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How to overcome Phone Addiction

cognitiontoday.com

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Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#191

Post by boringg »

closeparen wrote: post #152
Bakary wrote: post #112

Some ideas on this topic: 1. Inconvenience based solutions don't address the problem: using apps to restrict phone use, physically hiding the phone etc. Once you leave those carefully constrained conditions, you are more vulnerable than ever. Not to mention the contradiction with the core issue that it's a symptom rather than a cause. 2. Turning abstinence as an ongoing status condition (e.g. "X days since I did Y")…

I use SelfControl on my Mac when I need a serious work session. It always surprises me, when I tab to HN or Reddit and get blocked, how automatic an action it was. I’m never inclined to fight it. It never represented an actual desire to be there. There’s no deep longing to say “no” to. After the first few times being thwarted, it stops for the next several hours. I still feel the push “away” from what I’m trying to f…

I find the 'frequently visited pages' on safari on a blank new tab get me visiting those sites without intentionally going to them reinforcing the most frequently visited pages rank order.

Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#192

Post by Merman_Mike »

yarsanich wrote: post #154

Created an app for myself to have a clear intention before using a phone. https://acture.app Works well for me.

>>1. Do you collect any data?

>At the moment, we do not collect any user data from apps. On this portal Google Analytics is used. Also you can check privacy policy page.

Great app idea that I would be interested in using, but this isn't very reassuring. I'll have to pass.

Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#193

Post by graeme »

Bakary wrote: post #112

Some ideas on this topic: 1. Inconvenience based solutions don't address the problem: using apps to restrict phone use, physically hiding the phone etc. Once you leave those carefully constrained conditions, you are more vulnerable than ever. Not to mention the contradiction with the core issue that it's a symptom rather than a cause. 2. Turning abstinence as an ongoing status condition (e.g. "X days since I did Y")…

> The solution that works with 1 and 2 is probably urge surfing as it tackles the issue directly

So:

1. Feel an urge to browse or notice you are browsing

2. Pause and breathe. Focus on the sensations and thoughts that come to mind, then return to the breathe

Anything else? And is the end goal to stop browsing if you are doing it?

It seems like an interesting idea, if you had some practical steps I’d appreciate it as I’m not quite sure I’ve got it in this context.

Edit: after searching around, found a good summary here. However, still interested in hearing comments from OP or others on how they’ve used this. Seems like a genuinely useful technique and I had not heard of it before.

https://portlandpsychotherapy.com/2011/11/riding-wave-using-...

Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#194

Post by 3131s »

bumby wrote: post #89
bjt2n3904 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was on the front page earlier today, and still is. Why bother stopping a bad habit? That takes effort. Much better to play Russian Roulette with mind altering substances.

While you make a good point, I think the therapeutic dose to LD50 ratio of mushrooms is vanishingly small, meaning they are relatively safe (Assuming you are referring to the article about mushrooms)

Well, except when people start jumping from buildings.

I know two people, one of whom successfully jumped from the 3rd floor of a building and another that had to be restrained from doing so. It's a real risk, although I personally have done psychedelics many hundreds of times and never felt the urge to jump even when climbing trees, building exteriors, etc.

Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#195

Post by yeos_ »

username90 wrote: post #190
Bakary wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By a rich life, I'm referring to something that needs no further justification. When you are in this state, the need to contextualize, criticize, or philosophize about your experiences almost disappears. Think of a young child in a state of playful flow. Even if you fully take on the anti-natalist conclusion, the experience still justifies itself on its own, as an end in itself.

Which is what you get from computers? The only bad thing about them is the low social status associated with it. There is some weird bias in society that you are a lesser human somehow if you spend a lot of time in front of computers instead of doing more "rich" things like reading books. At least for me all anxiety related to spending a lot of time with computers disappeared once I stopped caring about what others t…

Personally, I would rather spend my time doing things I find fulfilling instead of killing an hour+ scrolling through Reddit and getting distracted by the internet. I don’t care that if I’m spending all my time on my computer if Im doing things I find meaningful. Compulsively checking my phone and scrolling Reddit is in no way meaningful to me anymore.

Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#196

Post by hugocbp »

closeparen wrote: post #152
Bakary wrote: post #112

Some ideas on this topic: 1. Inconvenience based solutions don't address the problem: using apps to restrict phone use, physically hiding the phone etc. Once you leave those carefully constrained conditions, you are more vulnerable than ever. Not to mention the contradiction with the core issue that it's a symptom rather than a cause. 2. Turning abstinence as an ongoing status condition (e.g. "X days since I did Y")…

I use SelfControl on my Mac when I need a serious work session. It always surprises me, when I tab to HN or Reddit and get blocked, how automatic an action it was. I’m never inclined to fight it. It never represented an actual desire to be there. There’s no deep longing to say “no” to. After the first few times being thwarted, it stops for the next several hours. I still feel the push “away” from what I’m trying to f…

I do the same. I even used the terminal commands to change the granularity of the blocks and extend the length.

