📝 Journal Entry #1
By NIkita, Founder of MotivationSpark.com
💬 Why I’m Sharing This Journal Entry
As part of MotivationSpark’s mission, I’ve started sharing my personal journal entries—raw reflections from my own life. Because sometimes, what we need isn’t just advice from the outside, but a voice from someone who’s walked the same messy path.
This post is my real journey through screen addiction: how it crept into my life, how it affected my peace, and how I began breaking free—step by step, task by task, with lots of trial and error.
I’m not a therapist or a productivity coach. I’m a parent, a homemaker, and someone who just wanted to feel present again. This is me, figuring it out and hoping that if you’re feeling the same, my story might spark something in you too.
Dear Readers,
If you’re reading this post, it means you really want to change something in yourself. Trust me—that’s exactly how this blog was born. I, too, wanted to feel truly alive for a long time.
When you become a parent, you have to make difficult choices—sometimes even leaving your career behind. But that can create a vacuum inside you. You start to feel hollow, empty… even the world around you can make you feel useless.
Parenting is a beautiful journey—raising the next generation is one of the most important things we can do. But being a stay-at-home parent? That’s a whole different kind of challenge.
And the emptiness I’m talking about? It can make you crave easy distractions from your real life.
Some people turn to their phones. And while it’s not as harmful as drugs, screen addiction can still be incredibly damaging.
📱 How It All Started
For me, it began innocently—when my baby would nap, I felt relieved. But instead of reading a book, doing a chore, or taking a nap myself, I went straight to Netflix.
Movies and series are easier than books. They take less effort. They draw you in. You feel lost for a while, and it feels good. That’s dopamine—and it becomes a loop.
I told myself, “Just an hour in the afternoon won’t hurt.”
But it didn’t stop there.
It started with nap time. Then it spilled into daycare time. Then school time. Slowly, my life began to feel like a trap—no excitement, just parenting and housework. The magical screen gave me what I thought I needed. It made me feel complete for a while.
Then it escalated—Netflix, YouTube videos, Insta reels, and Shorts.
My God, what a rabbit hole.
💥 The Breaking Point
After a while, I started to feel more anxious, irritated, and unable to focus.
Sure, I was still punctual with parenting—but household chores began piling up. They didn’t give the instant satisfaction scrolling did. My brain was hooked on that easy dopamine.
🧠 The Hidden Harms of Screen Addiction : signs of screen addiction
This wasn’t just about wasting time. It was doing real harm.
- Mental Fog: I started feeling scattered. Focusing on even simple tasks felt harder.
- Sleep Disruption: Endless scrolling late at night affected my sleep. I was tired, but wired.
- Mood Swings: My irritability wasn’t just “mood”—it was my brain constantly chasing stimulation.
- Productivity Drain: Tasks that once gave satisfaction now felt boring and heavy.
- Loss of Real Joy: I realized I wasn’t feeling life—I was just escaping it.
Screen addiction sneaks in with pleasure but leaves behind burnout. And what’s worse? The constant comparisons and random content left me feeling more anxious, not inspired.
I found myself watching random videos about people living in ice water in Russia and thought:
“Does this really matter to me?”
Would I find a book about this girl in a library? No.
But the algorithm kept hammering unnecessary content into my brain—just because it got views.
Why? That became the big question.
And surprisingly, the same algorithm showed me a reel about easy dopamine effects. That was my turning point.
🌟 The Change : how to get rid of screen addiction naturally
Thanks to that reel, I understood why I was so irritable.
And I decided to change.
- I started with no phone time.
Phones were made for calls and messages—everything else can be done on laptops or TVs. - I turned my phone back into just a phone.
- I made a list of chores and began doing them one by one.
- And most importantly, I started this blog—creating something meaningful instead of endlessly consuming.
My day began to take shape:
- Morning: Cooking
- Afternoon: Laundry and dishes
- In between: Blogging
- Evening: A bit of exercise
💡 What I Learned? screen time addiction recovery
This journey of screen time addiction recovery hasn’t been easy. I’m still on it.
But it’s taught me so much:
- Completing tasks one by one is more satisfying than scrolling.
- Scrolling gets you nowhere—doing your own work does.
- Focusing on little things becomes more mindful over time.
- Exercise helps not just with weight loss, but confidence and joy.
- My brain started rewiring itself—away from cheap dopamine.
- Happiness earned is way more valuable than happiness bought.
😌 So… Do I Still Use My Phone?
Well
Yes. But mindfully:.
In the afternoon, I watch some kid-friendly movies, and at night, some good shows on YouTube—but only on TV. Time is strictly followed.
I spend some time at night on reels, but only as a reward—for 15 minutes, and only on weekends.
Since I walk 7,000 steps every evening, I feel tired and sleepy at night, which helps avoid endless scrolling.
On weekends, I’m still working on it, but I’ve decided to add trekking and other activities to replace screen time!
❤️ Final Words
In the end, we’re all human.
We make mistakes, we learn, and we grow.
These companies selling distractions are powerful—but the only ones who can really help us… are ourselves.
So let today be that start. 🌟
Where I Did My Homework
American Psychological Association – Treating the misuse of digital devices
Cleveland Clinic –How to Do a Digital Detox for Less Stress, More Focus
National Institute on Drug Abuse – Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction
Psychology Today – The Dopamine Hijack : How modern life is stealing your focus, motivation, and joy.
Stanford lifestyle medicine– What Excessive Screen Time Does to the Adult Brain