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When mind is unconscious it is addicted to its constantly flowing desires

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Master our habits so we will not lose our mind, health and life

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Addiction happens only to an untrained mind, and an untrained mind functions in these stages:
Contact – Attention – Sensation – Perception – Intention

1) Contact: The body comes into contact with the object: e.g. eyes see, ears hear.
2) Attention: Mind puts attention to it.
3) Sensation: The mind feels pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
4) Perception: Perceiving, recognizing and “marking” the object.
5) Intention: The urge to latch on to this object and continue to (proliferating thoughts about it, react to it, take physical action etc)

These stages happens very fast and is difficult to catch. Usually when we catch it, we are already past stage 5 – with proliferating ideas and thoughts about the video, article, photo etc.

A trained mind switches the position of contact and attention. It will constantly decide what it wants to put attention on and not put attention on – for example to put attention on meditation instead of addictive objects. Hence the subsequent stages of contact, sensation, perception and intention will all be directed properly towards what the trained mind wants e.g. meditation. In this manner, a trained mind never becomes addicted as it is always master over the entire process.

So, the best method is to 1) constantly be aware of the state of our mind and direct it to proper direction. If we are unable to hold this awareness, then 2) asking “What is the state of my mind?” often will rouse this awareness. If we can do this, we will be able to use social media anytime and stop anytime we want.

If we cannot sustain the above, as the mind is still very wild and untrained, then we have to try to stop the process of the untrained mind.

We can 3) avoid contact with social media by doing a social media detox – turning off our handphones, airplane mode it at designated hours, or simply delete that app.

If due to circumstances we have to use social media, like to check something, 4) avoid putting attention on other social media posts if they catches our eyes. Shut the app immediately after we manage to get the information we need.

When we manage to stop at these 2 stages, the rest will not follow.

If we missed these 2 stages, then we have to deal with the last 3 stages and more by 5) being unreactive. We have to practice letting go of any feelings, sensations, emotions and thoughts and do not allow them to continue to proliferate our minds.

An already addicted mind is harder to manage, so at the same time we have to continuous reinforce 1) constantly be aware of the state of our mind and direct it to proper direction. We also have to 6) make firm resolution consistently not to go back to the old habit, and 7) engage in healthier habits such as exercise, walks, studying, volunteer etc to direct attention and contact away from social media.

This is a brief method on how to change our unconscious mental process or redirecting it to positive outcomes. For a heavily addicted individual, the mind is too familiar with this process and it will require more complex effort like examining the associated emotions, physical methods, etc.

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SilentContemplation