Am I addicted to social networks? Things to consider

 Am I addicted to social networks?  Things to consider

  Many people spend hours a day on social media.  This may sound unhealthy, but is it addictive?  There are several ways to find out for sure.  Read on to learn more about how to tell if you're addicted to social media.

  What is addiction?

  Addiction is a condition in which a person may experience and cannot avoid doing certain things.  In some cases, a person may be addicted to drugs or alcohol, but addiction is also possible with other substances and activities.  When it comes to social media, addiction can make you look at your pages every few seconds and can prevent you from completing the tasks you need to complete.  For example, you can stay awake looking at social media instead of getting what your body needs.

  Who is most prone to addiction?

  While anyone can become addicted to social media, you may be more prone to addiction if your family members have an addictive personality.  Also, in certain circumstances, teens may be more prone to addiction.  If you have symptoms related to a behavior or personality disorder, you may also be more likely to be addicted to social media.  You can work with a therapist to find out for sure if you have a mental health condition, and he or she can give you more information about how to tell if you're addicted to social media and what you can do about it.

  For more details about personality disorders, you can read about them on this page: https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/personality-disorders/.

  Limit the use of social networks

  Even if you're not addicted to social media, it can be helpful to limit the time you use it.  Research shows that spending a lot of time on social media or reading some of these sites regularly can lead to depression and anxiety.

  Here are 5 ways you can restrict their use

  Put your phone away from you.  When you have chores to do and need a little help getting away from your social media pages, consider placing your phone across the room from your workplace.  This can allow you to keep your hands off the phone while doing important tasks.

  Don't take your phone to the bedroom.  If possible, do not take your mobile phone into the room when you sleep.  This can prevent you from staying awake reading posts when you should be asleep.  On the other hand, if you need it with you in the room, put it in a drawer or out of reach.  Make sure you can't bend over to pick it up.

  Eating without appliances.  Another way to limit time on social media is to prepare device-free meals.  Everyone in your family can focus on what they eat rather than what their friends are posting.  You can even give them a chance to talk to each other over dinner.

  Select when to check your phone.  When you're trying to reduce your hours of social media usage, you can limit the amount of time you spend watching content each day or week in advance.  Perhaps you can limit viewing of uploaded videos to just 30 minutes per day, or you can choose to only monitor your friends when you take breaks from work throughout the day.

  Turn off alerts.  You can just look at your phone every time you hear alerts from social media apps.  If this is the case, you may want to turn it off so you don't have to pick up the phone when you hear it.  Instead, you can view posts whenever you want and not because they have been published.

  general description

  While a person may be addicted to social media, you may spend a lot of time on social media sites, even if you don't have an addiction.  Do your best to handle your habits around these social sites, and make sure you get your work done as well as important tasks.  If not, you may need to talk to a therapist about what can be done to help you.