Reclaiming Your Time | A Talk On Phone Addiction

This talk is about screen time, phone addiction, and how to reclaim your attention.
On average, we spend over six hours on our phones every day, which takes a toll on our physical and mental health, shortens our attention span, and creates a false sense of connection and satisfaction.
This episode invites you to pause, reflect, and reconsider your relationship with your device, offering simple, practical tools to live more and scroll less.

Transcript

Hi I'm Laia. This is The Pause, A moment to slow down, Settle in, And meet yourself where you are. Let's begin. I don't want this anymore. Reclaiming my time. Hello and welcome to The Pause. How many hours a day would you say you spend on average on your phone? The global average is 6 hours and 40 minutes a day. Whether for work, To connect to loved ones, Or to escape from the daily grind, We are glued to these devices. I checked my phone average usage this week and it showed a whooping 4. 5 hours per day. I was shocked. 4. 5 hours rotting my brain mostly with stuff I don't actually care about and then feeling guilty about Yes, Some of that screen time is from listening to music and podcasts, Checking recipes, Posting a reel, But what about the rest? How did I waste my one precious life like this? How dare we? We consume wanted and unwanted input from people and bots, Following trends curated by algorithms and AI. They tell us what to wear, What to like, What to buy, And what to think, While stealing our time and giving us a false sense of pleasure and connection. The rhetoric of kids are so addicted to their phones and we have to do something about it before it's too late is hilarious. If we're honest with ourselves, Shouldn't we be talking about how most of us are addicted to our phones? And yes, We have to do something about it before it's too late. None of this is by chance though, It's by design. These companies know that while living such busy lives, Scrolling has become one of the simplest and quickest ways to get an immediate hit of dopamine when we're feeling overwhelmed. So the longer you spend on their app, The more money they make. Genius. Why do we scroll? I want to reduce my screen time as quickly as possible, So I wanted to understand why I choose to scroll. I have been doing research, Reading article after article on the effects of scrolling on our mental and physical health and it's made me even more determined to abandon this useless habit. The brain is always looking for a reward. That is what motivates and moves us. And I could go into the science of it all and tell you about dopamine and serotonin and oxytocin, But that's out of my scope of practice, So you can find science-y info in the links I left in the description. The point is that scrolling is an addiction like any other, A way to escape the world through numbing. It's just like alcohol or smoking cigarettes, Gambling or doing drugs. Smartphones and social media are the perfect addictive tools. You can access them anywhere and they can provide you with tiny illusions of pleasure so often that you won't want to do anything else. Breaking the habit. When I realize I'm spending too much time on my phone, Which happens periodically, I re-establish Sundays without social media, Which really helps me reset and regain my time and space, Even if just one day a week. This time, However, When I decided I was ready to reclaim the hours I've been wasting on my phone, Besides re-establishing my weekly detox, I took a few days to observe my behavior and track it on my journal, And I started to ask myself, Why am I reaching for my phone? Sometimes the answer is that I need to post something or reply to a message, But more often than not, It's one of the following. I'm bored, I'm tired, I'm stressed out, I feel anxious, Or I feel lonely. Knowing that none of these feelings will be solved by disassociating with my phone for an hour, I have decided that, Just like I have done in the past with any other bad habit I've gotten rid of, I will replace scrolling with something that will healthily raise my dopamine levels. So now, Before I unlock my phone, I ask myself again, Why am I grabbing my phone? And if I'm reaching for it because I'm feeling anxious, Lonely, Bored, Etc. , I now have a list of activities to do instead of doom scrolling. If I'm bored, I can read a book or draw. If I'm tired, I can do a quick meditation or practice legs up the wall pose. If I'm stressed, I listen to music or do breath work. If I'm anxious, I can go outside or practice yoga. And if I feel lonely, I can dance or message or call a friend. So I put my phone somewhere I can't reach it, Choose one activity, And set a timer for 60 seconds. When I finish, Which, Just like scrolling, Tends to go longer than I planned, I feel better, Not worse. These are visible substitutes to give the brain a sense of satisfaction and connection, Rewards, Without falling into doom scrolling. And when done consistently, They can become more interesting, And what's more important, More enriching to your life than your phone. So if you're also looking for ways to break free from distraction and reclaim your time and attention, I invite you to ask yourself often why you choose your phone over other things. And once you find some clarity, Create a list of activities that bring you joy to substitute scrolling. You won't succeed every time, But with patience, You'll see progress. I hope you enjoyed this pause and that you continue to find ways to live your life more fully away from your phone. Until we meet again, Pause often, Breathe deeply, And be kind, Especially to yourself. Much love, Laya.

Reviews

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This helped me to understand why I spend so much time on my phone looking through Instagram or Facebook posts, or looking through the Buzzfeed app. It has also given me ideas for how to spend less time on them. I intend to come back often to this talk.

Practical and simple. Thankyou

Good reminders here, thank you Laia! You reminded me that an art therapy project I have on my list is to make a colourful "dopamine menu" to refer to when I feel the restless urge to scroll or play a game.