Taking a Social Media Break

Social media is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends, and it’s a wonderful way to spend some time while taking a break from work or other tests that need breaking up. Unfortunately social media can also be a place argue, fight and complain. If you find yourself getting upset after spending time on social media it might be time to consider taking a social media break.

Social media has done wonders for connecting and reconnecting us. You’ve probably reconnected with classmates from a long time ago and it can be an easy way for friends and family who live far apart to keep in touch. However, especially lately, social media can be place where people pile on one another, live stream horrific acts and generally let the worst of their character come through.

If you’ve found that spending time on social media leaves you feeling worse rather than better, it might be time to take a social media break.

The good news, it’s pretty easy to do – uninstall the app and find something else to fill all that free time.

The bad news is, if your social circle lives online, it can feel pretty isolating at first.

If you’re planning on taking a social media break there are a few things you can do to make it a bit easier.

Taking a Social Media Break

Say it with a Post – If you’re planning on taking a break from any social media platform, people will wonder where you are. Let your friends, family and followers know that you’re taking a break and that everything is ok. If you want to keep in contact with them let them know other ways they can communicate with you – email, phone, snail mail.

Stay in the Present – One of the hardest parts about taking a social media break is the FOMO that is sure to follow. FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, is a real thing that keeps us all connected to our computers and phones when we really should be doing other things. Stay and the present, take in what is going on right now all around you. When your mind starts to wander and worry about what you’re missing remind yourself that you’ve been missing the here and now and it is a truly wonderful place to be.

Stay Connected – Just because you’re off social media doesn’t mean you’re not available. Connect with friends and family by way of the phone, email or go out and see them in real life. Reconnect face-to-face and you’ll be asking yourself why you didn’t do this sooner. There’s nothing better than laughing with your best friend over a great meal. Time seems to slip away and you’ll want to do it again, and soon.

Be More Productive – Now that you have all this free time it’s time to do something productive (or fun). If you’ve ever wanted to write that novel, start that small business or learn how to play an instrument – now is a great time to give it a whirl. Use your free time to do the things you’ve told yourself you’d try if you only had more time.

Taking a break from social media isn’t easy, our culture has really embraced all the various platforms and many companies actually rely on social media to market their businesses, so it can be challenging to break away from it. Connection with others is important, and if getting off social media can help us reconnect with those we care about and love, it’s worth the effort to do it for a while.

Wonder what it’s like to quit social media for 65 weeks? Click to read about David who started off by taking a two week social media break that turned into 65 weeks away.