Most people today own and use a smartphone. It can be an amazing tool that helps make our lives easier, and helps us feel more connected – IF we use it the right way. Stop by to learn the right way to use your smartphone.

Smartphones offer some amazing capabilities, and it’s hard to imagine life without one nowadays, but they have their downsides too. Smartphones can be expensive and affect mental health and wellbeing. The solution is to find smart ways to use your smartphone and benefit.  

Hide Social Media 

Social media has taken the world by storm; it allows people to connect like never before and has changed the way businesses interact with customers. The downside is the mental health effects of using social media and the addictive nature of using the apps more than necessary. 

If you want to improve your happiness and life quality, you need to modify the frequency of social media visits; this isn’t always easy, especially when you consider the technology they use to hook your attention. One excellent strategy is to hide the social media app on your smartphone.

Turn off Notifications 

Apps, websites, emails, and more are all demanding our attention, so it’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed and stressed a lot of the time. Smartphones are functional and entertaining, but they are also attention-grabbing. Turning off the notifications on your phone makes a difference. 

When you download an app or sign-up to a website, it normally gives you an option of whether to accept notifications or not; it’s best to select no for notifications and then optimize them later. If you receive a lot of notifications, the best thing to do might be to trace and optimize them all. 

Digital Downtime 

There are two ways to use an iPhone X; one way is relatively unconscious; you simply use the phone whenever you have an urge to check the news or a social media site; the other is a more conscious way, you are aware of the dynamics of phones and take steps to moderate use.

If you practice digital downtime, you are very much in the second camp. Digital downtime is about making a conscious effort to reduce the connection to your digital devices and spend more time in the real world. Digital downtime can be as little as an hour or as much as a week. 

Reconditioned Phones 

Most people have a smartphone contract with a supplier; on this contract, they receive a new device, data, and calls, and they pay a flat monthly fee for a duration of twelve or eighteen months. This system gives you a smart new phone and a predictable and reliable price plan. 

The downside is that phone contracts tend to be quite expensive. Because you pay the bill monthly, it doesn’t feel as though you are spending, but the contracts are overpriced. An alternative is to buy a cheaper, reconditioned phone and sign up for a much lighter contract.    

Therapy Apps 

Smartphones can cause a lot of mental distress in someone’s life, but they can also be the answer to mental health conditions. Therapy apps offer an accessible and inexpensive way to access a therapist at short notice instead of waiting for weeks or months to talk to someone.