In a series of six posts, I discuss, using teachings from early Buddhist scriptures, how we can free ourselves from social media addiction. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming persistent thoughts and urges.
The Buddha recommends working through these tools in order. If redirecting your mind to positive thoughts doesn’t work, then consider the drawbacks of your addiction. If that also fails, the next tool is to “ignore and forget” whatever you’re obsessed with, which is our focus today.
The Sutta briefly states that if undesirable thoughts related to desire, hate, and delusion keep coming up, we should ignore and forget them. This might seem easier said than done, but let’s explore this principle further.
Imagine someone with good eyesight who encounters something unpleasant. They would simply close their eyes or look away. This seems simplistic, but it’s practical advice about reducing temptation.
We’ll explore this concept in two areas: external activities and internal activities. First, let’s look at how we can change our habits to ignore social media, and then we’ll discuss how we relate to our experiences internally.
For example, if you want to lose weight but struggle with eating potato chips, it’s best not to keep them in the house. Similarly, avoiding the chip aisle in the supermarket can help. This principle applies to online addictions as well. Our phones, which offer a gateway to social media, are always with us, making temptation constant.
Try moving your social media apps to the second or third screen of your phone to make accessing them less convenient. Turn off those red notification badges and any audible alerts. This way, you can control when you engage with social media, rather than being interrupted by it.
It’s also useful to keep your phone out of sight and out of mind at times. For instance, don’t charge your phone next to your bed at night. If you charge it elsewhere, you won’t reach for it first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night. Use an alarm clock instead to avoid the temptation.
Turning off your phone while it charges overnight can create a barrier to immediate access. This way, you start your day without immediately diving into the internet. When I charge my phone in the living room, I’m more likely to meditate or read a book in the morning rather than scrolling through social media.
You can create other opportunities for phone-free time. Mute your phone or put it away during meals with family or friends. Some people even put their phones in a pile at restaurants, and the first person to touch theirs has to pay for everyone’s meal.
Meditation retreats are another excellent opportunity to disconnect. Leave your phone in the car or turn it off and put it in the bottom of your suitcase. You can even seal it in an envelope with a motivating message on the outside.
Externally, these are ways to “look away” from your phone, but we can also work on this internally. A deeper level of practice involves changing how we pay attention. Instead of focusing narrowly on specific thoughts or urges, try adopting a soft, open gaze that encompasses your entire visual field. This broader awareness can help you notice urges as they arise and let them pass without acting on them.
In meditation, a narrow focus on thoughts can lead to distractions. By keeping the eyes soft, we can maintain an expansive awareness that includes many sensations, making it easier to ignore and forget distractions.
Practicing this open gaze in daily life can help you manage urges to check social media. When a thought like “I need to check Facebook” arises, it’s easier to let it pass without acting on it. This is similar to “urge surfing,” where you observe an urge building and then fading away instead of giving in to it.
Today, we’ve learned that we can reduce our chances of distracting ourselves with social media by:
1. Changing our phone habits to make access less convenient.
2. Creating phone-free times and spaces.
3. Adopting a broader, softer gaze that allows us to let go of distracting thoughts and impulses.
In these ways, we can begin to free ourselves from addictive thought and behavior patterns.