In a series of six posts, I explain using early Buddhist teachings how we can overcome our addiction to social media. These teachings originate from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which presents five strategies to manage compelling thoughts and urges.
I refer to the Vitakkasanthana Sutta as “the Social Media Sutra” because it’s more catchy and reminds us of its practical application in modern life.
The fifth and final tool offered by the Buddha is sheer willpower. Imagine a practitioner clenching their teeth and pressing their tongue against the roof of their mouth to mentally squash their unwanted thoughts until they disappear. This method is intended as a last resort, to be used only when other strategies fail.
Sometimes I’ve used this technique myself. Late at night, when I’m endlessly surfing interesting content, I might suddenly feel disgusted, close my laptop, and stop my compulsive behavior. However, this reaction isn’t really about willpower; it’s more about a sudden shift in my feelings.
Fortunately, there are better, or sneakier, ways to manage urges. The idea is to use willpower when you’re not actively craving. This means making decisions that limit your tendencies to engage in addictive behavior. For instance, deleting social media apps from your phone can be very effective as it makes the access harder.
You can also use parental safety settings on your phone to block social media sites or use browser plugins on your computer to limit time spent on these platforms. For a more drastic measure, you might delete your social media accounts altogether. This does take a lot of willpower, but it can be very liberating.
I did this with my Instagram and Facebook accounts. Instagram, though relatively benign, made me crave validation while Facebook had numerous downsides including privacy concerns and exposure to divisive arguments. After quitting, I found I was happier, as research often suggests.
Lastly, I also reduced my Twitter usage, which, like other platforms, can be time-consuming and negatively impact your well-being due to its tedious nature. To quit, I used a more forceful version of simply ignoring it: I locked myself out of my account. This created a barrier that made it difficult to log back in, effectively curbing my use of Twitter.
These “willpower” tricks are about setting up barriers when you’re not actively dealing with the urge to use social media. None of them are foolproof, but they can be significantly helpful in managing addictive behaviors.
To summarize, we’ve explored the five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to free our minds from obsessive thinking and urges. I’m grateful to share this journey and explore how these teachings can help us live with mindfulness, compassion, and joy.