Has anyone here actually succeeded in spending less time on screens? I really need some advice

@whimsyLeaf7957

Hi there~ 

Thank you for your post. I’m sure it was a challenging one. One that I’m very interested in seeing how others respond to, and what may have worked for them! 

But This is definitely a challenging & struggling topic for many.

The First thing I would have to ask you is “Do you work or Go to school” etc..?… The reason that I ask is because I feel the more time we have alone, or on our plate, that the more time many of us can spend delving into a world of technology (cell phone use or otherwise), just because there’s alot of “excess” time to do so? And perhaps there’s a “void” trying to be filled, If that makes sense? Which then can turn addictive for many…~ 

Do you feel or find that you have alot of time on your hands? That isn’t occupied by something healthier or more substantial, such as (Work, school, outside hobbies, interests & recreational time)? 

I have found for me personally, that when I have had more to do or more to occupy my time with, that the less time I personally spend on my phone. And that it only became an Afterthought (outside) of doing those more substantial things… Just a thought?! 💭 

Know that we are here to support you at 7Cups. And wish you the best on finding a personal solution that works best for you. And hopefully you’ll continue to get responses here on what has worked for others! 

I find the below video helpful

https://youtu.be/dTysZmj5CX8?si=ElqyP7RrdnvtNjzo

For me what worked was keeping the most important priorities on my phone. Most of the time use my laptop for 7 cups work.

Sure so what part do you wanna hear

@whimsyLeaf7957

 What does screen time do for you ?   ... is it fear of missing out or boredom?    Name your WHY to yourself and you can change it.    the "why" can be different for others. 

  I actually find myself on a screen more when around others who are glued on them... example in a public place waiting for something like an airport, waiting rooms etc       When I realized there is NOTHING, I really need to look at.  Instead, I am just wanting to not look like I have nothing going on. I no longer do it in those situations. 

So many seem to use phone as armor to put up something between yourself and real life.   people hide behind screens.  It says far more about them then you know          What if someone actually talked to us.  What if I had to engage a real thing    " oh the horror" 

When watching things, videos etc........ we are giving up our time, energy and thoughts to watch others actually do something and LIVE.         LIFE is a hands-on sport you decide when to bench yourself.    I guarantee no one when dying says " I wish I spent more time at work OR on screens watching others live." 

Ideas/ approaches I’ve identified so far:

• Find activities that take up a lot of time.

• Try to address the real reasons behind using screens as an escape.

• Watch content that creates less “dopamine spikes” (no scrolling, short videos, accelerated videos, notifications).

• Try to use screens more consciously (asking yourself: what am I doing/ what do I want to do/ what do I need to do).

• Do more exercise, practice mindfulness, and engage in activities that require concentration, so your mind isn’t wandering.

• Try starting by reducing screen time at moments when it’s easiest (for me, for example, in the evening, replacing screen time with going to bed earlier, or when I’m surrounded by people or other distractions).

  I also note that so far I haven’t found anyone who has found a solution to this problem, and I find that quite worrying...

Thanks for making this post! I can relate a lot and am very interested in the responses, I think I will try some of them :)

@whimsyLeaf7957 hey there, quite an addict multi screener here too

• increase physical comfort - take a warm bath, go to the gym or stretch at home, although I found kicking myself out is much more effective, take off that uncomfortable sock, make some tea etc. We often regulate from body up, not head down, so these may help lower your anxiety at the moment at least a little 

• Assess the causes behind your anxiety and other feelings. Is there anything you can change/address/reschedule? Can you do something about the reasons behind your feelings? Can you make yourself more safe and comfortable? Can you do some journaling to address your thoughts and feelings when they are too much? What worked for me is doing a 2 step journaling session. I braindump everything that is on my mind, that is making me anxious etc. In the first part under each other, then go through each point individually in a what now part, where I either think it through deeply, validate and address my feelings, process things or work out a solution for the problem. This helps easing the "pointless" anxiety (aka the sun will swallow the earth in a few billion of years) and give you actions and comfort with the "reasonable" one (the phone call you have to make, the thoughts that haunt you etc)

• Stop looking at your screen fight like all or nothing - celebrate every little victory you made. You read half a page before checking your phone? Amazing. You spent 30 mins listening to your friend? Lovely. You had only 9 hours of screen time instead of 10? That's amazing. Start looking at your recovery with "a small imperfect step is better than perfection for 2 days then no step at all mindset". Approach yourself with the same compassion you would give to a friend and let go of strict expectations of all or nothing or linear improvement.

