Social Media Detox Tips

Over the past year, I have made a major effort to detox from social media. I still get on Pinterest and Facebook to promote my blog, but other than that, I don’t spend much time on the sites at all. And while the detox was hard to get used to at first, I have noticed a serious improvement in my mental health and happiness. If you are thinking about doing the same thing, here are my favorite social media detox tips.

The first thing is first, get rid of all your social media apps. It will be less tempting to use them if it is no longer convenient to do so. After all, no one really wants to get on to your desktop to check Facebook. You can even temporarily deactivate your Facebook if you feel that it would be more effective for you.

Now you’re going to want to do a little parental controlling…to your own devices! Go through your phone’s settings and block all social media websites from your browser. And when you are done, hop on to your computers and do the same thing. This might seem kind of over kill, but I promise it is necessary for a true detox!

Social media is a huge time suck, so it’s great to hop on when you are bored. Next time you feel like checking social media, make it a point to do something else instead. Swap your social media time with a quick workout (bust out twenty crunches!), jumping jacks, or even something like a book. I’ve downloaded Audible onto my phone and every time I feel like checking social media, I immerse myself in a book instead.

Part of the reason that social media is so addicting is that it causes your brain to feel a rush of dopamine, giving you feelings of instant gratification. Science says that dopamine levels will not return to normal for at least 90 days after you have been on social media. Your detox should definitely last that long. However, in my experience, I have learned that I didn’t even really miss the time spent on Facebook or Instagram after around 30 days. It’s been such a good switch!