Rapid development of modern technologiesand the advent of personal computers with unlimited access to the Internet have made life much easier for ordinary people. Now we can easily communicate with people from the most remote corners of the world, freely download music, movies, books, play computer games and even work without leaving home. But along with the listed benefits, we can also name a number of significant disadvantages that such an existence entails. The main one is that a person is literally drawn into the virtual world. And then it's time to think about how to get rid of computer addiction.
The mechanism of action of dependence and on whom it is distributed
Like any other addiction, computer addictionarises from the soil of pleasure. At the chemical level, the human body releases endorphins, hormones of happiness, which improve the person's mood, cause a smile and a feeling of carelessness. If, with chemical dependence, a person needs to use a substance that can cause euphoria, then in the case of psychological dependence, it is enough to sit down at the computer. The need for this can also be caused by the fact that on the Internet a person has the opportunity to "put on a mask", hide under someone else's guise and become someone he cannot be in real life - rich, successful, self-confident, brave. This is why many addicts are so worried about their rating on social networks and the number of "likes" given to them, because only in this way can they feel popular and in demand. Most often, children and teenagers suffer from computer addiction, who do not receive due attention, are oppressed by something or someone, do not have the opportunity to develop their talents and abilities in various sections or clubs (for example, due to material reasons). Also susceptible to computer addiction are immature individuals, withdrawn or poorly socially adapted people, those who are experiencing some kind of stress and cannot solve their problems in any other way than by running away from them.
How to recognize computer addiction?
Before taking any serious action, it is necessary to make sure that we are really dealing with a case of addiction. The signs of such are:
Lack of control over your own time.If a person logs into a social network for five minutes to check if a new message has arrived, and stays there for an hour or more, if his sleep time is reduced to 4-2 hours, and the first thing he does in the morning after waking up is turn on the computer, and only then wash, dress and have breakfast, then the first sign of addiction is obvious.
Falling performance at work, at the university,school. While spending most of his time at the computer, the dependent rarely has time to perform all the duties assigned to him. He does not prepare for exams and control, does not do homework, can not properly prepare a presentation or draw up a report, and hence all the unpleasant consequences follow.
Loss of interest in reality and externalthe world. Surprisingly, but walks in nature and visits to interesting events, many prefer aimless surfing on the Internet and an overview of ridiculous sites, toys, videos.
Termination of communication with friends, relatives, loved ones or the transition from real communication to virtual, even to the point where people stop seeing at all.
Indifference to his appearance. It does not matter how to sit in front of the monitor, because nobody sees us anyway. Is it worth it to spend time washing, combing and brushing your teeth if you can immediately sit down at the computer? Gradually, this attitude becomes a habit, and the appearance of a person becomes more and more unattractive.
The emergence of health problems.A person who is dependent on something is not healthy in itself, but in addition to this psychological illness, others appear. Increased irritability, aggressiveness, depression - this is what awaits everyone who succumbs to the influence of the computer and the Internet, giving themselves over to them as captives. And in addition, a person may develop eye and musculoskeletal diseases, the digestive process may be disrupted, gastritis or migraine may occur.
How to get rid of computer addiction?
There are several ways out of thissituations. You can take radical measures, or you can try to act step by step, gradually retreating from the addiction. Here are some ways to do it better:
Disconnect the Internet and remove the computer from the fieldview and access dependent. However, this method has a strong side effect. If a drug addict has to take his "dope", he will have a terrible break-up, followed by hysteria, aggression, a desire to protect himself from this world. Exactly the same will happen with a computer dependent, so this radical way should be resorted only after the consent of the dependent and willingness to take this step.
To gradually get rid of computerdependence, it is worth reducing the time spent at the computer by 5-10 minutes daily. If a person fails to complete a task today, tomorrow he will have to reduce this time by half. Introduce a kind of fine system. In this way, in a week you can reduce your stay in the virtual world by 35-70 minutes, and in a month - by as much as 150-300, in total this is already 2.5-5 hours of saved time.
From computer addiction you will not get rid, whilehe himself will not want it. Alas, but only the complaints and desires of relatives for this is not enough. A person should ask himself questions about what he is giving, what he is getting, and what he loses, spending most of his time at the monitor, how this affects his loved ones. It is necessary to try to push the dependent on the desire to eliminate his problems.
You can try to redirect the attention of a personfrom the computer to another object. For example, give him a pet that will require attention and care. Then the time on the Internet will be much less, and the favorite in the house, it is possible, will be able to give those emotions that a person previously lacked and which he tried to find on the net.
Sometimes the situation is aggravated to such an extent that withouthelp specialists from it not to get out. In such cases, it makes sense to turn to a psychologist or a psychotherapist who will help understand the roots of the problem, encourage the person to act and guide him to the right path.
5 tips for people who have computer addiction
If it is not one of your friends or relatives who suffers from computer addiction, but you yourself, the following recommendations may help you:
Alternate your visits to Internet resources withdoing things that are important to you. Take a break from work for entertainment, not a break from entertainment for work. However, the duration of such breaks should not exceed 15 minutes.
Find yourself a hobby. Instead of sitting at the computer, start learning a foreign language, reading books (not electronic), dancing or boxing, swimming, going to the gym, drawing or cooking. A new lesson will entice you so much that over time the Internet will cease to cause such intense interest as before.
More often call to visit friends andrelatives, and do not forget to visit them. You can organize joint raids on nature, in a movie or a cafe. So you will remember how fun you spent together before the advent of the Internet, and understand how much live communication is better than virtual.
Leave only useful links and programsyourself on the computer, refuse all unnecessary subscriptions. Watching funny videos on YouTube, online games, excessive activity on social networks - all this takes up your precious time and does not bring any benefit at all.
If you do not have enough willpower and self-control,Ask someone close to watch over you and not to violate the established rules. And in case of non-compliance, you can set special sanctions. For example, if you love chocolate, you will have to give it up for a while, if you have an extra hour for gathering on the Internet at weekends, you lose it and undertake to clean up, etc.
And finally, remember that knowing how to get rid offrom computer addiction, is not enough. To achieve a positive result and complete liberation from it, a person needs to be aware of his problem and have a strong desire to solve it. If you set a goal and tirelessly go towards it, then, in the end, it will be achieved. No matter how tempting the virtual world is, you should not change the real one for it.
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