Epsychologist's Blog

Tips for dealing with an internet addiction

As I promised in the previous post, I will write about my behavior, which is not so good. Probably you know people who are addicted to food, smoking, drinking, coffee, cola and so on. I don’t have any of these kinds of addictions, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t have any addiction at all. However I think I had one addiction. It was hard to realize that it is an addiction, because in the beginning it could look that it is not so bad. So what I am talking about?

I like to read news. Normally it is 2-3 web pages which I used to read every day. Do you think it is not so bad? I will prove some facts, which helped me to realize that it is not such a small problem. I understood it when my computer start working not good, so I need to record an important information to DVD and work with the projects of my university. I didn’t know how long my computer will still work. However every time I want to work on these important thinks, I was reading articles or just watching videos in youtube. Ok, not all articles are useless, I think about 30% of all the stuff I read or watch is useful.

• World news about economy, politics
• Articles about psychology
• Articles about interesting and new trends for ex: row food, sometimes I like to watch videos about cooking, because I enjoy making a good food.
• Interesting programs on television, which I watch on the internet. It is useful programs and the internet gives the possibility to skip advertising breaks, so it saves time.

However about 70% is just the time-wasting. So what I am doing?

• Sometimes I read articles about who kissed who and such kind of stuff. It is useless.
• I noticed that I look again and again to the same page, because maybe there is a new article posted.
• I just start to read an article (or watch video) and then read all the other articles which are related with this one.
• And the most important: Instead of doing what I really need to do, I am avoiding it.
• Also I already spend almost all day with the computer and even I spent my free time on it!

So it is not just a small addiction. So let’s analyze this situation. In order to do that I will answer to these questions:

• When I read this news? I read it when I am not in the good mood, or I am tired, or when I don’t want to do what I have to do.
• How I feel after this long wasting of time? I feel guilty and sad, that I didn’t do what I want to do, but also I found an excuse because also I get to know some useful information.

So I decided that I want to get rid of this bad habit. There is an action plan:

1. Before I will start to read any news I will make a list of the subjects I want to read. (I will put it on the wall nearby computer that I could always see what I was planning to do)
2. I will set the time limit for such news reading.
3. I will search new web pages which write only about particular theme, it will help me to avoid reading something which is not related with it.
4. I will read only when I am finished with the priority tasks. I will set the goal for each task, and if I didn’t reach it, I won’t read news.

I will keep on doing that, starting from today. I hope the results will surprise me