Your Guide to an Effective Social Media Detox
Social media detoxes are relatively relatively popular, particularly during the second lockdown. It seems that the majority of people are looking to take time away from the screen in favour for finding and learning new skills, watching a new Netflix show or even exercising more. Everyone has different coping mechanisms and for some, taking a break from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more, does the trick.
For those who are looking to get the most out of the their social media detox, or if you're wanting to embark on an effective social media detox, then here are a few hints and tips for following it through. You won't get the itch to check Facebook feeds or Instagram Stories and it may well help to reign in your social media time when the detox is over.
If you have any hints and tips for an effective social media detox, then leave them in the comment section below! It'll help others just in case I've missed anything off the following list.
1. Acknowledge the problem and know the facts
Apple iPhones have a feature that tells you how long you spent on your mobile over the course of the week and some of the statistics can be quite scary. I used to average six to seven hours a day on average over seven days and I finally realised that I really needed to reduce the amount of time I spend on social media.
Don't get me wrong, it can be quite difficult to do that when you blog regularly, but there are times where I'll take a few days at a time not scrolling through social media. In order to start your social media detox as you mean to go on, then you must first acknowledge that you do, in fact, spend too much time online.
2. Disable the push notifications
It's so easy to go through our social media feeds when our phones to give us prompts to do so. Therefore, the easiest thing to do is to turn off our push notifications on literally everything, even on the games we have installed our devices. Out of sight, out of mind, basically when it comes to this.
Our phones will flash up, drawing the eye towards it and by that time, all you want to do is see what the latest news headline is or see who has liked a certain picture on Facebook and then you go down a rabbit hole that could take hours to get out of. If you disable the notifications then you'll be less inclined to check what's going on 24/7.
3. Have areas in your home that are device-free
There are a few rooms throughout the home that should, in theory, be device-free. The bedroom is the first place you should rid of electronics. Whether you have a phone, tablet, laptop or another device you use, don't keep them in your bedroom. The dining room should also be device-free, as should the bathroom (of course). Instead of watching a Netflix show in the bath, close your eyes and relax as opposed to gluing your eyes to another screen.
If you banish devices from the bedroom, you'll notice an improvement in the quality and quantity of sleep you get, as the blue back-light that's present on most screens will make it harder for you to drop off and even harder to wake up the next morning. You may even find that you aren't as refreshed as you could be come sunrise, so the easiest thing to do is to simply store your electronics in a different room.
4. Flight mode is your new best friend
Many people use this mode if they don't want to be distracted by their mobiles. I know people who will engage flight mode while they're driving, just so they don't get the pings, flashes and notifications while they're going from A to B. This can be an effective way to conduct a social media detox, it's also a highly-convenient way of doing it as well, so then you don't have to go through and turn push notifications off on all of the apps on your phone.
5. Find something to do that doesn't involve a screen
Lockdown is the perfect time for people try their hands at something new. Where this isn't compulsory by any means, it can be a good way to pass the time and learn a new skill. Nine times out of ten, this doesn't involve a screen at all.
Perhaps learn how to knit, try cooking a new and exciting dish or do some Origami to impress your friends and family when this is all over. If you want to know how to do something, either flick through a specialist book or only use the screen to learn how to do it. Once you've got the hang of it all, turn the device off and get back to learning your new skill!
6. Give purpose to the devices you own
Your devices have to earn their place in your life and so assign different tasks to each one. Perhaps use your phone to check emails or to take photographs instead of using it to scroll through Facebook. Maybe use the tablet to do some online shopping while we can't get to the shops and use the laptop for online banking and other important things. Try not to use all three to catch up on social media feeds, and so the best way to do that would be to uninstall apps and to not bother having them installed on anything else.
7. Make sure you're always available for the most important people in your life
Social media can get in the way of a lot of things and it has been known to cause rather a few problems in people's personal lives. Close down Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks in favour for spending time with the people in your own household. Put the laptop away and pull out a board game to play or use Skype to video call the people most important to you instead of spending hours on social media.
8. Leave your phone at home when you can
This isn't really recommended if you're going on long journeys anywhere, but if you're just popping to the shops or walking the dog then leave your phone at home. You can then enjoy some downtime without looking a screen or being distracted by social media in general. Unless it's important, put your mobile away, somewhere safe, and forget about it for the short time you're away and out of the house.
9. Get around safely
This relates more to when you're going from A to B. Whether you're driving, cycling or walking to your destination, turn off your phone so you aren't distracted by anything. Not only is this something you can do during a social media detox, but you can also do it simply to keep yourself and others safe from harm. You can even give it a go if you just want to reduce the amount of time you spend on social media as opposed to a fully blown detox.
10. Try and get through one day without technology
During this digital age, it can be extremely difficult to get through an entire day without the use of technology, especially as we're all working from home now. So it would be best for you to practice this over the weekend instead of when you actually need to use technology. Maybe go for a long walk, do a jigsaw, wash the car or read a book - there are loads of different things you can do to keep you occupied throughout the day, all without having to use technology.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Leave all of your hints and tips for an effective social media detox in the comment section below, that way, we can all help each other. I'll see you again very soon with a brand new blog post for you!
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