Social media is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. It can also be a toxic wasteland. Too much of it is not healthy. There are studies that prove this to be very true.
There are very few people that would delete all of their social media profiles. It’s too convenient. It’s intertwined into society from so many angles. It’s a part of life unfortunately. But that doesn’t mean you have to let it control you.
It’s healthy to take breaks from constantly checking your notifications, social media feeds, friend requests, and messages. If you want to experience a better state of mental health then I suggest you read my suggestions below. There are some very simple ways to disconnect that will benefit your mental health greatly.
1. Turn off Notifications
Want to disconnect from social media for a bit? Open your phone’s settings and turn off all notifications or go into each social media app’s settings and disable notifications.
You are much more less likely to open the apps if your phone isn’t constantly vibrating or ringing and displaying those red notification icons that our society is addicted to.
You can do this for a couple hours, a full day or the weekend. You have full control and you can always open the app. You just won’t be bothered every time you have a new like, comment, friend, etc.
2. Delete Your Social Media Apps
A lot of people constantly check social media on their phones because it’s so convenient. If it wasn’t accessible on your phone would you be running to your desktop computer or laptop to check Facebook and Instagram at the same frequency?
Of course not, because it’s not as convenient. So what about deleting all of your social media apps and only checking it on your computer? This is a great way to drastically reduce your social media use.
You still remain connected and active. You just aren’t as addicted as before because it’s not glued to your hand and accessible with one icon tap.
3. Leave Your Phone at Home
Going out with friends? Running errands? Going for a walk around the neighborhood? Try leaving your phone at home. When it’s not on you physically you can’t check it. If you are highly addicted to social media this might be the first step.
I bet if you give this a shot you will quickly begin to love your away time from your phone. You can think clearer, have no distractions, and will feel less anxious. It’s amazing how much our phone controls us, and you don’t realize it until you spend some time without your phone.
4. “Phone Off” on Date Nights
If you are out to dinner with your significant other or at the movies on a date night turn your phone off. Not flipped to silent. I mean powered off completely. This allows you to give 100% of your focus to the person you are with.
It’s so unhealthy to constantly check your phone and have your head buried in it when you are with someone. It’s a major reason why relationships fail. This is a classic example of our phones and social media controlling us.
Something this simple can be such a relationship booster, and again, something you will never know until you try it and experience the positive impact. He or she will appreciate it; that I promise!
5. Try a 30-Day Challenge
They says that it takes 30 days to break a habit or form a new one.
If you feel you have a major social media problem commit to avoiding it for 30 days. No logging in. No checking it. You have to quit cold turkey. See how you survive without it for a full month.
In the end I am willing to bet that you will realize that you don’t need to depend on it as much as you currently do.
Then, after the 30 days you can commit to just checking it every 3 days or some other more realistic interval. Slowly disconnecting like this will make you less dependent on social media.
6. Consolidate to One Network
Do you really need a profile on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc.? The answer is no.
If you eliminate all but one social media network it will greatly reduce the time you spend on it. Then when you learn to properly manage that one profile social media becomes much less of a dependency.
You can still stay connected and engaged with the people you want to talk with and be friends with online; it just won’t suck up so much of your time. Life is too short to waste it being glued to your phone. Disconnect from social media and you will agree.
