In a series of six posts, I delve into how teachings from early Buddhist scriptures can help free us from our social media addiction. These teachings come from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming compelling thoughts and urges.
“Vitakkasanthana Sutta” translates to “the Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” but I’ll refer to it as “the Social Media Sutra” because it’s more relatable and reminds us of its practical applications in our lives.
Now, let’s discuss the fifth and final strategy, which might surprise you: sheer willpower. The Buddha suggests using willpower as a last resort. It involves a mental struggle where you forcefully resist the bad thoughts until they dissipate. While this method sounds harsh, it highlights that sometimes we need to be strict with ourselves.
Personally, I’ve found this method useful in certain situations. For instance, when I’m surfing the internet late at night and realize it’s affecting my sleep, I might experience a sudden surge of disgust that compels me to close my laptop. This isn’t really willpower at play; it’s more of an automatic response that ends my compulsive behavior.
However, there are better, sneakier ways to manage urges. These methods involve using your willpower when you’re not actively engaged in craving. By making decisions that limit your tendencies, you regain control over your actions. For example:
1. Delete social media apps from your phone: This makes it harder to access these services.
2. Block social media sites using parental controls: Designate sites like Twitter or Facebook as adult content to block them entirely.
3. Use browser plugins: Limit the amount of time you can spend on social media.
4. Delete your social media accounts: This is a more drastic measure that can be very effective, although challenging for many.
I, for example, deleted my Instagram and Facebook accounts. Instagram made me crave validation, and Facebook had numerous drawbacks, including privacy concerns and being a platform for arguments and propaganda.
Research shows that quitting social media makes us happier, yet many of us stay addicted because our minds convince us it’s essential for our happiness. We need to recognize these lies because life was fine before social media existed.
Finally, I found one last trick that helped me quit Twitter. This trick involves making it difficult to access your account by locking yourself out. You can still get back in if needed, but the extra barrier helps keep you away from social media.
My approach to social media now involves setting up barriers that prevent me from acting on addictive urges. This tactic has been effective for me.
To wrap up, we’ve explored five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to help free our minds from obsessive thinking and compulsive urges. Thank you for joining me on this journey of using Dharma to overcome social media addiction. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share this practice and hope we all continue to progress toward living with mindfulness, compassion, and joy.