Are you addicted to your phone? A study from Techcrunch found that the average person is on their device five hours per day on mobile devices.

Technology is now controlling us but it wasn’t meant for that.

Humans are supposed to be the ones that controlling it. Otherwise, we’ll end up in a Terminator judgment day movie where the machines take us out!

If you’re addicted to your phone here’s why it might ruin your life unless you take control of the addiction. 

Here are four ways you could benefit from a digital detox to take back control of your life.

Addicted To Your Phone: How A Digital Detox Can Help

Killing Your Sleeping Patterns

The light from your phone is killing your sleeping patterns. It’s why so many people lie in bed restless and unable to get quality sleep.

While some hardcore digital detoxers might have you remove phones from your bedroom, I’m not sure that’s very practical. Instead, try to minimize technology or screens at least 60 minutes before bed if you have trouble sleeping.

Starting Your Day Reactive

Successful people aren’t waking up and scrolling through social media. As Mel Robbins said in The 5 Second Rule, “ Imagine Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey. Do you think they are lying in bed scrolling through social media?”

Of course not! So why are you?

This year I’ve made it a point to ignore my phone for at least one hour when I wake up. I’ll use it for guided meditation but I don’t look at the text, social media, or emails. Anytime I even look at one wrong email I find myself getting pissed off, frustrated and reactive.

You want to start your day energizing yourself, not giving your energy away to mindless social media or maybe even worse, the news.

Instead, focus on creating in the first hour. Work on yourself by reading a book, meditating, observing your thoughts or writing in a journal.

Feeling Anxious and Depressed

Phone addiction is creating anxiety in our culture. It’s no surprise that since 2010 (when social media took off and the first iPhone was released) that searches for depression and anxiety have increased at an alarming rate.

If you are dependent on your device, you most likely feel anxious and depressed when you aren’t using it. Quit seeking a quick hit of dopamine from Twitter or Instagram and only use social media at specific times. A good example would be 10-minute windows at lunch or after work.

If you are struggling to find happiness, pleasure, and a relaxed mood put the phone down and do something else. Run, exercise, take a walk or meet up with a friend.

Lose Relationships

A Forbes study found that 3 in 5 people spend more time on their phones than they do with their partners. 

If you can’t go out to dinner with your significant other or friends without your phone you might have a problem. Instead, put it on airplane mode and keep it off the table.

Don’t even have it out where you can see it. This will subconsciously show your brain that you are still thinking about it.

Start Your Digital Detox Today

Only you know how much your technology is hurting certain parts of your life. Since I’ve made the changes this year I can say 100% that it’s helped increase my happiness and decrease worry, stress, and anxiety. The longer I go without looking at my phone the prouder I am.

This year I started actively trying to start controlling my technology instead of it controlling me!

Here are a few things you can start doing:

• No phone on the table when eating with anyone
• No phone on my desk when you’re working
• A great morning routine: no social media, emails, or texting the first 60 minutes of the day

The result?

You’ll feel happier, healthier, and sleep better than ever before. Remember, you control technology, it doesn’t control you.