In a series of six posts, I’ve been explaining how early Buddhist teachings can help us break free from our addiction to social media. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming compelling urges. I refer to this as “the Social Media Sutra.”
In this context, “thinking” includes not only our inner self-talk but also the emotional urges that drive our behaviors. So, the desire to browse social media and the internet is a form of thinking. The first three tools I’ve covered are about directing our attention to positive experiences, understanding the downsides of our negative behaviors, and how to reduce temptations.
Now, let’s focus on the fourth tool from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which is about “stopping the formation of thoughts.” Essentially, it’s about managing and reducing our unskillful thoughts and urges when other methods fail to do so. This means recognizing and halting the processes that lead to those thoughts and urges.
Imagine you’re walking quickly and decide to slow down. You then decide to stand still, sit down, and finally lie down, rejecting more active postures for more restful ones. Similarly, we can slow down our racing minds by becoming aware of what’s driving us. This can help us rest and be at peace.
When we’re caught up in compulsive online behavior, there’s often an underlying sense of anxiety. This might feel like a tight, prickly sensation in the gut. One part of our brain interprets boredom or fear of missing out as a threat to our well-being, creating these unpleasant sensations. Other parts of the brain react to these sensations by urging us to surf the web more.
These urges are accompanied by thoughts like “Just one more article,” which drive the compulsive behavior. Buddhist practice emphasizes the role of feelings because they play a crucial role in driving our actions.
When we become mindful of these feelings, we realize we don’t have to be driven by them. Instead, we can simply observe them and recognize that they signal a part of us that is suffering. We can offer compassion to this part of ourselves, creating a gap where we find a kinder, wiser response.
In the case of internet addiction, this unpleasant feeling varies but often includes boredom, hollowness, or anxiety. By training ourselves to turn toward and accept our discomfort, we can respond to our pain with kindness and compassion. This shift helps us respond in a more creative, mindful, and wise way.
When I find myself glued to my computer, obsessed with reading articles online, I’ll use this approach. I’ll mindfully turn my attention to the underlying feelings, usually something unpleasant in the gut. When I’m not mindful, I interpret these feelings as signals that something is wrong and try to fix them by going online. This reaction is instinctual and not deliberate.
With mindfulness, I recognize that the unpleasant feeling is just a bodily sensation created by part of my brain. I don’t have to act on it. Instead, I can observe it and offer it kindness and compassion. For example, I might touch my belly and say, “May you be well. May you be happy. May you be at peace.”
Our addiction to social media or the internet is driven by a desire to escape emotional pain. We can only free ourselves from these urges by turning our attention toward our pain and embracing it with mindfulness and compassion. When we do this, it’s like cutting an invisible cord of emotion tied to our cravings. This reduces our compulsive connection to the internet and social media, allowing us to put down our devices and engage in more wholesome activities.
So, the fourth tool focuses on halting the formation of unskillful urges by understanding and mindfully responding to the feelings that drive them, helping us break free from our social media addiction.