How many hours do you spend scrolling mindlessly on your social media accounts? If you don’t count the hours, this study already did it for you: The average Filipino spends about three hours and 53 minutes on social media each day.
Of course, being online is not all bad. You can connect with friends there, buy essentials, and even promote your wares if you are an entrepreneur. Social media platforms offer a useful space when used the right way and with balance. But going overboard with your social media usage can lead to social isolation and the unhealthy tendency to compare yourself with others.
I get it, it would be tough to say goodbye to social media altogether. After all, social media allow us to connect with others personally and professionally. But doing a social media break once in a while is not so bad. Trust me, you can do it little but little and you can reap benefits from it because for starters, you can actually kiss away some unnecessary stressors.
If you want to have a social media rest, I got some tips for you. But remember to keep everything in balance and within perspective. Check what works with you and doesn’t — but the most important thing is to start somewhere.
1.Go offline for a day or during the weekends.
To do this, you can log out of your social media platforms or even uninstall the apps on your phone. You can advise your friends or followers (I see you, influencers!) that you will be offline for the day or weekend and that you can be reached through email or mobile phone. Or you can just go off the grid once and for all, and return when you feel like it– no pressure! Trust me, you won’t fall off from the face of the planet if you do so!
2.Have a support group.
Call up your circle of friends or trusted loved ones and ask them to help you out. Sometimes it helps that you have a community that will urge you to maintain a habit you’re newly developing especially when you know if would greatly improve your mental health. You can ask a buddy to be your accountability partner so you can have a friend to lean on.
3.Be mindful of your screen time.
If you use an Apple phone, you can easily check your productivity time. But if you don’t have a built-in feature like that, you can download “Memory” to track the apps that you use more. If you want to go to the extreme side, you can use “Freedom” to set a social media schedule. You can also use its lock mode so you can’t use your social media accounts — whatever happens!
4.Practice meditation.
When was the last time you had a quiet time all by yourself? With hiatus from social media, you now have the time to sit down and just be mindful of your surroundings. You can download apps like “Breethe” or “Calm” or watch Youtube videos to guide you. Meditating will help you to sleep better and manage stress.
5.Try to take up a new hobby.
The last thing you need on a social media break is to create a to-do list to fill up your free time. You can actually focus on other things that you have been putting off, passion or interest that you’ve always wanted to pursue. Perhaps you can finally start your herb garden, or try that sourdough baking class you’ve been planning for too long. You will be surprised by the amount of time that you have on your hands when you stay offline.
6.Take it easy.
Remember to create a game plan before you do a social media detox. And just like with any new activity, do baby steps first before you take big leaps with it. Before you know it, you might have a healthier relationship with social media, and a better mental health.
Photos from Unsplash
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