Do you sleep with your phone near your head just so you don’t miss a text from someone?! Do you get an irresistible urge to check your WhatsApp every time you get a notification? Here are some signs that indicate that you might be addicted to this app. But don’t worry, Techspirited, as usual, comes to the rescue by giving you some effective ways to overcome this addiction.
Effective Way to Stay Away From WhatsApp and Save Money!
Every time you access WhatsApp, put a dollar into a jar. The money that is collected at the end of the month, donate it to a charity. You will be amazed by the amount of money that you could have saved, which you will have to donate, prompting you to restrict yourself from using the app.
In today’s technology-driven age, if you don’t have WhatsApp on your smartphone, then for most of us at least, you must be living under a rock! Without a doubt, WhatsApp is a great tool. You can exchange texts, videos, audios, pictures, or even call people on the go that too for free. No matter where you are, if you have internet, you’re just one click away from your friends and family.
But too much of anything can be bad, the same goes with WhatsApp! We’ve become so engrossed in the on goings of other people that we forget to live our own. How many times have we been out on a trip with some old friends and have been busy on the phone telling people about it, rather than just keeping the phone away and having a good laugh on some silly joke your friend cracked?!
I can see a few heads nodding in agreement. Unfortunately, the use of such apps has caused most of us to forget how to truly connect; we’re just spending most of our time staying updated. Here are some signs that let you know you’ve taken your love for staying updated way too far.
Signs of WhatsApp Addiction
- You keep banging into walls, doors, people every once in while because you just can’t seem to take your eyes off your phone even while walking or traveling.
- If you hear a WhatsApp notification when, in reality, you haven’t got any; you’re definitely getting addicted to it.
- You keep tabs on the profile pictures and statuses of everyone, even those you don’t talk to. Well, we’re sorry to inform you that you need to get a life.
- The “last seen” and “online” statuses give rise to World War III, and the “double ticks” and “blue colored ticks” just waltz in to make matters worse.
- The first thing you wanna see when you open your eyes in the morning is your phone, rather than the face of your sugar.
- You can’t fight the urge to keep broadcasting good mornings and good nights everyday.
- Out with friends, but you’re busy clicking selfies and groupfies rather than catching up; when a good selfie instantly becomes your WhatsApp profile picture.
- WhatsApp is your number one way of procrastinating, irrespective of the amount of work you have pending.
- You must send at least one joke, one video, or one picture to every groupchat everyday.
Another obvious sign is when everything that happens in your life―big or small―becomes your WhatsApp status. Know that it is time to cut the cord. Just like any addiction, you need to accept that you’ve become a WhatsApp addict to overcome this addiction. You’ll also need a lot of self-control and some distractions to help you achieve your attainable goal.
How to Overcome WhatsApp Addiction
- Avoid carrying your smartphone the next time you go out to meet your pals.
- If you really wanna say something to someone, do it face-to-face where the person can see your true emotions and not via a status or a text. This takes a bit of courage and gives you time to ponder over your opinion before you say it.
- Set yourself free of boredom! Nurture your love for something rather than sitting somewhere with your eyeballs glued to your phones. Read that book you always wanted to read, take up dance classes, learn to paint, cook, or sing.
- Fight the urge, try to check your phone once in an hour rather than every five minutes. Sneezed three times? Try not to put a status about it!
- Avoid going on a selfie spree every time you look good. Just enjoy the “feeling pretty” moment and have fun. Who knows, there might be the love of your life falling in love with you at first sight, but you’re too busy on your phone to even notice!
- Prioritize! Do what needs to be done first and do it well once you’ve ticked everything off your to-do-list, only then you can go back to your smartphone.
- Remove the WhatsApp icon from your main screen, this will help you to fight the urge to click on it every time you check your phone.
- Just because you have unlimited Internet plan doesn’t mean you forward everything possible. Believe it or not, people who have other things to do and don’t need you spamming their phone with pictures of kittens saying good morning.
- Instead of staying updated of what’s going on in everyone’s life, try staying in touch with those who really care about you, call them every now and then. We promise you, your life will be much more enriched.
A few years back most of us were suffering from an addiction to Facebook, these days the number of people addicted to it has reduced only to be replaced by platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter, etc. Hopefully, the tips mentioned above should help you overcome it. Here is an ancient Hindu proverb that sums it up best, Even nectar turns to poison if taken in excess.