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Learn the benefits of quitting social media for your mental health and well-being
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Too much social media can take a toll on your health. Taking a break from social media is a great way to reconnect with the people and activities that really motivate you. If you suspect being online is doing more harm to you than good, here's how to take a break from social media.
Things You Should Know
- You may need a break from social media if you obsess over "likes," feel more anxious and depressed, check your feed constantly, and more.
- Decide how long you need a break and commit to it. Log out of social media accounts, delete apps, and turn off notifications.
- Try new hobbies, such as reading, getting involved with your community, connecting with friends in person, and more.
Steps
Section 2 of 4:
Logging Off
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Decide how long you want to take a break from social media. There’s no right or wrong period of time you should spend off social media. The choice is entirely yours. You could spend 24 hours or 30 days off social media (or more).
- Some social media apps, such as Instagram, allow you to temporarily disable your account while you're away. Once your break is up, you can activate it again.
- Don’t feel locked into the period of time you’ve decided to stay off social media. If you get to the end of your social media-free period and find you wish to continue your break, do so.
- On the other hand, you can also shorten your social media break if you feel that you’ve accomplished what you wanted to accomplish by taking a social media break.
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Choose when to take a break. The best time to take a break from social media is during family vacations and holidays. This will give you and your family the opportunity to speak together in person rather than through social media exchanges.
- You may also take a break from social media if you need to commit all your attention to something, such as a school project.
- If you’re feeling overwhelmed due to bad news and politics on social media, you might also take a social media break.
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Choose the social media networks you want to take a break from. Taking a social media break could mean stopping all social media use, or it could mean taking a break from specific networks. For instance, you may temporarily quit Facebook and X/Twitter but stay on Instagram.
- A good way to start the selection process is to consider your reasons for needing a social media break, then take a break from the network(s) that will most directly allow you to achieve those goals.
- You can also just log out of these sites and applications on your computer and phone. Having to log in every time you visit the site or use the app may reduce the chance that you will check them whenever you get bored or distracted.
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Develop a schedule to cut back on your social media use gradually. For instance, if you plan on taking a social media break between Christmas and New Year’s Day, work to reduce your social media use before Christmas. Start cutting back about ten days before you intend to take your break. The amount by which you cut back depends on how much you use social media. [1] X Research source
- If you use social media for two hours daily, cut your social media use back to 1.5 hours 10 days before your break. Then, seven days before starting your social media break, cut down to one hour daily. Four days prior to your break, cut back to 30 minutes daily.
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Let your friends and family know you’ll be taking a break. During your period of decreasing social media use, you might want to let your friends and social media followers know that you will be taking a break. This will let people know why you aren’t answering their messages and prevent them from worrying once your social media break begins. It will also help to keep you accountable whenever you feel like logging in.
- If you wish, you could schedule posts to appear even while taking a break. Some third-party apps allow you to schedule your posts on Instagram , Facebook, and other social media platforms.
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Remind yourself why you are taking a break. Without a good cause, you will have a hard time maintaining time away from social media. There are many reasons you might want to quit social media temporarily. Perhaps you want more time with your friends and family. Perhaps you are tired of using it every day. Whatever your reason, clearly articulate it so that you can answer people who may ask.
- You may also want to keep a list handy to remind yourself why you are taking a break from social media.
- It’s important to identify why you want a social media break to stay strong when you start to feel that you don't want to continue. In those moments, you can remind yourself, “No, I refuse to use social media until my designated break period ends because I want to spend more time with my family.”
EXPERT TIPIf you feel depleted, lethargic, envious, or anxious after you use social media, you probably need a break.
Annie Lin is the founder of New York Life Coaching, a life and career coaching service based in Manhattan. Her holistic approach, combining elements from both Eastern and Western wisdom traditions, has made her a highly sought-after personal coach. Annie’s work has been featured in Elle Magazine, NBC News, New York Magazine, and BBC World News. She holds an MBA degree from Oxford Brookes University. Annie is also the founder of the New York Life Coaching Institute which offers a comprehensive life coach certification program.Annie Lin, MBA
Life & Career CoachAnnie Lin, MBA
Life & Career Coach
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Section 3 of 4:
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Deactivate your account. If you typically access social media on your phone, delete the apps from your phone. If you tend to use social media on your computer, keep your computer turned off for the duration of your break from social media. A less extreme alternative is to turn off social media notifications on your device of choice so that you are not tempted to look.
- If you turn off notifications, be sure to turn off email notifications, too.
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Delete your account. If you find you’re healthier, happier, and more productive during your social media break, you might want to extend the break to a full-time social media deletion. In this case, you’ll say goodbye to social media for good.
- The process for deleting your account varies with each social media platform. Typically, it’s quick and easy and requires navigating the user menu options to the section dealing with your account (usually called “Your Account”). From there, just click “Delete My Account” (or some similar prompt) and confirm your decision.
- Remember, if you ever want to hop on a particular social media platform again later, you can, but you’d be starting from scratch.
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Reframe the decision to take a break from social media. It’s easy to think of taking a break from social media as the exclusion of something. Instead, consider your time without social media as freedom from the demands you may have unconsciously placed on yourself to constantly post new content and engage in social media interactions. Instead of posting on social media, you can focus on being present for your life as you live it.
- Try keeping a journal with you to write down your days and memorable events; it doesn't have to be a social media post.
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Distract yourself to get through the hard part. There will likely be a few days where you miss being on social media. After a time – three days, five days, or even a week, depending on how connected you are to social media use – you’ll begin to feel the urge to use social media decline. Stay strong through this tough period, and know that it will pass. There are several ways to avoid temptation and temporary depression. For instance, you could:
- See a movie with friends
- Catch up on your reading by grabbing a book off the shelf
- Take up a new hobby like bicycle repair or playing the guitar.
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Recognize the reality of social media content. Many people post only their best-looking photos on social media and rarely – if ever – post negative things about their lives. Once you see past this carefully curated lens, you'll realize the lives of others aren't so different from yours.
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Think before resuming your social media use. If you decide to resume using social media at some point, you might want to take some time to consider your decision. Make a pros and cons list to help you identify your reasons for wanting to resume your social media use.
- For example, your pros might include things like “staying up to date about what friends are doing,” “having a place to share my good news and pictures,” and “engaging in conversations with friends about interesting news.” However, your cons might include things like “getting frustrated by political posts,” “wasting time by checking my account too often,” and “worrying unnecessarily over things I’ve posted.”
- Compare your pros and cons to help you decide which option has the greatest benefit and make your decision.
- You may also want to place some firm limits on yourself if you do resume your social media use. For example, you might set aside two 15-minute sessions per day to engage on social media and stay logged out of your accounts at all other times.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you know it's time to take a break from social media?Annie Lin is the founder of New York Life Coaching, a life and career coaching service based in Manhattan. Her holistic approach, combining elements from both Eastern and Western wisdom traditions, has made her a highly sought-after personal coach. Annie’s work has been featured in Elle Magazine, NBC News, New York Magazine, and BBC World News. She holds an MBA degree from Oxford Brookes University. Annie is also the founder of the New York Life Coaching Institute which offers a comprehensive life coach certification program.If you feel depleted and lethargic after using social media, or you feel envious and anxious that you’re not where you should be in life, you probably need a break.
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Tips
- You can use features like Screen Time (iPhone/iPad) to restrict your social media use to certain times of the day.Thanks
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