How To Escape Social Media Insanity

If social media has you losing your grace, here’s how to escape the insanity.

Over the last decade, social media has become a global obsession. And in a world where the word hustle is glorified, we now spend any downtime we get scrolling mindlessly through our feed, documenting and comparing our lives with strangers. 

Not only is social media a huge time suck, but it is harmful to your mental health. Multiple studies link social media use to depression, anxiety, loneliness, and suicide.

It is crucial to distance yourself from social media whenever possible to protect your sanity. 

Here are a few simple ways to keep your grace, escape social media insanity and give yourself much-needed time to practice being present.

1. Limit Your Time: This may be an obvious suggestion, but it’s one that most people find challenging to follow. Instead of being on your phone from sun up to sun down, be intentional about the time you spend scrolling each day. Decide ahead of time when and how much time you will allow yourself on social media, and set a timer in the morning. Once that timer goes off, you’re done for the day. You can still get your Facebook update in small doses and have the rest of the day to focus on more important things – spending time with family, taking a walk, and enjoying the beauty of the world around you. Being present with the people around you often brings more joy than scrolling mindlessly through your phone.
2. Social Media Detox:  Escaping social media can do wonders for your mental health. A detox allows you to distance yourself from the triggers, negativity, and mindless scrolling. It will encourage you to jump back into the real world and make time for valuable things that bring you joy. The benefits of a social media detox have been known to include better sleep, less stress and anxiety, more productivity, and a chance to get those creative juices flowing. Of course, the time frame is up to you – it can be anything from one week to a whole year, depending on what you feel you need to step away from insanity. Maybe it means just deleting one particular platform. Once you take a little time off, you may not want to jump back into the social media whirlwind. 
3. Turn Off Notifications: This simple step can significantly limit social media use. It’s nearly impossible to get anything done when your phone constantly buzzes with new notifications about recent posts and updates. Our FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) usually gets the best of us. We get pulled into that world of fake perfection, silly memes, and pictures of what some Instagram moms ate for lunch. It sucks up time and brain cells that you never get back. Without those notifications, your phone isn’t constantly buzzing, reminding you to check it every 5 minutes. It can do a world of good for your productivity and mental health. 
4. Get Yourself a Hobby: A great way to limit social media use is to start a hobby outside of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Find something that piques your interests – paint, grow a garden, or write that novel that’s always in your head. Make a list of all the things that interest you or that you’ve always wanted to try. Pick one and roll with it. Start distancing yourself from the online world and jump into real life doing something much more constructive than mindlessly scrolling for hours. 

Social media can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a huge time suck and damage your mental health. So start looking up from your phone and spend more time offline, enjoying the world you live in.