Close your eyes (not literally because then you won't be able to read the rest of this article, but you know what I mean).
Now, imagine a lifestyle where you don't use Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter or Facebook (had to add this to appeal to all the oldies out there. Hashtag Sorry not Sorry).
Imagine waking up in the morning; not sitting on your bed scrolling and double tapping on Instagram.
Imagine waking up and not seeing how everyone spent their Friday night partying while you pulled an all-nighter to finish a paper.
Imagine not having constant updates of other people's daily lives (especially not what they ate for lunch and how many beers they chugged).
In today's day, all of you, I presume, agree that we waste a lot of time on social media. From aimlessly scrolling through your Insta feed to clicking random doggy-filter snaps- if you have your phone in your hand, you know you WILL use it.
Five to seven years ago, when the idea of social media was gaining momentum and socializing-online was becoming a thing, we didn't realize that there'd come a time where social media would be the reason we don't socialize anymore.
I mean, who knew that the people we added so enthusiastically in 2009, we'd end up blocking with the same enthusiasm in 2019?
As much as we hate to admit to ourselves, we're all a little obsessed with social media. This obsession, from time to time, can affect our health- mental and physical.
But guess what? Sometimes, it's good to take a break.
Here are 3 ways to a successful social media detox.
1. Stop using it for a reasonable amount of time.
Don't set goals that you know are unattainable.
"I'm going off for 2 months" Really? No.
Come on! Don't lie to yourself- we all know you'll come back in a week….and to be honest, even if you can go one week without Instagram, you're doing pretty great. (I like to say that to myself because I can never go beyond that…)
But no, really, after going off for a while you'll actually realize how much better your mood is without continuously seeing other people's lives.
2. Mute your notifications.
TURN OFF YOUR INSTAGRAM/SNAPCHAT NOTIFICATIONS. Yes, turn it off. I promise it'll help so much. Basically, your phone won't keep tingin' in the middle of a lecture= you being less tempted to open certain apps= you realizing that social media isn't that important= you not using it as much= you saving time.
Do it. You'll thank me later.
P.S You can use for phone later to see who slid into your DM's.
P.P.S Don't mute emails, iMessage, Whatsapp, and other genuinely important apps (I don't want your parents coming for me)
3. Replace your glorious "app using time."
That is correct. Replace all those 600 hours you spend on Snapchat with "developing a hobby" or "working out" or "meditating" time. I'll tell you why.
Seeing the overload of not- so helpful information on social media can sometimes cause information (meme) overload and all that does is distract you from work.
I totally understand that social- media is like a break for you and there is a lot of interesting stuff on there. With that being said, I guess we all would agree that from time to time a break from social media/ "Social Media Detox" can be quite helpful.
