Unlock your digital shackles

A new line of terms are describing how large the smartphone impact on our lives is. "Mobile addiction", "fear of living offline" and also nomophobia, an actual term for being scared to live without phones. All of these describe the same basic problem: technology is evolving so rapidly that our health is struggling to keep up.

There is a significant overlap between various technology-related addictions. We have internet addiction, the smartphone addiction, the social media addiction and recently we can read about the "Google Syndrome"—a sudden urge to look up a random question on Google and have it answered immediately.

Research has shown that our brains undergo changes after prolonged phone use, raising important questions about the potential risks associated with our new best friend, the phone.

But are phone addictions really... real?

You probably already know that phone addiction is real since most of us experienced it ourselves. However, there is an ongoing debate on how dangerous phones are and if phone addiction is a "clinical" diagnosis.

The fact remains that we still know very little about how individuals are affected by smartphones in the long term.

There may also be effects at the societal level that we do not yet understand. Diet changes, for example, and their impact on society took decades and decades to understand, and we still do not know everything.

The type of smartphone that we all own today has only been a part of our daily lives since 2009, and usage has increased significantly since then. Therefore we cannot possibly know the long-term effects of using the phone to the extent we are today. And why take the chance?

There is a concerning issue today, especially if phones turn out to be a villain. Governments and other entities actively PROMOTE phone addiction by pushing for mobile payments and identification as the new norm, making it nearly impossible to simply quit the intimate relationship we have with our devices.

This is akin to the sugar epidemic, where it is difficult to avoid health risks associated with sugar consumption.

We should remain aware of the potential risks associated with our relationship with technology, particularly as it continues to evolve rapidly.

Digital Detoxing, Dopamine Detox, Phone Detoxing - what's the difference?

All these terms are closely related. Dopamine detox is the broader term that encompasses digital detoxing, and phone detoxing is subset of digital detoxing. They all involve the same method of restoring the baseline for your dopamine receptors in the brain.

This article focuses mainly on the mobile phone because it is where we most often find our dopamine kicks in podcasts, music, video clips, and persistent scrolling through social platforms. It follows us around daily, making it the most potent dopamine machine.

It is really difficult to see where to draw the line between healthy and unhealthy mobile use.

Our society requires us to be constantly connected to a mobile network and to carry mobile phones with us wherever we go. Even private social interactions now typically happen through mobile phones first and foremost.

However, there is a level where mobile phone use becomes like a drug addiction. It takes over your life. This happens privately, outside of all the must-dos of everyday life.

The easy Phone Addiction Test

If you recognize yourself in any of the following three statements, you may benefit from a mobile detox:

• You spend more time with people on your mobile phone than in real life.

• You cannot take a spontaneous walk or eat lunch outside without your mobile phone.

• Your mobile phone use has a negative effect on your work ability or your relationships.

Here are some common phone detoxing tips and why they don't work

Phone-free times

This is a good idea in theory, but difficult in practice. Our daily lives do not always go as planned. Sometimes life knocks on our door and turns our routines upside down.

Screen time apps

Installing new apps or deleting apps from your homescreen are all based on the idea that your phone should do the detoxing work for you. It is like asking a bartender to help you with your alcoholism. It might work for a while, but they may not be as effective as the ultimate tips below.

Try these instead...

Meet boredom head on

What makes us sometimes scroll on our phones until our heads are completely empty? A lot of the time, it stems from boredom - it can be a central reason why you are addicted to your phone. You simply may lack long term passions in life to distract you from your excessive phone habits. This is the foundation of breaking all addictions. Evaluate your life and priorities and then use the phone accordingly.

Implement mobile-free zones

Instead of having mobile-free times, consider mobile-free zones. It is much easier to remember to put your phone away when entering a mobile-free zone because it also involves our motor memory and spatial memory. You can make the bathroom, kitchen table, and bedroom mobile-free zones. Start with just one zone if it feels overwhelming.

Pick up a book

Yes it's a cliché, but reading a physical book has lots of upsides on phone reading when battling with mobile addiction.

It's easy to take with you everywhere, you can read late at night, and you never have to think about chargers and battery levels. But most importantly, the book takes up your previous "scroll time".

A hobby, like reading, can be what trims away aimless browsing.If you don't enjoy reading, consider a home improvement project, knitting, or signing up for an online or local outdoor fitness class. Keep doing something physical.

Phone-free days

If the thought is somewhat scary, then you really need these.

Start getting used to the new feeling of restlessness.

Take a phone-free outing and make it your new thing. Any phonefree activitiy will do; walking, hiking, swimming, or going to a coffee shop.

The point is to be isolated from your phone for at least a few hours. Reflect actively on how it feels to be completely in the moment without distractions from your pocket or your bag.

This philosophy is very similar to fasting when it comes to food. It's all about letting the body recover from the constantly switched-on state. Even though this is the last tip it is one of the most important ones.