Social Media & Relationships

April 6,2022 By: Mansi poddar

Are you spending more time on your mobile device than the time you spend actually interacting with your partner or your spouse?

According to a recent report, 71 percent of individuals say they spend more time on their phones than they spend with their love interests, with 52 percent of individuals spending three or four more hours on their phones than with their partners every day

While smartphones and social media networks might not have had much of an impact on your life 10 years ago, chances are they do today. This addiction to technology is actually by design; researchers have found that social media networks, for example, are purposely built to keep you glued to the screen. Regardless, your significant other is unlikely to be too thrilled if they constantly see you staring at your screen when they’re trying to have a conversation. By identifying the bad habits that are harming your relationship, swapping them out with good habits, and talking to a therapist if the problem persists, you can strengthen your relationships and find real connections in our social media-driven world.

SOME TIPS –

• Delete your apps
• When too much screen time is getting in the way of your relationship, there’s an easy fix: delete the apps that are commandeering the bulk of your time.
• Be more empathetic.
• Put yourself in your partner’s shoes: How would you feel if your significant other picked up their phone in the middle of a conversation and started ignoring you?
• Put your phone in the other room
• When you’re trying to have some quality alone time with your partner — whether you’re trying to cook a meal, watch some Netflix, or do a puzzle together — an easy way to make sure you don’t fall into the spell of social media is to simply put your phone in another room. When your phone is out of your arms’ reach, you can’t exactly pick it up mid-conversation.
• Get a real alarm clock
• Consider buying an old-school alarm clock and moving your phone away from where you sleep. By doing so, you will eliminate the ability to read your phone first thing in the morning and right before you go to sleep.