Every so often I like to take a step back from social media and reconnect with myself and my family.
This is something that I have done for years. Whenever I feel that I am putting too much time into checking social media, mindlessly scrolling instagram and constantly feeling like I need something new to make myself happy or raise my kids properly or make my home more homey.
Social media makes me feel like I need more.
It sounds ridiculous just typing it. I know that many Facebook and IG posts show only what the person wants to show. A highlight of their otherwise uneventful day. A tidy and organized corner with their mess kicked behind the camera. A cute outfit they threw on after four days straight in yoga pants. I get it. Not everything is as perfect as it looks on social media – but there is something still so convincing about it.
This time around though I was honestly feeling like a true addict. I could barely hold a full conversation without glancing at my phone. D and I spent our quiet alone time sitting side by side with our faces in our phones literally telling each other “I really just want to stop scrolling but I can’t. I’ll stop in 4 more minutes.”
When it starts to cut into your family time, or it starts to make you question your lifestyle or when it starts to feel like an addiction – “I should check my feed I don’t want to miss out on this hours top posts – what if I don’t get to see them again!?” – it may be good to take a step back and take break.
I have often taken breaks from Facebook when I feel like I am checking constantly only to see no updates in the last 5 minutes – what are you people even doing with your lives!? Sometimes I take breaks when the tone of Facebook is overwhelmed with negativity and I feel it affecting my mood.
I’ve now spent almost 2 months away from Instagram completely and cut back on Facebook.
If I am being a hundred percent honest, I essentially replaced my Facebook and Instagram scrolling with Youtube videos and Pinterest scrolling. While still not completely media free – I do like that both platforms show me only what I am actively searching for or have looked for in the past and neither send notifications that feel as urgent as other social media.
There were a few reasons behind my detox this time, maybe you can relate to one or two:
It was the holiday season and I really wanted to focus on time with my family without feeling compelled to share every moment with social media. I love taking photos, I have always loved taking photos, but I don’t like trying to take the perfect photo or making sure everyone looks perfect and happy. I just wanted to be present with my family and capture our own memories and it really did make a difference.
I was checking too often. You know when you open your app and your feed is entirely different? I literally felt like I was going to miss a life altering post if I didn’t scroll each time I mindlessly opened the app. How ridiculous is that? And on top of that I was mindlessly opening the app all too often. Watching tv? Check IG. Cooking breakfast? Check FB. Pushing Av on the swing? Scroll IG. Like…what!?
I started spending money on things I didn’t need. So many influencers tell us about something they absolutely love! As someone who shares affiliate links and products, I get it, it has evolved into a line of work and people take their jobs seriously. Companies pay influencers for advertising, the same way they would pay for a commercial. And often when one product is working on a campaign and you follow several people in the same niche, these items are being jammed down your throat and you feel like EVERYONE has this but you! I fell victim to that more times than I care to admit. And at the time with the holidays approaching I really didn’t want to feel compelled to buy this years top toys or every single thing that was on sale.
This time around I didn’t deactivate but I did delete both apps from my phone. I still checked Facebook through safari but the extra step of logging in through a browser made it less likely for me to constantly open and check.
I also didn’t create posts other than sharing my blog on my Facebook pages. I am sure some family members missed seeing the kids over the holidays but it was just so important for me to take a step back and enjoy our traditions without feeling the need to capture the perfect photos to share.
I used my time to focus on spending time with my kids and husband and being a more present mother and wife. I was also able to get more organized and get on top of household tasks.
Some other things to do during a social media break:
Reconnect with others. Stay in touch the old fashioned way: through text message. Or make a plan to get together with friends you tend to only talk to through likes and comments.
Reconnect with yourself. I often would call my “me time” the time when everyone would fall asleep and I could scroll IG guilt free. When not scrolling, this me time can mean taking a relaxing bath, practicing yoga or reading a book. Find some form of self-care to fill in the time.
Discover what you actually enjoy doing. Hint: its not searching and scrolling until the carpal tunnel takes over.
Spend less money. If you’re not restricting yourself to minimalist and #debtfreecommunity posts then you are likely being hit left and right with advertising whether through sponsored ads or influencer posts. A big issue of mine was home decor pages – I was always feeling inspired to make changes and make my home more picture perfect.
If you ever feel like social media has become a major part of your daily life maybe a social media “detox” would be a good option for you. But if you’re not ready to kick it or you’re not quite so addicted there are some alternatives to keep your screen time in check and prevent it from going to the next level:
- Turn off notifications for all of your social media. Check them when you want to, not when you are told to.
- Delete your apps and log out each time you close social media. The extra steps of opening the page and logging in will deter you from those quick checks here and there.
- Pick a time each day to check on social media and give yourself a time limit.
- Leave your phone on the charger or a docking station in the evening. Say around dinner time you plug it in and don’t pick it up until your coffee or commute the next morning.
- Take the weekends off. I see a lot of influencers doing this. Take the weekend or even just Sundays off completely.
- Schedule posts in advance. If you are working to grow your social media following consider finding an app to schedule posts in advance. It also helps to have an advance plan and even a bank of photos to post – that way you are not spending time each day taking the perfect photo, editing, thinking of captions, etc.
It may sound silly to some – that someone can be addicted to social media and it can play such a major role in our lives but it is real. And whether you view your love for social media as an addiction or not, it is still healthy to take a break every now and then.
I can’t say for sure that the things I recognized in this time away will stick, but I am hoping that this time around I am able to use some of my own tips to enforce certain time restrictions on myself to find a better balance.
I hope this information was helpful to some and even if it wasn’t I am happy to have shared my reasons for disappearing every now and then.