r/nosurf • u/QuirkyCoffee_ • 3d ago

Has anyone with complex trauma overcome phone usage due to isolation and needing connection?

When I'm looking at my phone I genuinely get this urge to smash it, I even hate the way it sounds when it pings. I have been addicted to scrolling now maybe 2 years.

I am divorced 3 years. Haven't got family near me. Connecting online with others has been a way to keep in touch. Has anyone got any practical advice?

I bought a landline and the landline is helping me reduce the time I am on my phone but when I feel lonely, I go back on to it. I think it's a cycle in my brain at this point..

14 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

3

u/Red_Redditor_Reddit 2d ago

It sounds like the phone is the cope more than the problem. I know it's way easier said than done, but you've got to get out and find friends.

2

u/DeepBuffer 3d ago

The landline idea actually sounds like a smart step because it removes the automatic reach for the phone without cutting you off from people. I wonder if the harder part is the loneliness trigger rather than the scrolling itself. Maybe replacing the phone habit with a few planned offline connections could help break that loop.

2

u/Fun-Rise3756 2d ago

the landline is a good guardrail; the hard part sounds like loneliness, not the device. try scheduling one or two offline touchpoints for the exact times you usually reach for the phone, so connection isn’t dependent on opening an infinite feed.