tips to *ACTUALLY* break your phone addiction

If you’ve been feeling anxious, overstimulated, unfocused or like your phone has way too much control over your day, you are NOT alone. I don’t think I need to tell you this because you already KNOW but our phones truly affect us more than we would like to admit.

There is so much talk on the internet about kids’ screen time, but often we disregard our own. Meanwhile, we’re waking up and checking our phones before we even breathe, we’re scrolling while people talk to us, and we’re using our phones to avoid boredom, discomfort and even rest.

I am talking from personal experience as this is something that I have struggled with on and off and different seasons of my life, especially during times of stress and overwhelm.

This blog post is your reminder that you CAN work on your phone habits and see real change.

🌪 why phone addiction feels “normal” — but isn’t harmless

You already know your phone affects your dopamine, your focus and your mood. That’s not new information. The problem isn’t knowledge it’s that we don’t think it’s serious enough to deal with, or more often (usually true for me) that it has been so long since we have taken a break that we forget how good it feels.

The truth?

Your phone is probably affecting your:
• anxiety
• sleep
• productivity
• ability to be present
• creativity
• relationships
• patience
• general peace

None of us want to admit how much it’s impacting us, but we can truly feel it.

If you feel like you don’t have enough time to do hobbies / be creative / read, I always will challenge you to take a hard look at your screen time and see if that is really true

🫶🏼 a recent moment I knew I needed a reset

This summer was a really stressful one for me, with being in my first trimester, working my marketing job while still shooting weddings every weekend, and not being settled in a home. I was using my phone *a lot* for work, but it was also so easily turning into scrolling, and not being present with my toddler.

I was constantly feeling distracted, anxious and overstimulated — and I could tell my toddler saw me looking at my phone a LOT, which honestly just felt like a gut punch at the end of the day when I would think about it.

I have felt very convicted about this and in this season, I’ve been intentionally working on breaking my phone addiction, and already feel like I can breathe again

☁️ step 1: make it hard to be on your phone

Your phone is addictive because it’s so easy to pick up, and get sucked in.
So the first solution?
Make it inconvenient.

Some options:
• use Screen Time limits (good starting place, if you don’t have self control like me, see brick option below!!)
• have someone else set the password on your limits
• physically put your phone in another room (especially when working or playing with kids)
• leave it in your bag when you’re with people
• keep it out of your bedroom

and my personal winner:
• use a Brick to automatically block apps

I use the Brick every evening and one day per weekend. I have it set to automatically block me from my social apps, and it has been the BIGGEST game changer

💌 step 2: replace scrolling with something else

If you are like *most* people you can’t break a habit by simply cutting yourself off and hoping for the best. You NEED to replace it with something. I highly recommend writing a physical list of things you can do so that you aren’t always trying to think of something new

Some of my replacements:
• reading my Kindle at night
• switching books when I’m bored
• reading physical nonfiction + hobby books
• knitting during movies so I don’t scroll
• having cozy analog activities ready for evenings (i have been loving colouring!)

PRO TIP: I don’t fully cut myself off from screens, some nights when I am really wanting to do something digital, I will use Pinterest on my iPad. Even though this is still *technically* a screen, it is a lesser evil option for me, and doesn’t have the same draining effect as my phone (I have very limited apps on my iPad, it is very much for creativity for me!)

REMINDER: You are not “lazy” for struggling. You’re rewiring your dopamine system which takes time, especially if your phone is part of a lot of your current habits and routines (see next section!)

🌙 step 3: create phone-free rhythms

These tiny boundaries have changed everything for me:

• no phone in the bedroom (I charge it in the kitchen)
• no checking notifications before getting ready
• no phone during dinner
• one socials-free day per week (I brick my phone completely)
• phone out of reach while I work
• evening routine without doomsscrolling

PRO TIP: Start by implementing 1-2 of these instead of feeling like you have to do them all

🕯️ BONUS: products that can help support you

I truly believe that the most efficient ways we can work on our wellness and habits *don’t involve* buying new things, HOWEVER, if you have started implementing some of these things and want to take it a step further, these are some recommendations!

AESTHETIC SUNRISE ALARM CLOCK
Unplugged Hours (Book by Hannah Brencher)
HOBBY IDEAS

💬 final encouragement

This isn’t about guilt or shame—it’s about peace, being alive in your own life again and actually having time for the things you love to do. Try just one small boundary this week: an evening without your phone, a movie without scrolling, or a morning where you make a coffee before checking notifications. Just try it and SEE if it makes a difference

Reminder: You Don’t Have to Break Your Phone Addiction Alone

🎧 More episodes + resources from Hot Mess Habits:
• Analog Hobbies Roundup from Amazon Canada

• Best Hobby Products for the ADHD girly (ShopMy)

• what happened when I stopped drinking coffee on an empty stomach

Loved this blog post?
✨ Tune into the full podcast episode below