What is a social media detox?
A long-term break from any usage and consumption of any type of social media platform is called a social media detox.
There’s no denying that social media has become an enormous part of modern life. Apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter help us stay connected with loved ones, catch up on news, and find out both beautiful destinations and interesting people. Yet you’ll find that spending hours on end scrolling through various feeds can leave you feeling anxious, drained, or dissatisfied.
Social Media Detox and Mental Health
Spending an excessive amount of time on social media can affect your physical health also. As this story explains, “One study indicated that heavy usage of social media and digital devices could negatively affect the standard of sleep,” and an excessive amount of social media time can cause headaches and vision problems.
A social media detox, regardless of the time you spend off from it, be it hours, days, weeks, or maybe months is often very beneficial to your mental state. If you are not able to take a big step off from it, little steps are certainly recommended. See how you like it initially, then see if you’ll enjoy a longer time away from it and if it truly benefits your life and psychological health
Read more about the benefits of social media detox and how quitting social media helps you conquer FOMO.
Social Media & Sleep
Social media apps constantly vie for user attention and with so many social media apps on the market, it is bound to take up some time from your other activities, and most commonly it’s your sleep schedule. We have often heard experts asking us to not use our devices before bedtime. It is because to get some amount of sleep you need a calm mind with minimal thoughts and which is exactly the opposite when we are on any of these platforms.
If you want to sleep fast in 5 mins, the most important part would be to at least keep your devices away 1 hour before bedtime. Over time you would notice that your quality of sleep will also improve significantly and you won’t end up waking up groggy. It is very critical that we don’t let our online activity affect our offline life.
Difference between social media detox and digital detox?
Digital detox means staying away from all kinds of digital devices, of the internet. No phones, No laptops, or any kind of device that keeps hooked for hours. A digital detox is kind of a step up from a social media detox. If you think things are going overboard, then digital detox is the therapy for you. You should definitely try a digital detox when on a vacation or a gateway.
There are only 2 industries that call their audience users. Drug Mafia & Social Media Apps. Both create a real craving for their product. Hence, it is difficult to do a complete social media detox
How to do a social media detox successfully?
- Delete or lock social media apps
- Add a physical barrier to keep you from touching your phone e.g. an elastic band
- Identify the time spent on these apps via screen time settings
- Use this time spent on personal growth or any valuable hobby
- Treat your attention as a resource and use it on activities like reading a book
- Try meditation to help with the urge
Guided meditation apps like Evolve offer free courses on a variety of topics like anxiety, sleep, anger, and even personal growth. You can also book consultations with experts around you.
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