Recently my friend Taylor just posted a post based on an ASAPscience video on the neurological effects of prolonged regular screen use. It's hard to argue with the fact that we turn to phones primarily to decrease our boredom, increase dopamine levels, solve problems more easily, and feel connected. We are also pretty aware that we slowly start to give away our natural brain functions such as generating our own dopamine, exercising our internal compass rather than following Siri's navigation, and stimulating our brain's creative power.
Long story short, there does not (yet) exist a technology that can break our addiction to technology. You just need to stop using your phones so much. Yes, it takes a lot of willpower, but the exercise of that willpower is what it takes to rebuild those depleted dopamine levels. It's not easy, it's not impossible; there are a few apps that can help.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/27/mobile-phone-addiction-apps-break-the-habit-take-back-control
The article above gives a list of mobile applications that track phone usage. Many of these apps are designed to make users aware of how much they truly spend on their devices, while others take a step farther and offer reward incentives. It may be a bit of a paradox to use technology to help you break away from reliance on technology and it won't work for everyone, but it might be worth a try if you accept that there is a problem.
Here's a couple tips to help you get your brain back to "normal." I say "normal" because your brain is like a river; it's always changing. But we don't want that river to be polluted and dammed up as described in Taylor's post.
1. We're the healthiest generation ever for the sole reason that hygiene and medical practice is at an all-time high in efficiency. We're somewhat compromising our spinal health by crouching down to look at our phones. When you use your phone, try not to slouch so hard and so long, and find some ways to straighten out your back relatively frequently.
2. Eating healthy, consuming small amounts of beneficial unsaturated fats, drinking tea, and eating seafood, are some ways to naturally increase your dopamine levels.
3. Harness your creative side: There's no such thing as not being creative. Reading these words, speaking English, and thinking are all creative acts. School is a creative act. Your job is a creative act. Find your creative channels and follow them. If you can't think of any right now, go for a walk. I PROMISE that an idea will come to you during that walk.
Proof: https://www.inc.com/logan-chierotti/stanford-study-reveals-the-only-brain-booster-you-need-to-increase-creativity.html
Listen to music -- if you don't feel inspired by the music you're listening to currently, find some new music. Better yet, try to find some music without lyrics. If you're tired of the way you think, listening to instrumental tracks will literally light up entirely different parts of your brain. Fire up your favorite movie score and pretend you're a superhero or a romantic lead character or the ultimate villain. Throw on some hip hop tracks without vocals and you might find yourself coming up with your own bars. Or listen to some weird experimental music and go wild.
4. Ask a girl/guy on a date -- put Tinder down and walk up to them directly and ask if they want to go on a date. That terrified feeling inside is one of the brain's most powerful stimulants for growth, and if you can remember the first time you successfully asked someone out (or been asked out), that sense of euphoria is on a level that matching on Tinder can't even touch.
Those are a couple ways to help get you on the path to being the best version of yourself. I could give more examples but I want you to use your creativity and fill in some blanks yourself. Technology is awesome -- it can help us be more productive and creative than ever before. Just don't let it control you, and don't be in denial about it. There's more at stake than your pride.
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