In a series of six posts, I’m explaining, using teachings from early Buddhist scriptures, how we can overcome our addiction to social media. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for managing compelling urges.
The Vitakkasanthana Sutta, or “The Discourse on Quieting Thinking,” outlines methods to reduce inner verbalization and self-talk, as well as the emotional urges that drive behaviors. In this context, the urge to constantly check social media is a form of thinking.
The first tool is to focus on something positive and skillful in our experience. The second is to recognize the drawbacks of our unskillful activities. The third is learning ways to reduce temptation.
Now, let’s explore the fourth tool from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which can help us address social media addiction. This tool is known as “stopping the formation of thoughts.” Essentially, if other methods haven’t worked to quiet our urges, we focus on halting thought formation altogether. By doing so, our minds can become calmer and more unified.
To better understand this, imagine someone walking quickly. They might think, “Why am I rushing? Why don’t I slow down?” So they slow their pace. Then they might think, “Why am I still walking? Why don’t I stand still?” So they stand. This process of moving from more active to more restful states helps illustrate how we can become aware of what’s driving us and choose to let go, allowing ourselves to slow down and come to rest.
When we’re caught up in compulsive online activity, there’s often an underlying anxiety driving us. This may feel like a tight, prickly sensation in our gut. Our brain produces this feeling because it perceives boredom or missing out as a threat. This sensation then triggers impulses to keep surfing the web.
These impulses, often accompanied by inner speech like “Just one more article,” are the thoughts we aim to slow down. Feelings are crucial in Buddhist practice, playing a central role in our experience. This unpleasant feeling can drive our behavior, but by becoming mindful of it, we realize we don’t have to react. Instead, we can observe it and offer compassion to the part of us that is suffering.
This mindful self-compassion creates a pause, allowing us to respond more wisely. With internet addiction, the unpleasant feeling can vary—boredom, hollowness, dread, or anxiety. By turning toward our discomfort and accepting it, we train ourselves to respond with kindness and compassion, shifting from reactivity to more mindful actions.
When I find myself mindlessly reading articles online, I use this approach. By recognizing my suffering and turning mindfully to my feelings, I usually find something unpleasant in my gut. If I’m not mindful, I take this as a signal to fix something by going online. But when I’m mindful, I see the unpleasant feeling as just a physical sensation created by a part of the brain that thinks my well-being is threatened. I don’t need to act on it; I can observe it with kindness and compassion, perhaps even saying, “May you be well. May you be happy. May you be at peace.”
Our social media or internet addiction is driven by an urge to escape emotional pain. We can only free ourselves from this addiction by turning our attention toward our pain and embracing it with mindfulness. When we crave something, it’s like an invisible cord connects us to it. By mindfully addressing the underlying pain, this connection weakens, allowing us to put down our devices and engage in more meaningful activities.
So that’s the fourth tool: stopping the formation of unskillful urges by recognizing and compassionately responding to the feelings driving them. This helps free us from the pull of social media and compulsive online behavior.
To continue with Part 5 of The Social Media Sutra, stay tuned for more insights.