Do you look at your phone before you’re even out of bed?

It’s easy to do. … Isn’t it!!! Our phones are portals to a world of information, people and conveniences. They may also be our alarm, weather forecaster, sleep tracker, and meditation guide.Yet, we feel a little guilty and ashamed admitting to being a “first-thing” device user. …we all know it’s way too easy to slip from utility into random scrolling.

Once the phone is open, it seems harmless to spend a few minutes scrolling. But it’s easy to get distracted by something negative that impacts our mood. Anger, frustration, and envy can cast a negative halo effect over the start of our day, undermining our self-confidence and making us more irritable, impatient, or depressed.

Times to Avoid Social Media Use

Morning isn’t the only time you should be aware of how knee-jerk device use can get in your way. Here are some good rules of thumb:

1. Don’t use social media when you’re supposed to be paying attention to the people you care about at home—your kids, partners, family, or friends.Don’t use social media right before bed. One study found that blue light from devices not only suppressed the nocturnal melatonin that helps you sleep, but increased the production of the stress hormone cortisol (Figueiro & Rea, 2010). Beyond the blue light effect, content that attracts our attention activates our brain, making it harder to fall asleep.
2. Don’t use social media while eating, especially if you are trying to diet. Like when we watch TV, we do not pay attention to what we eat when we use social media. We tend to eat faster and more because we don’t tune into the sensory experience of eating that helps us notice the satiety signals. Media can also distract us from our initial intentions about what we plan to eat (or drink).
3. Experiment with small hacks that alter your morning behaviors.
4. For example :- wait to check your phone until you:Leave the bedroom.Step outside or open a window and look around.Take the dog for a walk.Have your morning coffee.Spend five minutes reflecting on the day ahead and what you want to accomplish.Reclaim your boundaries. We often forget that we own our phones; they do not own us. It was hard enough to realize that a ringing phone didn’t have to be answered.
5. Now, with social media, algorithms, and notifications, it’s 100 times harder. Our innate social wiring makes us automatically want to respond to any social connection for fear of missing something or being left out. We all suffer from FOMO. It is not a personal shortcoming. It is a very human response for a species whose survival depends on getting along with others.
6. Try This Media Use Journaling Exercise-            .                              

• 1. Journal Media Use: For a few days, track your media consumption, motivations, and moods accurately.
• 2. Identify Patterns: Note what media use makes you feel better/more productive and what causes negative feelings or interferes with life (e.g., sleep, social connections).
• 3. Assess Social Media: Check if it aligns with your goals (e.g., connection, learning) or hinders them (e.g., wastes time, triggers negative emotions).
• 4. Set Boundaries:Control your feeds by managing notifications, being selective with follows, and blocking negative content.
• 5. Adjust Intentionally:Use your insights to make small, sustainable changes to improve positive emotions and sleep, not to completely avoid the digital world.

Intentional actions, or “hacks,” shape our well-being. Starting the day with negativity harms productivity, energy, and mood. Conversely, making and trying a plan boosts confidence and positive emotions, leading to increased resilience, productivity, and openness.