Do any of you spend way too much time on your phone? I spend so much time on Instagram scrolling. And some of it is good but it is just too much and it makes me feel not good enough. And obsessing over whether one can have a good life without a popular account on social media. I don't know if the scrolling is compulsive, but I often want to stop and keep doing it still. It feels like it gets in the way of my normal functioning and being out there living my life. I also spend a lot of time figuring out what other people spend their time with. And feeling like whatever I'm doing is not good enough. Don't know if this is obsessive compulsive? It feels like I have to do it, figure it out so I don't know if it's not OCD and something I should contemplate as my life really isn't that good or it's just OCD tricking me again. Often the SoMe is avoidance so I won't have to do things and and be triggered I guess. I just wanted to chat with others who have the same problem with too much scrolling without it giving them something back? What have you done to help yourself stop etc. Feeling low. Hope to hear from someone struggling with the same thing. ❤

👍

Yeah, it really is great advice. And tomorrow will be my first full day focusing on it. Anxious about it already, but also ready to take control!

I defintely don't like the feeling either. But it feels like I have to... because I don't know what is right to do instead... so maybe the scrolling is an avoidance behaviour so I won't be faced with the obsessing about doing my time RIGHT? 🤔

Thank you! That's a good advice, I'm gonna try that out. I see that it makes me feel like I am not in control of my life. My plans get postponed because I'm stuck to my phone etc. But what about the times when I feel like "I have to" check insta or figure out what other people are doing? How do I know where to set the limit? 🙄 gosh, I'm feeling the anxiety rise from not having instagram available, maybe that's a sign that it is a compulsion?

@asdfghj Yes, it really sounds like compulsion! Everytime we feel that urge to do something we have the opportunity to say "I feel the urge but I chose to not follow that voice!", and then we let the wave of anxiety come and go. This is where the mental muscle grow!! Just do it. Begin today😊!

@Estrid Thank you for talking this out with me. Just imagining myself not doing it rose my pulse right now. 😋😥 I guess I often get stuck in the "what is OCD and what is normal" compulsion too. But this was helpful. Because whether or not it is OCD trying it out will be good exposure! By my reaction this definitely seems compulsive. Gonna work on that mental muscle today, thanks for the encouragement!

@asdfghj You are welcome! I work hard to stop myself from acting on that urge whatever area in my life, thats important. I will also tell you that even if your anxiety rises just thinking about it, know that there is so much joy in doing thing out of choice and willpower instead of beeing a slave to emotions. Wishing you the best😊!

@Estrid Yes! To me OCD is feeling imprisoned in myself. But sometimes I feel that freedom and it's the best. My biggest problem seems to be differentiating between wanting something (healthy) and an urge to do it (compulsive). Thank! 💪💪

@asdfghj Hang in there💪👍

Thanks for the response. I have an anonymous insta account where I follow a lot of health and trauma accounts but I still honorar. I think one of my obsessions is being special. So I see those accounts with 1000ands of followers I feel like a failure. I guess it's quite ridiculous. I also think a lot "I'm not doing recovery the "right" way", and "I'm not living my life the right way", I never know what to do. And spend a lot of time figuring that out. I guess that's compulsive. How much time would you say you spend on SoMe?

@asdfghj I spend a lot of time on twitter and tiktok, but they dont set me off like the others do. I quit facebook 3 years ago, and I've managed to cut my instagram usage down from 2 hours a day to 15 minutes

@💛 That's exactly it. It does set me off and I keep doing it. A friend of mine spends hours on tiktok but she says it's fun and relaxing. While my insta use is just exhausting and leaves me feeling anxious and not good enough. And I still can't stop. I need to work on this!

Thanks for the response... how do you differentiate between avoidance and the type of fun scrolling that everyone does? And do you define it as avoidance as in a compulsion?

Yeah, thanks! This makes sense! The scrolling does stand in the way of my every day chores and going out and living my life. I guess that says it all.

Wouldn't instagram be a good exposure in that case?

@asdfghj Not really. At least, not in the way I feel. It feels more like a compulsion for me to even use it since my feed is filled with sexy women and I feel like I use that as an escape to the annoying thoughts. Gotta be honest, it's hard to differentiate what's an exposure and what's not

@BigGip09 Yeah, I totally agree with that. What is ME and what is OCD. I am gonna cut back on my instagram use though. Try spending more time on what I have chosen to do even though it feels to much atm (studying) and spend time on fun stuff that I want to do. Not the urges.

@asdfghj For me I'm just sick of seeing disturbing shit on the internet like people sexualizing cartoon children or straight up porn. I'm getting sick of seeing sexual things and I don't want to become used to it. This shit fucked up my train of thought and I'm getting away from it. It's annoying. I could do better things with my time than worry but also come across disgusting shit when I don't have to. It's what my OCD mainly sits on in the first place. Kinda just sick of what I see on there