Today, when a computer has already ceased to be a luxury, and connecting to the Internet has become almost a dire necessity, doctors often encounter a diagnosis of computer addiction in their practice . Moreover, the situation is aggravated day after day, because the number of Internet addicts is growing at a frantic speed. Many psychologists even begin to put this disease on a par with dependence on nicotine and alcohol, which, in principle, is not surprising, because those who are with manic attachment sitting at the monitors have problems both with their psychological state and their health from the physiological point of view. Again, the treatment of computer addiction is complicated by the fact that those who suffer from it often trigger an ailment, simply not considering themselves sick, as well as alcoholics.
Before we give recommendations on how to get rid of computer addiction, a few words should be said about the symptoms of this disease.
One of the first alarms is that you have stopped monitoring the time you spend at the computer. You can’t always immediately find out what time it is. There is fatigue, both physical and emotional. You do not want to do anything. It is even possible the onset of a depressive state, from which it is not so easy to get out. Any free time you strive to again “freeze” behind the monitor. You can even open random links and read information that you absolutely do not need, if only it was on the other side of the screen. Like other addicts, you will experience breakdown in those periods when access to the computer will be closed due to breakage, blackout in the apartment, etc.
Observe yourself or your loved ones - it may be time to diagnose such an ailment of our time as computer addiction. Treatment, you can first try to do it yourself. If the disease is not very neglected, then in this way you can avoid turning to professionals for help.
How to get rid of computer addiction: dose the time!
This step, in principle, is central to the issue of getting rid of such an ailment. It is unlikely that you can completely eliminate the time spent at the computer, so just try to dose it out for now. Start to gradually reduce the time you usually spend at the monitor. Do on the computer only those things that you have planned, and then immediately unplug the machine from the network so that the hand does not accidentally make a couple of unnecessary mouse clicks.
Make yourself a schedule where it will be indicated at what time you will sit at the computer and how much time you will spend with it. As soon as your time is up, immediately get up from the table. At first, it will be difficult to get used to monitoring the time, so you can use the alarm clock. Soon you will be able to get used to this routine, and after a longer period of time in order to sit at the computer, you will not need it. If necessary, you can make adjustments to your schedule by reducing or increasing the time frame of sitting at the computer. It will not be superfluous to detail your schedule, indicating in it specifically what kind of things you should do for your PC on any given day.
How to get rid of computer addiction: find a replacement!
Think about it, because a computer is essentially nothing special, therefore, it is quite possible to replace it with something. You can listen to music in the player or in the music center. The playback quality will not be worse, but it will distract you from the monitor. You can watch movies on a DVD player, and if you have a modern LCD TV, you can be envied. No desire to buy CDs with music and movies? It doesn’t matter, just download everything you need from the same Internet to disks or flash drives, turn off your PC and use the above mentioned equipment to view and listen to it.
Replace virtual communication with real. If you have a friend who lives in the same city with you, go to visit him or arrange a meeting in some interesting place, and do not write endless messages on a social network. You will immediately understand how lively communication is more pleasant and interesting than correspondence in ICQ, etc. And if you are a companionable person, then sit down at a computer, go to your chat room and arrange a meeting with your partners in a cafe where you can all relax and have fun together. So there will be much more emotions, and real ones, which can never replace short phrases and soulless smiles.
Find yourself a hobby that has nothing to do with the computer. Such activities are sure to be found, you just need to think a little.
If you disappear on dating sites in search of a soulmate, then this occupation can be completely replaced with walks in your city. So, you don’t have to spend many hours correspondence with a virtual interlocutor, which may turn out to be completely different from who he claims to be. Drop your complexes, boldly approach the people you like, get acquainted, take / give your phone number, make an appointment for the next meeting.
Adrenaline, which is so sought after by computer game lovers, can be replaced by extreme sports, a trip to an amusement park or a bicycle track, a boat trip, visiting caves, parachuting, etc.
Now you know how to get rid of computer addiction. And that means that the only thing left is small - to realize that you need to change your life. At the same time, remember that it will definitely change for the better for you!