idk if this is a helpful rec but as someone who is chronically on their phone, at one point i just had to be like a) this is a you problem and b) you're never gonna not have this problem. idk what your specific situation is, but for me, once i came to terms with the fact that i fundamentally like the internet and the services social media offers me it was a lot easier to alleviate the guilt of being on it. BUT (and this is the hard part) there is no hacking your way off social media--you just have to do it. once you've accepted it as part of your life you just got to look at yourself every once and a while and say no this is not all i want to be obviously this is easier said than done, but the best thing is to just set a time limit on your phone as a reminder, and then by sheer force of will, keep yourself off it. setting a time limit can be helpful because to use it you have to input a password, but let's be real it's not a high bar, and if we're being honest when i really want to use it i don't think about it at all. but yeah getting off social media is like loosing weight: at one point you just have to start cutting things out and telling yourself its for the better; understanding that one doom scroll on a saturday won't kill you, but also knowing that giving yourself this one excuse puts every other one on the table. at this point, i'm sort of at a harm reduction juncture in my social media journey .
Nov 26, 2024
Related Recs
☎️
For over a year I had the "world's tiniest ruggedized phone". I don't remember the brand but I bet you can google it. Regardless, I still found myself using Instagram and Facebook on the tiny little screen 🥲. When they say social media is made to be addictive I fully believe it. App blockers, making my screen grey scale after 6pm, none of it works. I delete the settings, I remove the blocker.
The best things I've done for myself that is SO much easier said than done is 1. remove the thing from your life that you're trying to avoid and/or 2. Embrace the thing you're trying to avoid.
For me 1. Was a terrible job and 2. Was silence and boredom
Sep 30, 2024
🗿
Ive wasted so much of my life glued to my phone and although it hasn't been detrimental to my health or social life this addiction is holding me back from doing many things. It's hard to try and stray away from social media because most of the time, when i'm not on my phone I feel like i'm missing out on what's going. The feeling of needing to know trends, memes, and drama becomes draining to my mind. There are so many things which are way more productive and life enriching that I want to do but the ongoing feeling of needing to scroll one more time prevents me from doing these things. I'm aware that this all sounds like a lame excuse but for many this is a big problem. I feel somewhat disgusted with how lazy ive become, and Ive always felt like I never had time to do certain things, but as I look back it's simply because of that damn phone. It's time for me to stop caring about all the stupid shit I scroll past every single day and make a change. Definitely deleting TikTok and only keeping instagram for my friends. So this year and then on, I hope to read more, learn more, write more, and simply enjoy the world, with the hope to reconnect with myself and truly understand who I am as a person. I wish you all the same.
Jan 14, 2025
🔌
I recently quit a drug I was addicted to for years, and soon after started quiting major social media platforms using the same lessons I learned from getting sober!
Your brain is great at eventually returning to a natural baseline. But until that happens, You'll need replacement(s) to tide yourself over
Here are some options that have been helpful for me:
1. Coloring books + music. It might seem very childish, but its super fun and relaxing without putting you at the mercy of the algorithm or ads!
2. Frame reading as a scrolling replacement. Find some breezy, fun reads to start out with. Short story collections are good for this because its more digestable to read 15 stories over 400 pages than 1 story.
3. Going on walks *and leaving your phone at home*. It's exercise(always good), it puts you into the real world, and its an activity that can last pretty long.
4. Accountability to others. Tell your supportive loved ones that you're quiting social media. It gives you purpose, you're now doing it for yourself *and* others.
5. Phone calls. Bored but don't want to scroll? Call someone! Just put them on speaker and pretend they're in the room with you, just chat!
6. Last but not least, physically hang out with people *with your phone turned off*.
Jan 19, 2025
Top Recs from @mdoinurmom
⭐
if you think you’re the smartest person in your friend group you’re weird and annoying. the best friendships come out of mutual awe and respectability. be friends with people who make you want to know more things.
Jan 29, 2024
😗
i will never be in a situationship in the same way i will never be in the land of oz--it's just not real. i think using the word doesn't let you self-reflect in a way that is truly helpful. i was telling my friend about the awkwardness of seeing an exhook up in a relationship bc i thought we had mutual feelings and she said "oh your exsituationship" and i thought (for the first time) no, we had clear boundaries i just got my hopes up. my point is that instead of using situationship as a catch-all for not quite dating or wtv failed prospect, take it as a moment to reflect on what exactly went wrong. idk if this is profound or not
Jan 30, 2025
i’m averaging 14,000 steps a day for the past year, why? i walk everywhere. at one point i was averaging 16,000 (this is my flex). you get to explore a city and now when people ask me for directions i can actually tell them bc i’ve gotten really good at knowing where i am. if it takes less than an hour for me to walk from a to b, i will walk. if i have enough time i’ll walk 2+ hours just to see someone. just put on a good playlist/pod and go go go!!
Jan 29, 2024