Phone addiction | Imamother

amother

Tue, Jan 19 2021, 2:13 pm

What has helped u overcome this? I am on it every evening and all day. I am looking more at my phone than in my kid's eyes. Sad

When they come from school I am usually not on it but I want my life back.

Usually sending ppl messages. Calling ppl. Imamother. Emails. And random info on local needs.

I also have a dumbphone but I just can't seem to separate from the smartphone. HELP!!

Are there any books or hotlines or sayings that helped u Chuck ur smartphone down the toilet ha

yiddishmom

Tue, Jan 19 2021, 2:17 pm

Put it on Do Not Disturb/ Focus Mode.

You won't see/ hear notifications, which is step 1.

Adn when you decide to grab it and "check just one thing", you'll have to take the extra step of disabling the DND/ Focus Mode - hopefully that will be your reminder that you don't want to be on your phone at the moment, but rather be present with your children.

Good luck!

amother

Lime

Tue, Jan 19 2021, 2:29 pm

Same situation here and feel horrible about it!
1st step I did was to put it off limits during work hours, I found myself on my phone so much during work and realized it’s stealing. Next comes to put it away when I come home, it’s so hard!
I’m always saying that I want a dumb phone for at home so I can still call and text but it never happened and again I don’t know if that’s really going to work, I see it’s not working for you.
Following for advice.

amother

Vermilion

Tue, Jan 19 2021, 2:41 pm

I leave it in a different room as soon as my kids come home. Or in my pocket book. Basically out of sight for a few hours. From 4-8 no phone! Wait till homework is done and kids are in bed.

lucky14

Thu, Jan 21 2021, 11:40 pm

Leave it in your bedroom. Pretend that the battery has died. You should get used to not being on it all the time after a while. I have the same problem and that's what I do.

hello321

Fri, Jan 22 2021, 3:56 pm

TURN IT OFF.
It really helps. In the beginning its hard but after a while you don’t even miss it.

amother

Scarlet

Fri, Jan 22 2021, 4:16 pm

I needed people to reach me and I needed to be able to call someone if needed. All numbers are stored on my phone so I needed my phone with me. The only answer was to get a dumb phone. I got rid of my smart phone for good. I always have my flip phone since it’s not anything addictive, and I can be reached and I can call ppl.

When I want to go shopping, imamther, reading, news, etc. I wait till my kids are in bed and I go on my iPad or desktop.

thisone

Sat, Jan 23 2021, 12:31 pm

http://humanetech.com/take-control has some good tips about greyscale, notifications, etc. (It's not a Jewish site.)

With that said... I'm switching to a dumb phone. I don't want the mental energy of controlling myself. I can get what I need from my computer.

In the past I actually gave my smartphone to my DH (with call forwarding on to my dumb phone) and asked him to keep it at work for a few days. It was amazing to see how much calmer I was without all the distractions!

amother

Wheat

Sat, Jan 23 2021, 2:37 pm

I made boundaries with Imamother and other forums because was spending so much time on them! I check them twice a day for around 15 min. It was such a time killer before...

amother

Peach

Sat, Jan 23 2021, 3:02 pm

Op,

I know what you mean.
The constant checking was mainly for whatsapp, so I got rid of that. People know they have to call or send a text, I'm not so pressured to check it every 15 minutes now: think voice messages etc. It was really hard. It made me more impulsive. After quitting I really had signs of withdrawal. I quit in November. Yes, I know parenting group etc are on it but it was just too much.
So maybe also for you there is a trigger?