For a number of years now, I don’t receive any app notifications on my phone, none. The only exception is the text message app and of course the phone when it rings. Just like we had in the old days, when we didn’t have a smartphone.
So what, you might be thinking?
Well, those fabulous tech people have been so clever in conditioning our brain that are neurons have literally been hardwired to ensure that we pick up our phone at least 150 times per day to check it. Checking for emails, messages, social media activity, likes, comments and shares.
Every time we check we’re looking for dopamine hits, the same hits that a cocaine addict may get.
You are literally addicted to your smartphone, except it’s not so smart. By being addicted you believe that you have less time in your life, that you’re always busy and when you don’t have your phone with you, you feel like you have lost something. The feelings are very very real.
As I’m writing this on my iPad, my phone is upstairs in my office on charge and I have no desire to have it with me and I’m not missing it. Sure the same apps are on my iPad and because I don’t receive any notifications here either there is no desire for me to even look.
I have conditioned my brain to stop looking any longer. I may look when I’m on my desktop if I even remember. It’s a very liberating feeling.
Happy recovery!