Reduce Your Screen Time by Changing This 1 Phone Setting, Says Therapist

Most people blame social media and unending scrolling for our constant phone use. We’ve all been there. You intend to answer an email or shoot a quick text, then, 45 minutes later, you’re in the depths of a rabbit hole you can’t remember going down. Clicking on certain apps and gravitating toward the mind-numbing communication channels the moment your mind craves stimulation is second nature, says Niro Feliciano, psychotherapist and TODAY contributor. Turns out, however, that the apps aren’t solely to blame; the colors on your screen are enough to keep you glued to your device, she adds. Mental Health Tip of the Day: Activate the Grayscale Setting on Your Phone “I have high school interns that I work with every spring, and one of the first things I have them do is put their phone on grayscale,” Feliciano tells TODAY.com. But this doesn’t only work for younger generations. Research has found that more than half of U.S. adults think they spend too much time on their phones. Feliciano says this move will help to lessen the amount of dopamine one gets from just looking at their screen. Why It Matters If you want to begin the process of detaching from your phone and reducing your screen time, adjusting the colors of your phone is a good place to start, Feliciano says. As soon as they activated their phones’ grayscale features, Feliciano’s interns complained about the disappointment they felt when picking up their devices. “Right away, you don’t get the dopamine, so you will have to work through a short period of withdrawal, but when you experience the reset, you just feel more balanced,” Feliciano explains. How to Get Started While activating the grayscale settings will vary from phone to phone, most will require you to start in the phone’s settings app. Next, navigate to the accessibility functions. Find the display settings and, from there, you’ll be able to filter through your phone’s color options and turn everything gray. Though weaning ourselves off certain phone habits can take months, the benefit of option for grayscale will be almost immediate, says Feliciano. For more ways to improve your focus and reduce screen time, try TODAY’s 30-day plan to build back your attention span. TODAY’s Expert Tip of the Day series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more.