Top Five Tips to Manage Your Social Media Addiction in Hawaii

Social media addiction in Hawaii is as likely to happen here as it is anywhere. We might be remote, living in the middle of the ocean, but we are still connected to the world via the internet. Living in an internet-based society means “everything” we need can be found on line…or so we pretend…

Today’s technology has encapsulated all the information available in attempt to answer any question you might ever have (hello, Google and Wikipedia!), connects us with other people in myriad ways, and allows us to shop, read, watch, listen and scroll to our hearts’ content. And it’s all happening in pocket-sized devices, which, if you are a social media addict, is likely burning a hole in that pocket as we speak. Except…are you reading this on that phone right now?!?

While this availability sounds ideal, there are many of us with whom this has become a curse. Over time, using smartphones has become not just a daily habit, but a hundreds-of-times-a-day habit, or an all-night-every-night habit.

We are so accustomed to seeing people on their phones, that social media addiction may actually appear quite normal to our eyes. The smart phone has become an ever present staple in the hands of everyone around us. It has become “normal” in our society to be staring or playing on a phone at work, at the dinner table, during an intimate gathering of friends. So…in a scenario where “everyone is doing it”, how is a person to tell if and when they have crossed the line from being a “heavy user”, into the territory of being a social media addict?

If you have become aware of, and are feeling uncomfortable about, your own social media usage, or feel that way about a loved one, this article is for you. This isn’t an assessment, but rather a list of techniques to help you lessen your usage. Perhaps after trying out these tips and techniques, you will know a little more about your relationship with social media. If after attempting to change your usage level, you find you cannot successfully do so, there are other actions that can be taken to help you move forward.

5 Tips to Manage Your Social Media Addiction in Hawaii

We have gathered the top five most helpful tips for you to change your habit of using social media. We hope these pieces of advice can either help you, or anyone you know of who might need it, in dealing with a social media fixation.

Create Physical Distance Between You And Your Device

This is one of the simplest ways to begin subtly establishing a healthy relationship with social media. It may appear too simple to some, but if it feels difficult for you, you might want to take it as a sign that you are a bit too enmeshed with social media. You can start small by separating yourself from your device for an hour or less. Ensure that the device is out of sight, and either turned off or on silent so that you don’t feel tempted by the sound of notifications.

Doing this simple task can be difficult, especially during bedtime. Because many people use the time just before falling asleep to scroll through their social media, it causes them to experience a reduction in both the amount and quality of their sleep. However, if this task is done successfully, it might allow you to have a truly good night’s sleep. Removing little things like the possibility of an incessantly flashing text notification, or the buzz of a seductive push notification, can completely alter the quality of your rest.

Turn Off “Push” Notifications On Social Media.

The “Push Notification” feature on social media apps is designed very specifically to draw you back into the app. They are designed by psychologists who are acutely aware of how to engage the addictive centers of our brain, the sounds, sights, and feel of a push notification are all meant to trigger you. They are meant to trigger your curiosity, your desire, your intrigue, your human need to feel connected (FOMO, anyone?!). And guess what? They work. They work really, really well. Their name doesn’t even try to hide it. These platforms are trying to push you back into their social media space.

Want to reduce your time spent on social media? Turn off your “push” notifications. For example, you can go to settings on your phone and mute apps that trigger your urge to check for updates. Hopefully, not having auditory triggers every other moment will give you enough breathing room to focus on whatever task is at hand.

Be Mindful Of Time Spent On Social Media.

There is an old sayng, “If you don’t own your things, then they will own you.“

How does this relate to social media? Well, if we are not consciously curating our experience, monitoring our time, being vigilant about what or how much we are consuming or sharing…chances are we aren’t in the driver’s seat. And if you aren’t in the driver’s seat, then who is? Are you owning your social media experience, or is it owning you?

Make Plans For Real Connections.

We often spend as much time, if not more, investing in our online relationships as we do with the people we interact with face-to-face. To address this imbalance, Potter suggests using your phone primarily as a connection tool to plan those meaningful face-to-face experiences. “Face-to-face time is more significant than anything you say and see over social media. So, instead of clicking the “like” button, pick up the phone and see if your friend wants to meet up for a chat instead.

Learn To Let Go Of Social Media And Refocus Your Priorities

Perhaps all you needed were some tips on changing your relationship with social media. But if after trying to implement the suggestions above you find that it simply feels out of your control, then you may need to consider the possibility that your relationship is not a relationship at all, but is, in fact, an addiction.

Social media is fun and often feels essential in our modern world, but just like anything else, if it is controlling our lives, it is also ruining our lives.

If you or someone you know is potentially suffering and struggling with a social media addiction in Hawaii, Honu House is here to help. Our total transformational wellness program is designed to treat every level of an individual, returning them to their former lives as a healthy, healed, whole person. We have in-house services and experts that can help you build a healthy relationship with not only social media, but many of the other co-occuring issues that tend to go hand-in-hand with addiction.