Insanely Simple Steps for Killing the Mobile Gaming Addiction

 Do you find yourself constantly on your mobile device?

Do you feel like it's the only thing that calms your anxiety and stress? 

If so, then we have news for you: You're addicted. 

The good news is that there are some very simple steps to help get rid of this addiction. In this article, we'll share 3 ways to do just that!

I was once victimized by gaming addiction. 

As years progressed, the addiction only grew stronger. 

It started out with a desktop PC and later shifted to smartphones. 

I still remember playing Road Rash on a trash PC and how years later I ended up playing Call of Duty. 

When I didn’t have much time for these giants, I started playing RPGs on my smartphone like Clash of Clans, Samurai Siege, DomiNations, Boom Beach, and even a few games from the different genres like Subway Surfers, Shadow Fight, Temple Run, and the list goes on.

It was at this point when I knew that I needed to find some way to beat the addiction. 

While chatting with my friends about their success stories in fighting addiction, I noticed that there wasn’t much discussion about mobile gaming. 

Most of my friends stuck to their PCs and Laptops for playing games while others invested in consoles like Xbox One or PlayStation.

It was at this point when I knew that I needed to find some way to beat the addiction.

Making a plan for motivation is a great way to get started. 

A plan will allow you to map out a timeline and keep focused on your goal. Setting a realistic deadline for breaking the addiction is key.

Find ways to increase your willpower. 

If you feel like you want to play, but know it's not good for you, give yourself some time before proceeding with it. 

You can even use this time to read or do other things that are better for you than gaming.

For example, I decided that if I wanted to play, I had to use all of my points in an iOS game and then wait 20 minutes before playing again.

Setting up some accountability or joining some forums online is also really important in fighting video game addiction. 

You can ask for help or support from people that are already trying to reduce their time spent on games.

There are only a few easy actions to follow. 

I once thought I'd never stop playing video games. 

In fact, I've never truly stopped. 

However, I do play from time to time but not at the expense of my productivity.

I started by defining what my goal was, which was to spend more time on productive tasks and homework rather than play games.

Next, I had to identify all of the situations that were causing me to play games and replace those situations with productive alternatives. 

Once those were identified and replaced with productive alternatives, I removed any and all distractions from my environment and focused on only doing the task at hand without distraction.

The final step was one that took a lot of patience and dedication: when faced with the temptation to play games, I simply remind myself of my goal and that I’d be much more satisfied in the long run if I stuck to doing what was productive. 

With enough time, this will become a routine!

I spent so much time playing games on my phone. 

I did this for 6 hours, sometimes more! If I was at home I would play games on the TV but if I was out and about, I would just play games on my phone.

But then I made a decision--to stop playing. 

The first thing I did was delete all my favorite games. 

There were a lot of them and it took me some time but with each deletion, there came this sense of relief. 

Then I switched off notifications from every game on my phone so if they wanted me back in their virtual world they would have to work for it.

Then I gave myself a challenge. 

A month of no gaming whatsoever! So for 30 days, from the minute I woke up to when my head hit the pillow at night, there was not a single moment that passed where I wasn't doing something productive or learning something new whether it be through reading, going outside, and exploring nature with my wife or trying new hobbies.

This was hard at first but I stuck with it and soon enough, 30 days had passed! It's been a few months now since I quit playing games on my phone and instead of feeling like something is missing from my life, the exact opposite has happened. 

My productivity skyrocketed while having more free time to pursue other passions.

I no longer feel like I'm missing out on something and my life has become much more fulfilling because of it! Now, rather than feeling bad for not playing games, I tell people how proud I am that they are doing what's right for themselves. 

So remember: don't fall into the trap of thinking you're giving up something when you're actually gaining something much more valuable!

Games nowadays are nothing less than social media. 

You can find other players, join alliances, chat, and whatnot. 

This makes it an uphill task to quit. 

This is because gaming on your phone means that you have access to all of this at your fingertips.

But you don't have to let addiction get the best of you! Here are 3 easy steps to take control:

1) Check for notifications on your phone- if there are any notifications from a game on your phone, delete them or turn off push notifications for that app.

2) Turn off Wi-Fi so you're not tempted to play games while online.

3) Put the games in a folder labeled "Quit," and stay away from it.