3 Mindful Tips to Reduce Your Screen Time
I, like you, am well aware that the addictive nature of phones is not ideal. It’s not exactly the most nourishing for the nervous system…to have to be ‘on & available’ at all times. To be inundated with things that elicit an emotional response. You could be scrolling merrily and then read of a tragedy or see something that activates an automatic sympathetic (flight, fight or freeze) nervous system response.
Nervous System: the system that controls your body’s response to internal and external stimuli
Sympathetic Nervous System: how your body responds to stress. Originally designed to help you survive. Commonly known as fight, flight, or freeze mode.
The thing with your nervous system is that you can be in the most calm stage of your life, the most peaceful frame of mind but your body still remembers the old stuff. Still remembers the stress, the ways it had to protect itself. For that reason, when we see something that evokes an emotion within us, your physical and mental body reacts the way it’s been conditioned to, like a reflex.
Patience and practice can help with this. It’s also being aware of how you can better support yourself. Social media, depending on who you are & what is being shown on your feed, is not always the most supportive decision for where your nervous system is at.
Here’s a recent example from my life;
I’m in a place where outdoor activity is available at all times and every day is a beautiful day. Sunshine always. Everywhere you look there is something that can stop you in your tracks. All you have to do is look up. Out of your head, off your screen, and you’ll see.
I was feeling off. A little on edge. Anxiousness heightened.
Any guesses what my screen time was in the days leading up to that feeling? 5hours and 30minutes. 5 hours! And 30 whole minutes! This equally terrified and intrigued me. Sure, I use my phone to meditate. And for work sometimes. And to facetime family. But an accumulated 5 hours looking down when I could be spending time in the real world…that’s freaky.
This got me thinking; how can I be more on top of this? In what ways can I better support my nervous system? How can I be more mindful to ensure that I’m living in the real world and not through a screen.
Truth be told, I don’t have the answer. Because I’m still working through it. But here are some things I’m trying. Picked up through my realization of a screen time that does not reflect my nervous systems best interest, as well as years of meditation and mindfulness training.
Read below for 3 mindful tips to reduce your screen time…
Have a clear reason and intention for picking up your phone.
I’m going to text so & so, I’m going to post these 4 stories, etc. It can help to attach a feeling to your intention.
i.e. I’m going to text so & so to feel connected. I’m going to post these 4 stories because they are photos I love and sharing them would bring me excitement
Get in & Get out.
Do what you’re going in to do, then get outta there. Otherwise it’s an easy time suck and you’ll be feeling groggy when you come out of it. Clear boundaries or a check list of what you went in there for in the first place can help.
Example: answer Emma’s DM, check for details about the Monday Swimwear sale, text mom. 3 clear tasks. In & out.
Replace boredom scrolling with a more mindful activity.
Replacement habits. This works like a charm! The cool thing with meditation and mindfulness is that you become more aware. If you’re here, I’m assuming you meditate. So you’re in tune with your patterns. Ask yourself; are you scrolling for inspiration? I will justify Pinterest till the ends of the earth if you’re spending 5 hours on there. Not actually, but you get it. If you’re gathering inspiration for your life and then taking inspired action from that, great.
BUT….Are you just scrolling to scroll? Probably sometimes, yes. Same here. When you notice you’re scrolling mindlessly out of boredom or a sense of escapism, try replacing it with another activity the moment you notice. The moment it starts to make you feel icky. Meditate for 5 minutes, read a chapter of that book you’ve had on your bedside table for ages, call a friend. Assume something that will help you snap back to where you are. Take a deep breath, even. Simple but it works.
This is similar to meditation when your mind wanders. Notice it, then drift back to your breath or mantra. Same thing goes with the phone. Notice you’ve been sucked in, come back to planet earth.
“Spend less time watching other people live their lives and spend more time enjoying your own”
Consider; there’s a whole life going on in the now. This is not to stress you out. It’s for perspective. There’s a whole life going on out there, and your nervous system will benefit from being there, from being in it.
This is not to say never post on Instagram…I love a cheeky photo as much as the next girl. Just, let’s try to be more mindful. So that we can reduce the unknown source of anxiousness we feel - one that stems from unintentionally absorbing the lives of others. No guilt here, just a gentle awareness of the direction we’d like go to.
Honestly I’m writing this blog post because I need to hear it. Maybe you felt you needed it as well.
We’re in it together, k?
xx, jewels
Try these 3 tips & let me know if they work for you in the comment section below. Got any other ‘mindful scrolling’ tools you’ve stumbled across? Share ‘em below!