Many of us have been in this position: we catch our cellphone just to see a notice or answer a message, and then end up lost on social media for the next half hour.

If you identify with this situation, and you want to be less … tied to your phone, think about the initiative “February without a phone” (Phone Free February).

Contrary to what its name says, the non -profit campaign does not actually ask participants to stay without a phone (which is not practical for most people). On the contrary, Jacob Worn, who co -created the campaign on the Global Solidarity Foundation, clarified that people are the target. to reduce their overall use Smartphone. The issue is “Let you ask you why you need your phone”, said Worn.

The use of smart mobile phones in the United States has been explosive in the last decade. The overwhelming majority of Americans have a smartphone. They also spend more time on the internet, with about a third saying that they are “almost” over different devices, including phones.

The “sacred bonds” with the mobile “interrupted” in the … month of lovers

But experts said, there is a good reason to try to reduce use. Research viewing the light of publicity show that most time on our screen is associated with higher rates of obesity, insomnia problems and mental health problems. And psychologists are watching a growing number of people who are addicted to their devices.

The good news is that some of these harmful consequences seem to be reversible, said Jennifer Katzenstein, Director of Psychology, Neuropsychology and Social Work at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

“Reducing the use of your mobile phone by just one hour a day instead of stopping (using) completely, can have great benefit in your quality of life and depression levels” pointed out.

Restriction of use can be difficult because the devices are often designed to cause addictionAnd Katzenstein noted. Using a device for activities such as sinking on social media, messages to friends or playing digital games lead the brain to release dopamine, A neurochemical substance that makes us feel pleasure. Over time, the brain can create dopamine tolerance, so we should use our phones more to feel the same pleasure. If left uncontrollable, this pattern can lead to addiction, he warned.

If you are not sure if you spend excessive time on your phone, “enter your settings and see your average daily screening time,” Worn said.

If this time is of concern to you, there are some tips that will help you… make cuts in February.

Make your phone ‘as boring as possible’

Disable Push notifications for non -important applications or consider deleting them completely, Worn said. If your phone allows it, change the color filter to gray, reduce the movement to menu graphics and icons and turn off automatic video playback. ‘Much is related to how you can make your phone as boring as possible’he said.

Unthleep breaks. Can you?

The blue light from the screens of our phone stimulates the production of cortisol, a stressful hormone, said Larry Rosen, a peer professor at the California State University and co-author of many books about technology.

Constantly high levels of cortisol are associated with increased stress, sleep problems and a wide variety of chronic diseases. Paradoxically, the excessive cortisol caused by the use of our phone can lead us to a circle of stress that makes us want to use our phones more, Rosen noticed.

To break this (vicious) circle, take breaks from your device, suggest. Start with a 15 -minute break in which you do not look at your phone and then use your phone for a minute to check whatever you want. If you can reach the end of 15 minutes without… longing for your phone, you can continue to gradually increase the time of break, until you can spend extensive periods without thinking about your phone or feeling anxious because you are not looking at notifications .

Once you realize that… you can withstand this, try not to use the mobile one day a week, Something that can help the neurochemical substances come back to your brain and allow you to work better during the rest of the week, said Nicolas Kardaras, an addiction psychologist and clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook Medicine’s School of Social Welfare.