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Entity offers advice on how to not be dependent to technology.

Is your phone the first thing you touch in the morning and the last thing you touch at night?

Digital dependence is common; it’s really easy to get attached to our devices. But it turns out that there are serious effects if you continue to let it get out of hand. Research has shown that while technology is a useful and convenient resource, using too much of it can cause anxiety and depression.

According to a recent study by Independent, people who heavily used social media are three times more likely to develop depression than those who are not. Aside from social media, too much technology and screen time can damage the brain, as reported in Psychology Today.

So how do you save your sanity and kick this digital dependency?

1 Wake Up Without Social Media

It’s not healthy to check the number of likes you got on social media first thing in the morning. Entrepreneur encourages you to not reaching for your phone once you wake up. Ignoring those updates will better prepare yourself for your day by increasing efficiency and decreasing stress.

“Waking up to a techie breakfast of checking your email, Facebook or Instagram likes that you scored since midnight isn’t that nourishing,” Entrepreneur contributor Aaron Small says. “It saps productivity by flooding the mind with a full plate of everything before you’ve had a chance to focus on the bigger picture.”

Hold off on the outside world in your screen for a bit and focus on your own. Take some deep breaths and allow yourself to wake up. Exercise is also a great option – try some stretching, go for a walk or work out before plugging into your digital world and starting your day.

READ MORE: The Top 5 Most Therapeutic Adult Coloring Books

2 Discover the Art of Discovery

Your Instagram profile may say “Adventurer” but chances are the most exploring you’ve done is walk two blocks to a new restaurant Siri recommended. Many people don’t venture into unknown territory without looking it up on the Internet first. BBC Future advises users to replace maps, search results and review applications with some good old fashioned spontaneity.

“Consider how many conversations and encounters might never have taken place if every question in history had been answered by one person staring at a private screen,” BBC Future contributor Tom Chatfield says. “Getting a little lost and relinquishing control – both literally and metaphorically – is the perfect way to find new questions you didn’t even know you wanted to ask.”

Instead of reaching for your phone for Yelp or Apple Maps every time you leave the house, try something different. Explore and figure things out yourself. Stop eating at the best tourist-trap restaurant in town and check out one you’ve always wanted to try. Your confidence will thank you later.

READ MORE: 5 Reasons to Get off Social Media

3 Eliminate Distractions

We know it’s hard to ignore those non-stop notifications on our phones. We are constantly getting e-mails, texts, Snapchats, likes, tags and software updates that it’s extremely difficult to focus on one task at a time. Ending interruptions will make you more productive and less stressed in both your personal and professional lives.

Consider putting your phone on Do Not Disturb or downloading an anti-distraction app like SelfControl that will block certain sites for a period of time. Business Insider suggests that cell phone addicts reserve chunks of time to turn off a phone’s ringer and disable any notification lights.

“Make a leap of faith and realize everything will not explode just because you don’t instantly know when an e-mail or text message comes in,” Business Insider contributor Sibyl Chavis says. By setting aside specific times to check in on the digital world, you can be confident that you won’t miss anything time-sensitive or become overwhelmed with a million messages.

READ MORE: Brainpower Suckers: The Enemies of Productivity

You don’t have to go rogue and ban the digital world entirely, but you should have a healthy balance between processing things on your own and utilizing the resources you have. Everyone is allowed to indulge and enjoy the perks of modern technology – just make sure to use your devices responsibly.

Edited by Sara Butler
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