Your phone is stressing you out. Turn off your notifications.

Impact

You spend too much time looking at your phone. It’s bad for your neck and your mental health.

I used to look at my phone approximately 1 million times a day. Then I made one tiny little adjustment and it made me just a little less stressed. I turned off notifications for every single app on my phone except for calls and texts. I look at my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter a few times a day, but I do it on my terms, not when my phone tells me to.

Don’t let your phone control you.

In an average day — or a day off work, for those who have jobs — 65% of American adults surveyed by the American Psychological Association say they often or constantly check their personal email, 52% often or constantly check their texts and 44% say they often or constantly check social media accounts. People who said they constantly check their phone were more likely to say technology makes them feel disconnected from their family and to worry that social media has a negative effect on their mental health.

I’m not the only one calling for the end of notifications. Wired just published a story about it, too.

It takes less than a minute to turn off your notifications. Here’s how to do it:

First, go to your Settings and hit Notifications.

Alexis Kleinman/Mic

Then choose the app you want to stop getting notifications from. I chose Facebook.

Alexis Kleinman/Mic

Tap the little toggle next to “Allow Notifications.”

Alexis Kleinman/Mic

Once your notifications are are off, you should see this:

Alexis Kleinman/Mic

Then you can repeat for as many apps as you want. Congratulations! You’re on your way to a less stressful mobile life.

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