How I'm Treating My Scrolling Addiction

[laptop, tablet, and phone arranged side-by-side on a wooden desk.]

I’ve been spending a little too much time escaping into my phone lately.

According to Apple’s Screen Time, I spent an average of almost 9 hours a day looking at screens in the past week.

I'm not judging myself--it was US election week and when I wasn't refreshing fivethirtyeight, I was dissociating into a phone game. These things happen. It’s okay.

What I don't love is that my brain has become used to this stimulation and craves it even when I don't need information or escape.

I feel like my threshold has been raised to a point where less-than-Vegas-levels of stimulation don't even register. I need to re-calibrate.

I've been giving myself a lot of grace so far, because (hello!) coping mechanisms are there to help us cope.

But I do know one thing: it's time to get the hell out of Vegas. 

I initially wrote this as a journal entry for myself, but I’m sharing it with you because I’m guessing I’m not the only one feeling a little frazzled these days.

This is what's helping me these days; I trust that you'll find something you can use!

How to Treat a Scrolling Addiction

(Advice for people named Julia Bushue; YMMV)

If I had to guess how to re-calibrate my nervous system and stimulation threshold, it might look something like this: 

Reset my screen / social media use. 

When I notice the urge to pick up my phone, I will breathe and choose something else to do. 

My personal moderation philosophy is “aim for abstinence, but forgive slip-ups.”

It’s how I’ve been mostly-vegetarian for the past seven years: I hardly ever eat meat, but when I do, I enjoy it to the fullest and treat it as a rare exception.

Key Concept: Focus on the Physical

For me, the way out of dissociation and addictive behavior is a combination of body awareness and benign distraction.

(Because who besides the Dalai Lama could bear to be 100% mindful all the time?) 

When I’m scrolling and not getting anything out of it, or when I’m playing another level even though I’m kind of bored—that’s my clue to reset. 

Mindless zoning out is exclusively a head activity, so I need to get back into my body. 

Go outside.

Inside is a static environment, while the outdoors is full of constant change.

Going outside for just a few seconds exposes me to countless subtle shifts in air movement, temperature, light, humidity, and the way the environment responds to all those things. 

Step outside for a few minutes and see how much you can take in with all your senses. Focus on one sense at a time and then all of them together.

This shifts your brain out of hyperfocus mode and into a more restorative state.

Do some light physical activity, like walking, gardening, or stretching.

Movement (especially rhythmic movement) is also soothing to your nervous system. I’ve been pulling a lot of weeds this week!

If you want to work up a sweat, go for it! Pushing your body is a great way to turn off the over-active brain, but it’s not necessary to get the benefits. 

Do something with your hands, like crafting, gardening, or cooking.

You can’t look at your phone if you’re knitting! Personally, I’m getting a head-start on handmade Christmas presents. 

Bonus points if it's something that involves measuring, math, or counting. It's a lot harder for your brain to run amok when it's occupied.

Treat yo’self.

This falls under the cliched “bubble bath” category of self-care. Pampering your body is definitely not enough to fix your life by itself, but it can be wonderfully grounding.

Try bathing with some fancy bodywash, a beauty routine like a manicure or facial mask, massage, sex, a hot cup of tea, relaxing under a weighted blanket, cuddling with a human or animal — anything that delights your senses. 

Take your time. You’re remembering what it feels like to live in a body. Don't rush through it to get to the next thing.

And if relaxing by itself feels stressful or boring, combine it with a novel, (non-current events related) podcast, or crossword puzzle.

You're looking for something that keeps your brain occupied but in low gear.

(What am I listening to, you ask? My husband and I are catching up on the latest Adventure Zone campaign (3 brothers and their dad playing Dungeons and Dragons) and I just listened to a fascinating Astonishing Legends episode about the history of the Ouija board.)

Experiment with different temperatures. 

A FAST way to get back in your body is through hot and cold sensations. If you jump in a cold pool or burn yourself, you are not thinking about election exit polls. But let’s not get that extreme. Instead, I’m enjoying the following:

• Warm, grounding food like toast, soup or chili

• Hot herbal tea (careful with the caffeine)

• Water (possibly carbonated) - I like to add apple cider vinegar with a dash of bitters

• Fruit - sweet but not too sugary

• Heating pad or ice pack

Remember to keep tuning back in.

I often resist doing this practice, but I always feel better afterwards. 

Every couple of hours / when you’re switching tasks / in the bathroom / whenever you think of it, close your eyes and take a few conscious breaths. (You can even do this now, as you’re reading.) As you breathe in, become aware of any tension in your body. Hold for a few seconds, and then exhale and let it go.

In the words of Maxine Waters, "I'm reclaiming my time." Not from a belligerent government official, but from shiny distractions, social media notifications, and potato-chip pastimes.

Now, it's time for me to get off the computer and back to the yard. Those dandelion roots aren't going to harvest themselves, after all.

Photo by William Iven on Unsplash