In a series of six posts, I discuss how teachings from early Buddhist scriptures can help us break free from our addiction to social media. These lessons, taken from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, provide five strategies for overcoming persistent thoughts and urges.
I’ve dubbed this text “the Social Media Sutra” because it’s easier to remember and directly relevant to our lives.
The fifth and final tool from the Buddha might surprise you: sheer willpower. According to the teachings, when all else fails, the practitioner should use willpower to forcefully quiet their mind. This technique is meant to be a last resort, used only after other methods have failed.
I’ve personally experienced the power of this approach. Sometimes, late at night, I find myself endlessly surfing the internet. It might be informative content, but it still robs me of sleep. There are times when a sudden wave of disgust makes me slam my laptop shut, breaking the spell of my compulsion.
However, sheer willpower isn’t always the best solution. There are more efficient ways to manage our urges. One effective strategy is to use willpower when you’re not actively experiencing cravings. For example, you can delete social media apps from your phone or use parental safety settings to block them entirely. On your computer, you can install plugins that limit your social media usage time.
You can even take more drastic measures, like deleting your social media accounts altogether. This takes significant willpower, but it’s incredibly effective. For instance, I deleted my Instagram and Facebook accounts because of the negative feelings and time waste associated with them.
Many studies suggest that quitting social media makes people happier. Yet, addiction and self-deception often prevent us from letting go. We tell ourselves that social media is essential to our happiness, even though it didn’t exist until recently and we all managed just fine without it.
Twitter was my last holdout. Although I spent less time on it, it still caused issues because of the negativity and time consumption. This led me to a final, effective trick: locking myself out of my account. By creating barriers, such as changing my password and storing it elsewhere, I prevent myself from mindlessly logging in.
This method isn’t about permanently deleting your account but making it inconvenient to access. This extra step helps break the cycle of addiction.
In summary, we’ve explored five tools from the Vitakkasanthana Sutta to help free our minds from obsessive thoughts and compulsive urges. I hope these teachings can assist you in living with greater mindfulness, compassion, and joy. Thank you for joining me on this journey to conquer social media addiction.