Intuitive Scrolling: 5 Ways to Use Your Phone with Intention

I first heard the term “intuitive eating” in my twenties.

The premise was this: Tune into how you feel during consumption. Then, use this interior feedback to guide your next choice.

While this concept is food-related, it translates to other forms of consumption.

Namely, online scrolling.

Americans spend an average of 3 hours and 30 minutes a day engaged in online consumption on phones (over 2 of those hours are spent on social media).

I used to parallel—or surpass—those statistics. My iPhone was like a perpetually-in-sight, oversized bowl of candy that I couldn't leave alone. I needed to reach in just one more time to see what I got or to check if anything new had been added. It was a pretty reliable dopamine hit. Soon, I was popping “candy” nonstop throughout the day—I even kept the “bowl” next to the bed to get my fix upon waking.

It wasn't until I pursued minimalism and began questioning my consumption of physical possessions, that I also began questioning my online consumption. Soon, I realized, my phone habits were far from healthy.

I thought about handing over my iPhone in a complete, fast-like sense. Carrying a flip-phone and cutting off my scrolling habits cold-turkey. But halting consumption completely would have also eliminated the healthier parts, like connection.

For most of us, phones that tempt us to scroll—like enticing candy bowls—aren't going away. And, since neither are inherently bad, the question shifts from, “Is this good or bad for me?” to “How do I make this work in my life?”

“How do I interact with my phone/social media in a way that feels balanced and leaves me feeling elevated?”

Science can tell you sugary donuts and coffee for breakfast lead to a mid-morning sugar crash, but when you live it and feel it, you believe it and make changes.

Studies can report that the effects of online overconsumption can include depression, anxiety and brain fog. But, only once you're viscerally tuned in to how you feel after scrolling will you have the awareness and power to experiment with changes.

Personally, tapping into my intuition while scrolling has led to phone habits that enrich my life instead of distract me from it.

And it can for you too:

Here are 5 ways intuitive scrolling can help you use your phone with intention:

Read the full article here!

Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia also practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home. She resides with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, three-year-old son, and baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram.