"Best of the Net" Advice on How to Cope with and Prevent Internet Addiction

[Aania]

"Best of the Net" Advice on How to Cope with and Prevent Internet Addiction

by Douglas Goldstein and Joyce Flory, PhD
If you're spending more than five hours a day on the Internet by choice, can't seem to talk about anything else, have difficulty relating to people in the non-virtual or real world, and feel restless, confused or worthless when you're not online, you might be a candidate for low-grade Internet addiction. In the final analysis, coping or preventing Internet addiction is really about balance--balance between work and family, between making money and having fun, between intellectual exercises and emotional fulfillment. Following are several ways you can avoid becoming a technoaddict:

1. Look at the big picture. If you suspect the Net has become the centerpiece of your existence, your reason for being, or an extension of your arm, stop and ask yourself life's three big questions: Purpose: Why am I here? What's my personal mission or purpose in work and in life? Vision: Where is my life going? Where do I want to be? Values: What do I believe in? What do I want my life to stand for? Then, ask yourself how the Internet fits into each of these questions. Is it a means for you to fulfill your personal mission, or just a fun-filled detour and detraction? Exploring and choosing a role for the Internet will help you set limits in terms of a time and financial investment.
2. Look at your life as a series of five interlocking rings or boxes: work and career, family, spiritual, physical health, community, and personal interests and hobbies. Decide how much you want the Internet to be a part of each area of your life and then allocate time accordingly. You may decide that you want to keep the Internet at work, and shut the door on it when you leave for home. Or you may decide the Internet--especially when experienced through new technologies such as WebTV--is something you want to share with your family. Just make sure that it's a conscious decision.
3. Take frequent breaks. Spend at least five minutes out of every hour or 15-20 minutes every three hours involved in some unwired activity. Take some time to stretch out your body. Treat yourself to a healthy snack like an apple. Play with your dog. Cut some flowers from the garden. Listen to some music. Meet a friend for lunch. Make a conscious decision not to talk or think about the Internet.
4. Visit the Net with a purpose and an online strategy. Decide in advance how much time you will spend on the Net per visit, per day, or per week. To make your searches or cruising more efficient, jot down an online strategy before you log on. Read through the reviews in Best of the Net Online Consumer Guide to Health and Wellness book and develop a list of Web sites that meet your health needs. When you log on you can go directly to that Web site and avoid wasting time with long lists of potential searches from one of the search engines. On the other hand, don't forget to have fun by checking out at least one fun, intriguing, or frivolous site such as The Site's "Site of the Night" (http://www.thesite.msnbc.com/)
5. Interact with people in a non-wired world. No matter how much you're online, make a commitment to interact for at least five minutes a day with one person in the non-wired world. Plan your non-wired leisure and professional pursuits first. Schedule events such as going to live concert, dining out with friends, or attending a live face-to-face seminar or professional meeting.
6. Regularly re-establish your connections with nature. No matter what the season, vow to spend some time each day reconnecting with nature. Go outside where you can feel and hear autumn leaves rustling under your feet and the splash of rain on your face. This kind of break will make your online time more fun and productive.
7. Seek out friends and acquaintances who couldn't care less about the Internet. It's hard to believe, but there are still millions of people out there who think that Internet is a foreign counter-intelligence organization in Mission Impossible. Instead of trying to convert them to the power and magic of the Net, take time to appreciate the reality that all life is not yet online. Give yourself permission to talk about topics as diverse as pesto sauce, bowling, parrots, the best sunglasses, mountain biking, and running shorts--without recommending your favorite Web site.
8. Stay connected to non-wired media. Spend time cruising through book and music stores, and newsstands, and participating in non-virtual entertainment forms such as dance, museums, music, and live theater. Remember, the virtual world isn't hospitable to story-telling, long narratives, and poetry. That's why you'll want to pay special attention to novels, short stories, and long non-fiction works that might never make it in the online world. And don't forget to allow yourself the luxury of curling up on the coach with a novel, afghan, and a cut of hot tea or sitting on a beach with a collection of short stories.
9. Turn conversation and speaking into a fine art by forcing yourself to "go live." Do everything you can to participate in situations where you have the opportunity to interact on a personal, face-to-face level with another individual or a group of people. Spend at least one hour a week in live conversation with another human being who knows you by something other than your e-mail address. Invite a group of people over for an evening of conversation or "parlor games" such as charades. Join a book discussion group at a local bookstore such as Borders. Seize every opportunity to speak in front of live groups of people.
10. Give back what you've got. If you're genuinely excited about the Internet and want to share the magic with others, then find a way to make it happen. Organize a project that provides used computers and Internet access and training to residents of housing projects, low-income school districts, senior centers, people with disabilities, or women's shelters. Make the Internet a dominant theme and refrain in your life, always focusing on its power to transform peoples' lives.