To ask if you're addicted to your phone?

[Stamen196]

As soon as I wake up, I check my phone, and I check it before going to sleep. I'm self employed and my job requires my phone to be on silent (no vibrate), so it's set like that all the time out of habit. I therefore constantly check it in case I've received a message or call.

When I'm out and about, I sometimes taks pictures or check my calendar to make plans. I should just leave it at that, but I often catch myself mindlessly scrolling social media afterwards. I can't seem to watch TV or film without checking my phone, and the scrolling becomes endless. DP gets really annoyed and I'm not surprised! If I'm out for dinner I will put my phone away, or turn it off, but I actually look forward to checking it as soon as the event is over.

I think of myself as a rational, fairly intelligent woman, and I never thought I'd become one of 'those' people. I'm cringing writing this! I guess this is just my shameful public admission that I'm addicted to my phone, and any advice on how to wean myself off it would be great.

Anyone else out there?!

YABU I'm not addicted
YANBU I'm addicted

I was teetering in the edge of it before lockdown, and actually managed to get some better habits in place - leaving in another room over night, buying an alarm clock And using that, always having a book / kindle in my bag for tube trips, etc. But since lockdown... I feel I need to keep up to date with all the news, especially anything Covid related. Plus we live far from family andit’s the only way to keep in touch.

When we get back home from holidays, changes will be made! It’s such a bad example for my children.

Buy an alarm clock and leave your phone in the kitchen or somewhere overnight. This has helped me sleep so much better and get up on time instead of scrolling on Instagram in the mornings.

This podcast is really worth a listen for this topic...

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422?i=1000483401050

I think I’ll adopt some of these ideas too, I’m awful for it. My screen time is 7-9 hours a day not even doing anything just mindless scrolling.

I set a 1 hour limit for mumsnet but I just click ignore limit for today everyday so that’s not much use...

Yep. Me!!! Too much phone useage.

Yup

I'm trying to cut down, most evenings DH and I are just sat together but on our phones

Lockdown has made it worse though as I honestly think I spend about 8-9 hours on the damn thing per day

I haven't looked at my screen time, but if I did I think I'd cry!

96% have voted addicted to phones. Gosh, something needs to change. We are all pawns in a huge social media cash cow.

@wheresmymojo
Listening to that podcast now, interesting!

@RiseUpWiseUpEyesUp

Can you set a limit for mumsnet?! Tell me how!

[quote Popc0rn]@wheresmymojo
Listening to that podcast now, interesting!

@RiseUpWiseUpEyesUp

Can you set a limit for mumsnet?! Tell me how![/quote]
Do you have an iPhone? If yes, it’s in screen time under app limits. If no, I don’t know, sorry!

No- I hardly even know where it is half the time. Often upstairs or lying uncharged. I check it twice a day.

Any improvement since yesterday OP? I’m shocked when I realise how quickly I can get things done when I’m not glued to my phone...

@Goostacean I read 50 pages of a book last night! Before that, I watched 70 percent of a film before caving and then scrolled phone for 20 mins and got very annoyed with myself afterwards. Baby steps! Off for a 1 hour walk in the woods and leaving phone at home 😊

Great! I’m managing to watch hour long episodes of a Netflix show with DH without looking. Unfortunately a lot of my To Do list requires online admin (currently shopping for everything for a bathroom renovation...) so that ends up being on my phone a lot as it’s convenient.