Learn the signs and ways of dealing with social media addiction

Social media or social media make a lot of human life easier. Starting from communicating with family or friends in various parts of the world, to making it easier for someone to run their business. But who would have thought that excessive use of social media could lead to addiction. So, what are the signs that you have been addicted and how do you deal with them?

A sign that you are addicted to social media

There are various reasons why so many people play social media. Starting from facilitating friendship with loved ones, watching videos, viewing pictures, or just spending time digging for information or pursuing a hobby.

Although it provides many benefits, using social media every day can also have negative effects, for example is addiction.

Like any type of drug addiction, using a variety of current applications can affect your brain so that using it compulsively and excessively. This habit can interfere with daily activities, because you keep busy playing social media.

You are said to have this condition, if you show signs and symptoms of social media addiction such as the following:

1. Wake up, check social media

Almost every social media addict will start their daily routine by checking their cellphones to see what has been missing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram during a good night's sleep.

The cellphone is also the last thing you turn off before bed. In fact, it disturbs your sleep hours because you are constantly addicted to surfing on social media.

2. Online anywhere and anytime

Another sign of social media addiction that you need to look out for is always on line wherever and whenever. Not only on vacation, while crossing the street or even in the toilet, you are always connected to social media.

You never feel bored all day holding your phone for the sake ofscroll timeline and watch endless viral videos, or check hundreds of vacation pictures of friends and artists you idolize. No matter what you do while playing social media, you will find a place and a way to immerse yourself in social media.

3. Encouraged to upload the best selfie and status for the sake of inviting likes

The immense pressure to make sure you get the perfect photo to upload on your Instagram is something that social media addicts generally experience.

People with this addiction want to make the envy of the people followersimage, so it must upload a flawless perfect image. The process can be cumbersome and irritating, but you don't seem to care about the consequences.

It's the same with choosing selfie perfect, deciding the right sentence for a Facebook status update or kultwit on Twitter can be very difficult. Usually, social media addicts will go through a strict editing process, going back and forth to delete the status, and repeating it over and over again until they get a paragraph that hits the heart.

4. No internet, life is miserable

Sometimes bad things can happen, for example when you are in a situation where there is no internet / WiFi. Feelings of anxiety and restlessness will overwhelm you because you feel unable to browse the timeline for the sake of finding out the activities and status of friends and family.

Phenoma is afraid to miss the news (kudet) is known by the term Fear of missing out (FoMO).

5. Another sign of social media addiction

In addition to the signs mentioned above, you may also feel several things when you are addicted to social media:

• Your daily activities are neglected because you are busy checking and playing social media.
• Playing social media makes you antisocial, aka you prefer to spend time alone with your cellphone, rather than doing other activities with friends or family.
• Feel restless and irritable when you don't open the social media application.

At a more severe level, this addiction can cause various problems such as:

• Feeling inferior, constantly comparing yourself to others and thinking that other people's lives are better than oneself.
• Feeling lonely, causing anxiety and stress disorders, and depression.
• Poor sleep patterns can lead to decreased physical health, school performance, or work productivity and quality.
• Losing empathy and ignoring what happens in real life.

How is social media addictive?

Playing your favorite social media can stimulate dopamine production in the brain to increase. Dopamine itself is a hormone related to pleasure. When you your body responds to more dopamine, your brain will automatically think that playing social media is a useful activity and needs to be repeated.

However, the positive feelings you experience using social media are only temporary. If you keep repeating it, of course it can trigger addiction. This is what can make someone addicted to social media.

How to overcome social media addiction

In order to avoid this addiction, you must be wise in playing social media. Meanwhile, to overcome addiction is to limit the use of social media.

Here are some ways that you can help you use social media healthier:

• Remove the addicting social medical apps on your phone or tablet. Even though you can access it via a computer or laptop, of course this will require a little more effort. You need to turn on your computer or laptop first.
• You can turn off your cellphone while working, school, eating, or doing activities with your family. You can also adjust the settings on each social media app to turn off certain notifications that usually provoke you to check them out.
• Try to schedule a social media game. Take some time and set a timer to determine how long you can play social media.
• Leave your phone or tablet outside the room. The goal, so that you are not tempted to open social media before bed.
• Do activities that are not related to using cell phones, such as sports, going to the library, taking cooking classes, or playing out with friends and family.
• If the above methods are not effective in overcoming your addiction, do not hesitate to consult a doctor.