How to Take a Social Media Break the Right Way

In our ever-connected world, it’s hard to break away from your phone. We all need a break from social media every now and then, but how do we actually take one? Here’s a guide on how to properly take a break from social media without deleting it, and how to make the most of your social media break for mental health benefits.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the constant notifications, emails, and seemingly endless scrolling of social media?

I get it! In this fast-paced world we often feel obligated to stay connected 24/7.

However, it’s important to create healthy boundaries when it comes to our digital wellbeing.

That’s why in this blog post I will share how taking a break from social media can help restore your mental energy and creative focus — while still staying connected with friends and family.

If you want to make mindful decisions about how much time you spend on social media each day and cultivate an environment that encourages productivity, then read on!

In this post we’ll discuss the benefits of taking a social media break and how to make the most of your digital detox.

Here are our best tips on how to take a social media break.

Table of Contents

• Set Realistic Expectations
• Choose an Appropriate Length of Time for Your Break
• Find Alternatives Activities During Your Break
• Prioritize Self Care
• Switch Off Notifications
• Unplug for Healthier Sleep
• Negative Effects of Social Media On Mental Health
• Positive Effects of Deleting Social Media On Mental Health
• Why is Quitting Social Media So Hard?

Set Realistic Expectations

When taking a break from social media, it’s important to have realistic expectations about what that entails. It might not be possible (or necessary) for you to delete all of your accounts; however, you can still unplug by limiting yourself to one or two times per day when you check in with your networks. You can also set limits on how long you spend scrolling through newsfeeds each day or week, or even limit yourself to just checking notifications and messages instead of looking at posts.

Choose an Appropriate Length of Time for Your Break

Depending on what type of break you’re taking and why, it may be helpful to choose an appropriate length of time for your stay away from social media. If you’re taking a break because you feel like you’ve been spending too much time on social media recently, consider setting aside an entire weekend or even longer away from your phone and other digital devices. On the other hand, if you just need some time out during the workweek, try setting an end date for when your break will be over so that you don’t miss any important events happening online in the meantime!

Find Alternatives Activities During Your Break

While taking a break from social media might seem like it would leave lots of free time in its wake and you may find yourself wonder what to do without social media, having alternate activities planned can help make sure that doesn’t happen! Spend quality time with friends and family, read books, explore new hobbies, go outside, volunteer, start a side project that interests you…the possibilities are endless!

Take advantage of this newfound free time by engaging in activities that bring joy and fulfillment instead of just scrolling mindlessly through feeds all day long.

Prioritize Self Care

As our lives become more flexible and we are often juggling multiple tasks, self care can be easily neglected when online distractions become too tempting. Spending too much time on social media can take away from self care activities that would actually benefit our mental health and restore balance in our lives.

Practicing self-care is essential in staying focused, relaxed and energized; it’s important to dedicating quality time for ourselves. Some self-care ideas include journaling, reading a book, creating art, going out for a walk or taking up a hobby or activity. Taking social media breaks doesn’t have to mean getting bored; find something that excites you and make sure to set some time aside every day just for yourself!

Switch Off Notifications

One self care activity that many people overlook is managing their phone notifications. Taking the time to turn off notifications from social media apps not only helps limit the amount of time you spend online, but it also clears up some mental space and allows you to be more present with yourself and in the moment.

If you’re looking for self care ideas to keep yourself more focused, look no further than your phone. Taking charge of what, how often, and when you receive notifications creates more energy and presence in your life.

Unplug for Healthier Sleep

While self care activities are certainly important for promoting good sleep, we often forget to address how our digital lives can affect that. Disconnecting from our devices a few hours before bedtime has scientifically been proven to be beneficial for restful sleep. It’s not always easy to take a break from social media for extended periods of time and some folks might even feel like deleting their accounts is the only way out.

Fortunately, by just taking the simple step of disconnecting a few hours before bed provides us with the opportunity to unplug and reset our minds without completely deleting our accounts. Implementing this strategy into your nighttime routine can have significant positive effects on the quality of your sleep.

Negative Effects of Social Media On Mental Health

It’s no secret that spending too much time on social media can be bad for mental health. According to recent studies, people who spent more than two hours a day on social networks were twice as likely to report feeling “highly unsatisfied” with life compared to those who spent less than thirty minutes a day on such sites.

It can also lead to feelings of depression and anxiety, as well as low self-esteem due to its highly competitive nature. Furthermore, research has shown that people who engage in cyberbullying are more likely to suffer from depression and other mental health issues.

Positive Effects of Deleting Social Media On Mental Health

On the other side, deleting your social media accounts or by simply taking a break from social media could have some positive effects on your mental health. Studies have found that people who go on a offline social media break and gave up their digital devices reported feeling more relaxed and happier overall. In addition, they experienced fewer stress-related symptoms such as headaches and fatigue.

Furthermore, deleting your account will give you more time for physical activity, which can lead to improved mood and decreased risk of depression. Finally, saying goodbye to social media will free up more time for other activities such as reading or pursuing hobbies that make you feel fulfilled and content with life.

Why is Quitting Social Media So Hard?

Social media has become an intrinsic part of our lives. From staying in touch with family and friends to following your favorite influencers or companies, it’s no wonder why millennials spend nearly 2 hours a day on average scrolling through their feeds! But what happens when life gets too busy or you find yourself wasting too much time binge-watching TikTok videos? While cutting back on social media can help us reclaim our time, quitting it altogether isn’t always an easy task.

If you’re wondering why quitting social media is so hard and how to take the first step in breaking this habit then give yourself time to adjust to time spent without social media and with a bit of practice and dedication and soon enough breaking the habit of constant screen time won’t seem so hard!

Conclusion

Taking a social media break is beneficial both mentally and emotionally—it allows us to disconnect from our screens and reconnect with ourselves and others around us offline!

By following these steps outlined above, you learn how easily taking regular breaks from your phone in order to rest and recharge can be and without having to permanently delete your accounts or sacrifice missing out on important events happening online in the meantime!

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by technology overload lately, give yourself permission to unplug for a while—you won’t regret it! And who knows? You may even find that life without social media is more fulfilling than ever before!

If you’d like to find out more on how to find contentment and peace will healthy daily practices check out this blog post on Ways of Finding Contentment Now.