• Some days, you will need to use all the screens you have, and that's okay, as long as you are trying. Your mind is coping with something it deems too overwhelming to deal with. That's okay, and we all need a break sometimes

• Don't cut out all at once if it's too hard. I personally love to do something while listening to an audiobook. So take a colouring book, knitting needles, a model plane or hit the kitchen with a banana bread recipe and pop an audiobook on. The audio will last for hours without the need to switch and make constant decisions like with music, but will also anchor you to the manual task at hand, making it less likely you will stop after 5 mins. I personally love to pop in some Darcy Coates when I embroider, but make sure to not pick a very think-y task, because the audio will just overwhelm you. So pick something low brain capacity where sound isn't a problem.

• Put your phone on silent, except your medical alerts/alarms if possible. As someone who haven't had their phone off the silent mode for ages, absolutely nothing happened. The world is spinning and I'm not woken up from my nap by someone trying to sell me a better phone plan. On silent mode, calls will still come through, your phone just won't ring. Then you can call the people back later if you want. But genuinely, unless you have to have sound on for an urgent or important reason, screw that. You can put sound on during business hours or when expecting a call, but otherwise no sound. It will give you back some sense of control over your time

• And last but not least, don't forget that we are all different. Some things may not work for you at all, others results may not show up immediately and need a bit of longer term use to be effective, or some will work only for a while before not working for you anymore. That's okay. If you have an idea you think could work, try it. Don't be afraid to carve your own healthy coping toolkit. If it's juggling milk cartoons on the porch, then so be it, even if you didn't see anyone else use the strategy before. Take it one step at a time, and you will find something eventually 😊

These are the things that work for me, hope you find something interesting in it 😊

I wake up maybe around 10am (sometimes earlier or more often) and then sleep at around maybe 11-12pm?

so that would be... a lot of hours...

I tried cutting back on screen time but yeah my mind isnt in a good pace without something distracting me. I think I have ADHD because I need my phone and tablet for dopamine to get tasks done, but recently it is a rule for me not to use gadgets while eating. Our preacher talked about computer addicted but he was talking about gadget addiction in general so it was helpful for me to assess that I was addicted.

To be honest I have given up trying to cut back my screen time and instead avoid certain content that won't help me learn like brian rot. When I am on my phone or tablet I usulaly just youtube videos that are related to what I am learning like making art. It has to be educational but sometimes I allow non-educational stuff

What is to be avoided the most is short form content like youtube shorts, facebooks reels *** videos, or something similar because they MESS UP my attention span. Thanks be to the Lord I can watch long form content again ❤️ I still watch youtube shorts but like I know when my brain craves it and I give it what it wants then realize I spent too much time watching short form content then I stop usually

I have responsibilities like making art so I watch content related to making art. That way, I get screen time, I get educated, and I improve my art.

Maybe you can pick up a hobby or learn a language and pair that with your screen time.

There are also devices online that lock your phone in a box with a timer idk if it is available in your country however

there can be apps that force you to leave your gadget alone like the Off the Grid app where I set a timer how long it should stay locked and I would have to pay money to unlock it.

I grew up watching TV and watching lets plays on youtube as a kid so my childhood was in front of ascreen watching tom and jerry and pewdiepie

Just dont pressure yurself too much to only do one thing. Your brain can have mental cravings it can crave different stimulations.

For me it craves seeing other people's faces that is why I watch videos I can see people's faces and plus I wanna watch educational content so I watch those too.

You can use your screen addiction for something better :D there is hope

@whimayLeaf7957

GOD!!! you spoke exactly what I'm doing 😭 I can't stop myself from screen time 😔 I can't help myself 😭

Help meee 😭 PLEASE 😭 I'm suffering!!