Device Abstinence

Spend one full hour (or one day!) without using ANY communication devices or looking at any kind of device screen. Write about your reactions. What did you do? What thoughts and feelings came to mind when not using any of these electronic devices?

Addiction Scale

Try this Internet Addiction Quiz: https://psychcentral.com/quizzes/internet-addiction-quiz/ (Links to an external site.) on PsychCentral. Write about your reactions to the test results. Do the results seem accurate? If you spend too much time on your devices, what steps do you think you could take to overcome your overuse?

Mindfulness

The very simple instructions for mindfulness meditation are to close your eyes and focus your attention on your breathing. If your mind wanders to something else, if you start to think about something, just notice this and gently bring your attention back to breathing. You might have to bring your attention back to breathing over and over again. Do this for at least five minutes.

Now open your eyes and focus your attention on your phone or computer. Let go of any temptation to think about it, analyze it, judge it, or “use” it for any purpose. Just notice how it looks, sounds, and feels to the touch. VERY slowly click on things and navigate around. Be aware of your movements, of how your body feels. Look at everything carefully. Notice any thoughts or feelings that come up, but return your attention to the device. Pretend you are exploring your phone or computer for the very first time, as if you’ve never seen one before. There is no goal or anything you have to “do.” You are just “experiencing” the phone or computer, appreciating it for what it is rather than what it will do for you. Write about your reaction to this exercise.