And the same things happens to me. A lot of times I don't even want or think of going to HN, Reddit, Twitter. I'm just bored or frustrated and, almost unconsciously, I hit the shortcuts for Browser > New Tab > Focus Address Bar > Start typing n, r or m (for mobile.twitter.com).

Some things that helped a lot with this, together with SelfControl, is to change all new tabs to a blank page and disable autocomplete in the Firefox navbar.

That last one is not very good for everything, so it would be better to just delete those automatic sites from the suggestion list. I never really took the time to see how it's done of FF, though.

To change the timings in SelfControl, use (sorry, it is a very very old note in Evernote so I don't have the original source anymore):

defaults write org.eyebeam.SelfControl MaxBlockLength -int [maximum block length in minutes]

defaults write org.eyebeam.SelfControl BlockLengthInterval -int [block length interval in minutes]

Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#197

Post by sateesh »

hooande wrote: post #130
Bakary wrote: post #112

Some ideas on this topic: 1. Inconvenience based solutions don't address the problem: using apps to restrict phone use, physically hiding the phone etc. Once you leave those carefully constrained conditions, you are more vulnerable than ever. Not to mention the contradiction with the core issue that it's a symptom rather than a cause. 2. Turning abstinence as an ongoing status condition (e.g. "X days since I did Y")…

to follow up on your good points, any app or device that limits phone use is like telling an alcoholic to hide liquor from themselves. It obviously won't work because addiction is very powerful. There aren't any devices or particular techniques that can guarantee beating it. You just have to be ready to do it

This has not been my experience. Utilities like "StatyFoccussd", "ColdTurkey", "LeechBlock, "SelfControl" have been extremely useful to me. On any day I spend some 10-15 mins in idle browsing, and after feeling bit jaded I set up a block for next 24hrs or so. In the interim when I make attempts to do idle browsing, I am blocked and I don't go out of my way to fight those controls I have setup. It is quite possible for me to bypass the controls that I have setup on the machine which I have full control, but that simple message telling me that I am blocked acts as nudge to restrain myself.

As an additional datapoint, recent versions of Firefox doesn't support the leechblock add-on, and my phone usage increased. But when the Leechblock control was working my phone usage was minimal.

May be my addiction is not strong enough, but the utilities that enforce devices limits do help.

Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#198

Post by username90 »

yeos_ wrote: post #195
username90 wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is what you get from computers? The only bad thing about them is the low social status associated with it. There is some weird bias in society that you are a lesser human somehow if you spend a lot of time in front of computers instead of doing more "rich" things like reading books. At least for me all anxiety related to spending a lot of time with computers disappeared once I stopped caring about what others t…

Personally, I would rather spend my time doing things I find fulfilling instead of killing an hour+ scrolling through Reddit and getting distracted by the internet. I don’t care that if I’m spending all my time on my computer if Im doing things I find meaningful. Compulsively checking my phone and scrolling Reddit is in no way meaningful to me anymore.

Similarly I'd rather spend my time doing things I find fulfilling instead of killing an hour+ talking about the weather with acquaintances. I don't see the difference.

Re: How to overcome Phone Addiction

#200

Post by tartoran »

username90 wrote: post #190
Bakary wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By a rich life, I'm referring to something that needs no further justification. When you are in this state, the need to contextualize, criticize, or philosophize about your experiences almost disappears. Think of a young child in a state of playful flow. Even if you fully take on the anti-natalist conclusion, the experience still justifies itself on its own, as an end in itself.

Which is what you get from computers? The only bad thing about them is the low social status associated with it. There is some weird bias in society that you are a lesser human somehow if you spend a lot of time in front of computers instead of doing more "rich" things like reading books. At least for me all anxiety related to spending a lot of time with computers disappeared once I stopped caring about what others t…

Being sedentary is not very good on your body, muscles atrophy, joints become stiff, your body tires easier and from there it’s a downward slope. If you have enough physical activity then you need not worry about this but there are other factors. Like muscles all other faculties atrophy as well without use. Physical activity is good for the brain as well.

I think of the computer as a tool at the end of the day. It is a very powerful tool which has radically changed how we do things but it’s still a tool.

Lastly it’s healthy to take a break from whatever main activity, whatever that is - could be being on the computer all the time programming or playing games - so that a different perspective sweeps in.

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