How to Beat Facebook Addiction

When addiction word comes, we all think about alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and other narcotics. But in 21st Century, the era of Internet or more accurately the era of social networking, the most addicted thing is none other than Social Networks like facebook,  twitter, youtube, pinterest, myspace.....the list is endless. Millions of us are addicted. The Government tells us that our time wasting internet addictions are costing the country billions of dollars every year. Our productivity at work is dismal because we spend most of the day reading our Fun Wall or checking out our favorite blogs. Can this additive behavior be beaten?

The answer is Yes.

Maybe your affinity for Facebook began with a simple desire to keep in touch with your friends, or make new ones online. Maybe you were just bored. But now, you're finding it difficult to spend an hour of your waking life without checking or thinking about Facebook. Here's how to help yourself quit.

Try this quiz yourself. It will tell you how much facebook rules your life.

In this article, I will show you some ways to reduce you facebook addiction to a normal level. I found these steps in The Daily Mind and WikiHow

How to tell if you are facebook addict

1. You are behind schedule because you are on Facebook

If you are ever late because you were checking your updates on Facebook or watching a related video on Youtube then you know you are addicted. This is classic addict behavior. It is time to get help.

2. You think about it when you are offline

I have several friends who struggle to get to sleep because they are thinking about the latest game or wondering how their website statistics are looking. If you do this then it could be a sign that you are heading towards a problem.

3. Your friends and family comment on your excessive internet use

When other people around you start to notice that you have a problem it is generally a pretty accurate indicator that you are losing it. If your mates, coworkers or family members have made comments about how much you use the net then you need to read the rest of this post.

4. You check your accounts from your Mobile

If you use your Mobile for monitoring your social media accounts then you need help.

5. You get stressed when a Facebook “friend” doesn’t add you

Have you ever noticed yourself getting stressed over something that has happened on Facebook or Myspace? Do you ever feel like your online life is more real than your offline life? If you have been stressed about what rapper you turned out as or what magic egg someone sent you then it is time to open your eyes.

How to beat facebook addiction

1. Admit that you have a problem: Take a deep breath and then repeat this out a loud – even if you are in your office or an internet cafe.

“I have an internet addiction problem.”

Good. Now that you have acknowledged your problem we can proceed. There is no point in trying to beat an addiction if you do not seriously believe that you have one. This is important.

2. Track your usage: Keep tabs of what you actually do on Facebook. After every session, ask yourself, "What did I just accomplish by checking Facebook?" Odds are, you're probably just logging in to see if you've been poked, check for updates, write a new note, add a song, and other mindless tasks you do to waste time — even if you logged in for a set purpose, like accepting a friend request.

3. Follow a Facebook schedule: For each Facebook goal, write down how much time and at what frequency you'll need to be on the site to achieve that goal. Then, write down the total number of hours per week that you should be spending on Facebook.

• If it seems like too much time, adjust your activity times accordingly.
• Following this schedule might bring your Facebook addiction under control without requiring you to quit altogether.
• Look at this example schedule for inspiration:
• Staying in touch with [[Make Friends in College|college — Check every other day; spend no more than 15 minutes responding to messages only from college friends (1 hour per week)
• Maintaining a group — Check every morning and evening for 10 minutes each, only to remove any spam or junk. Note to self: do not respond to posts, comments or messages during this time (2 hours, 20 minutes per week)
• Keeping a group interesting — Spend 30 minutes every other day reading all of the comments and responding (2 hours per week)
• Finding new friends — Browse profiles for 30 minutes, twice a week (1 hour per week)
• Total time I plan to spend on Facebook per week: 6 hours, 20 minutes

4. Focus on the other activities you're neglecting: If you find yourself spending, say, 10 hours a week on Facebook, make a list of all the other things you could accomplish in that time.

5. Turn off email notifications: Email notifications are like little red devils coming to sit on your shoulder and begging you to come back and visit Facebook. Turn them off. You don’t need to be notified every time someone sends you a message. If it was that important they should email you or, God forbid, use the telephone. You also don’t need to be notified every time someone rates your sexiness, adds a fish to your aquarium or sends you a new bumper sticker! Turn off email reminders so you can get on with your work.

6. Meditate as soon as the thought arises: One of the most powerful ways to beat Facebook Syndrome is to look directly at the tempting thought as soon as it arises in your mind. You do not need to judge it or try to push it out – just look at it. The thought might arise as a worrying thought that begs you to check your updates so you don’t offend anyone. Or it might appear as a carefree thought saying that one quick look won’t hurt. Whatever it arises as the meditation is to just look at it. When you can do that the power of the thought will be drained well and truly.

7. Leave Facebook: If you've created a schedule but can’t stick to it — or if you've decided that any time spent on Facebook is wasted — you may need to quit cold turkey. This is a last resort and is easier said than done.

• There are two options here: you can either deactivate your account, which lets you take a breather without losing any information, or permanently delete your Facebook account, which is the real deal.
• If you've started any groups, transfer admin rights to someone you trust.
• Send an email to your Facebook contacts explaining your decision to leave. Include your current contact information so they can get in touch with you without Facebook.
• If you plan to permanently delete, clear every last bit of information from your profile. Don't forget to remove your photos!