Social media addiction is one of the major problems of this era. It's a common problem, and yet no one realizes this. Maybe they do, but don’t want to talk about it.

Let’s say you want to work on a project or a task, but you get distracted every few seconds. What exactly distracts you?... Your cell phone? You don’t know or the notifications? It has to be the notification sound, app badges, or notification banners.

Before moving to the solution, first, you need to understand the psychology of habits.

There are three main steps involved in the process of habit formation:

1. Clue – You saw a notification, and suddenly an urge starts.
2. Action – You pick up your cell phone and check the notifications.
3. Reward – You feel relieved.

It becomes your habit with time. Even, unintentionally you pick your cell phone and check the news feed on your social media apps.

Can you break this cycle?

Studies show that quitting a habit is not possible. Instead, you will need to replace your bad habit with a good one.

[Faith and tragedies can quit any of your habits…]

Replacing a bad habit is an iterative process, and you will need to repeat the same process for several days. You will succeed. There is nothing impossible.

1. Clue - Turn off all your notifications except the important ones, such as calls. There should be no notification sound, no notification banner, or anything that can trigger your habit cycle.
2. Action – Even then, you somehow picked up your cell phone. Do not check anything and keep it back. Do something else like reading a book or something that you think is positive.
3. Reward – Try to feel the same as you felt when checking your social media feeds. The reward is an important step in the habit formation cycle. If you miss it, there will be no guarantee that you will replace your habit.

You will need to repeat this cycle for several days, and eventually, you will replace your bad habit with a good one.

PC: Photo by cottonbro from Pexels