How to Switch Off from Social Media

How to Switch Off from Social Media

Last Updated on May 10, 2019 by Carissa

It has become a norm for most us to have social media accounts these days and to keep up to date with what is happening in the world via Instagram or Facebook. I think it’s a brilliant medium for fast communication, a platform to share ideas and conversations, and you can search for anything you need through the internet. But it does become quite addictive.

Social Media is Addictive:

Many of us wake up first thing in the morning to check our Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, emails and start browsing around on our phones and replying to messages. Then throughout the day, we continue to check our phones for notifications, scroll mindlessly through our news feed, upload a photo or two to Instagram or re-tweet something on Twitter. When you finally put the phone down, you experience withdrawal symptoms and feel the urge to pick it back up if you haven’t checked it for a while.

Our lives have become so fast-paced due to social media, and we become anxious and impatient when things don’t go our way. I know I am addicted with checking my social media, mainly Instagram, and I find it hard to switch off from it as I’m constantly thinking about what content to create next and what images I could capture next.

How it has Affected Me:

It finally hit me when I had a lack of photos to post on my Instagram and could not go out that week to take more photos for my feed because there were other plans in place, and that’s when I started feeling a bit detached from my Instagram and social media in general. It was like my mind was telling me to take a break. The constant bombardment of information and pictures from Instagram can get a little too much sometimes, especially if you’re an influencer constantly trying to improve your social media accounts. On Instagram, you can sometimes feel pressurised to take that perfect looking shot and capture the moment, and it can be very draining.

I’ve decided to loosen my grip on Instagram a bit so that I can do it at a relaxed and leisurely pace, and focus less on what other people are posting and more about loving my own posts and what I create.

How to Switch Off:

If you’re also addicted to social media and can relate to all this, I’ve decided to put together some tips for switching off from social media. This doesn’t mean not touching your phone at all, these are just ways to help regulate your time on it!

  • Take regular breaks – you can take 10-30 minutes break from your phone to do something else
  • Let go of perfectionism
  • Stop comparing yourself to others
  • Plan your content in advance – to ensure you’re not cramming it all in or stressing over it
  • Set certain days for content creating – allow some days where you can take a break
  • Find another hobby – this can help to take your mind off social media, e.g. yoga, art classes etc

I hope these tips will help you to detoxify from social media from time to time! I know it’s so difficult to get away from it entirely as it is a vital part of our every day lives, but taking regular breaks from it can help us out mentally, emotionally and help us to find a balance.

Carissa xx

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