Today, you’d be hard pressed to find a college student or young adult who doesn’t spend a good portion of their time on the internet.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Some of us have to use it a lot for work or school, and that’s okay.  However, there comes a point when it becomes a problem.

There comes a point where your internet use starts to interfere with your daily life and interactions with other people.  This is what is clinically referred to as internet addiction disorder.  While most of us might not quite qualify for internet addiction disorder, many of us can probably say that we are on the internet a lot more often than we’d like to admit.  So that brings on the question: What should we do to remedy this?

I am happy to report that mindfulness can be part of the solution.  As I’ve discussed before, a key part of mindfulness is being able to focus your attention on your actions in the present moment.  This typically helps you to prevent worrying about the past or the future.  This awareness can help you make many different kinds of mindful choices.  This includes knowing when you should spend time on the internet.

My advice would be to take a moment before you turn on the computer or unlock your phone.  Ask yourself: Do I really need to be on the internet right now?  Why do I want to be on the internet? Is there something more valuable that I could be doing with my time?  Will I be missing out on something important?  If you can answer all of these questions and still feel that going on the internet is justified, then go for it! Otherwise there are a few things to consider.

Continue to be mindful and ask yourself: Is there someone I could be spending my time with? Is there work that needs to be done?  Could I be putting time towards any of my hobbies?  Is there a book I could read?  I’ve found that staying away from technology for a period of time can be a really powerful experience.  You’d be surprised at how productive you can be without technology.

To prove this I had to do an assignment for one of my classes.  We had to log our media usage for three consecutive days and analyze the results.  It blew my mind how much time I spent on my computer and my phone.  Granted a lot of the time on the computer I was doing school work, but it was still an excessive amount.  And if it wasn’t because of schoolwork, then I was using it while doing something else.  Now if you’ve been reading any of my other posts, you know that multitasking is a disaster in the making.  Bottom line: no one can truly multitask.  So if you’re surfing the internet while watching tv for example, you’re never truly paying close attention to both.  It’s best to decide whether you should be on the internet, or if you’d rather focus on the other activity.  Personally I find that focusing on the other activity is usually better.  I notice that my mind doesn’t race as much when I’m not scrolling through Facebook while trying to do something else.  Being in the moment really does make a difference.

Another thing I noticed while doing this assignment is that when I was forcing myself to be aware of when I was on the internet, I tended to get on it a lot less.  It was as if I felt guilty for doing it since I was aware it would mean I was falling into old habits.  I would highly recommend keeping track of how often you get on the internet everyday.  You might be surprised at how much you do, and it could be a good motivator to change your habits.

Internet addiction is becoming an increasingly bigger problem in today’s society.  However, by implementing mindfulness practices into your daily life, you can start to notice a change in your habits.  Of course, keeping track on a log of some sort is also extremely helpful.

Have you ever tried keeping track of your media usage? Do you think you spend too much time on the internet?  Let me know in the comments!

Remember: Everyone starts out as a beginner.  If they can do it, then so can you.

Mindful Musings

A mental health journey through mindfulness