James Paul 
The call for notification has become stronger than that of our own thoughts. With the development of smartphones in all Berzingue, we have developed an almost pavlovian reflex to consult it dozens of times a day, sometimes for nothing. Between the extreme content calibrated to capture our attention on Tiktok, the exchanges that are linked to X or Bluesky, our brain undergoes a permanent bombardment.
Who has never been surprised, at three in the morning, to scroll indefinitely on his screen by sailing between Instagram reals, the funny, glaucous or strange stories of Reddit, or any other video in short format offered by the majority of platforms? Compulsive behavior coming under the addiction, which has a name: the “” doomscrolling “, Which could be translated as” morbid scrolling ». Behind this term hides a well -oiled mechanism for which we are not necessarily responsible, But which we can emancipate ourselves.
Available brain time: Tech oil
Do not flage yourself for your addiction to screens. The problem does not come from you, at least not entirely, but from the immense digital empire, built to eat as much as possible in your attention time.
Your alarm clock barely struck, the news notifications already alert you to the last planetary dramas. In transport, your weather application suddenly offers sponsored items unrelated to the announced rain. At the office, your note taking now suggests paid extensions after each memo written. Even during your moments of relaxation, your meditation application relaunches you with insistent promotional offers. Is there A plot behind it all ?
There is no conspiracy in the strict sense of the term, but rather a convergence of interests and strategies, which arise from the very nature of consumer technological companies: Your attention is their fuel. The more important you give them, the more their investors rejoice, the more equity prices are climbing. Even by perfectly understanding this functioning, it remains difficult to break our bad habits.
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Digital weapons to win back your mental freedom
Fortunately, we have tools to regain control. The screen tracking features now exist on all modern devices, but their activation often remains pushed by users. A certain reluctance to quantify our own dependence which reflects our discomfort in the face of our own habits. It is precisely the objective analysis of temporal abyss; Namely, applications that devour our daily time; which allows you to put more efficient safeguards.
The native features of iOS already offer several possibilities to reduce your screen time: configure periods of unavailability according to a personalized calendar or define daily limits for certain applications. You can also group similar applications (Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Tiktok, X, etc.) and award them a global time limit. However, These barriers remain relatively easy to get aroundsince it is enough to deactivate them.
For the most determined, third -party applications go a little further to help you in your digital detox. Screenzen (available on iOS and Android) will display a message of reflection for ten seconds before opening certain applications, Encouraging you to question the relevance of your action. A form of filter between distracting applications and yourself.
OPAL (available on iOS, Android and in web version) focuses on optimizing productivity, whether at work or at school, with customizable limitations (duration and frequency of use of applications). Roots (only iOS) also analyzes the quality of time spent on your phone, with a formidable ” Monk mode »Simply making impossible the bypass of the fixed limits.
The key also lies in replacing habits that are considered harmful to other activities: like all weaning, when something; Here the screen/application; lack, You have to remember your daily life.
Take aware of the moments when you tend to turn to screens (boredom, stress, fatigue, etc.) and Look for the substitutes that you will like. Physical activity (hiking, race, yoga, bodybuilding), creative (writing, drawing, DIY, music), intellectuals (reading, learning a new language, board games) or social (friends, family, volunteering). Fix yourself achievable and measurable objectives (For example, reading one book per week and two sports sessions) so as not to discourage yourself. Finally, Be patient and kind to yourself ; Such a change in habits can be long. Think like a marathonist and not as a sprinter by favoring regular and moderate efforts rather than those who are too intense and brutal, which mostly lead to a feeling of helplessness that will generate frustration. Rome was not done in a day!
- Digital applications and platforms are designed to capture and hold the attention of users, complicating time control spent on screens.
- Tools integrated with smartphones as well as specialized applications make it possible to better supervise its use by winning limits.
- To reduce this dependence, it is essential to replace these habits with alternative activities and to adopt a progressive approach to avoid frustration and abandonment.
