hourly usage of social media, and use the support of others, if needed, to be able to implement the same.

5. Don’t compare yourself to others

What works for someone else might not work for you when it comes to looking for ways to beat social media addiction. But don’t let that demotivate you. Work out what works best for you, and execute the same without comparing your growth with others.

In case you or someone you love is addicted to social media, make sure you are being safe and talk to someone who can help you.



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