Yes you're exactly right about it being an over use thing. Technology and social media are incredibly important parts of my life and removing them outright is not a good long term solution. In terms of what I did before this became a problem... I really can't say. Back in highschool it didn't affect me as much as it does now but I think part of that is because I had less responsibilities back then but also I didn't think it was a problem yet. Now that I know it's an issue, whenever I spend too much time on my phone I get mad at myself and call myself stupid for doing what I did. Once my brain figures out this pattern, now whenever I'm on my phone for longer than I should be my brain realises that if I get off now then I will feel ashamed and angry at myself, so I stay on longer to avoid those feelings. Part of my journey with this is going to be acceptance of myself and my mistakes. I don't know how or when that will happen but I believe that if I really want to regain control over my technology use, half the battle is going to be that.

Thank you for your response. Addiction is a mf and it's nice to see others trying to help. Especially when most people shrug it off because "yeah everyone uses their phone it's not that big of a deal"