Hi there. In this lockdown, I’m sure you have adapted well to the digital lifestyle. Since everyone is on their phones, in an attempt to stay well connected, social media has been the only mode of communication for a lot of people. This has made a lot of people addicted to social media.
Social media sites were made for the sole purpose of keeping people connected to each other. But, nowadays people use social media for multiple purposes like-
- Staying in touch with friends, keeping up with their lives.
- Keeping up with the latest trends.
- To update themselves with the latest news and events.
- To spend their spare time.
- For entertainment
- Others/ commercial purposes.
Recently, studies show that it was recorded that there were a total of 3.81 billion users on social media in January 2020.
How to do a social media detox
It was estimated that on average, people spend over 2 hours of their day browsing on social media. Also, due to the Covid-19 lockdown, 43% of people using the internet are spending a longer time on social media platforms.
Due to social media, people are way better connected with each other than they were in the past, but, too much usage of social media has also caused people anxiety.
Young people feel that spending too much time on social media has made them feel anxious and they need some kind of social media detox. In some places, parents have started sending their teenagers to social media detox centers.
All these social media platforms can be very addicting and you may end up feeling like you are spending all your time there. Also, looking at people’s pictures on Instagram enjoying their lives while you are stuck at home can make you compare your lives. Most of the time we see other people’s pictures and posts about getting married or celebrating birthday parties, going shopping, traveling, etc. You might feel like your life (which is perfectly fine) is rather boring and you might get a major FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) if you did not check your feed from time to time.
Here are some tips you can follow to do a social media detox.
Start by reducing the number of apps you use
Remove the apps one at a time. Uninstall the apps if you have to or just hide them (there are options available in settings) if you do not remember your passwords.
Talk to people in real life
If you happen to be an extrovert, not being able to talk to people might seem very uncomfortable to you. Take a break from your friends online and talk to people present around you. Talk to your friends who want to take their time off social media as well. Finding someone with similar interests will help you stay away from those platforms for good.
Replace the habit with something else
If you want to let go of a habit, you need to replace it with something else. Not just social media, this goes with almost everything. Your subconscious mind needs that feeling that it used to get when using social media. Find something else you can do that generates the same feeling.
For example, if being on social media helps you express yourself, you should try to do something else that helps you express yourself, say journaling or art.
Limit your time
You can limit your time on social media. Some apps like Instagram provide you with the option to do so. There are other third-party apps you can download to make sure you do not spend a lot of time on these apps. A limit of 30 minutes is good enough.
Turn of notifications for these apps
Constant notifications can make you feel like you need to check on what’s happening. You might think, one notification won’t hurt, right? But the next thing you know you end up spending an hour checking your feed.
Keep a check on what pages you follow
Sometimes, certain events happening around the world can make you feel anxious even when they aren’t relevant to you. It could be anything, a natural disaster, some big controversy around people you follow, news about violence, or anything that spreads hate.
Being aware of what is happening around the world is not a bad thing but your mental health comes first. Unfollow those pages for the time until you feel okay.
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