Social media addiction has been identified as the overuse of social media applications or websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tinder, Snapchat, Quora and the list goes on. We, as individuals, have gone from information seekers to constantly high-on-notifications serial phone checkers. In this digital age, where being constantly connected is a boon, it also has its limitations and its over reliance is continuing to distort our evolution.
Did you know? Repetitive habits have the power to alter our DNA and it’s not just ourselves who we are impacting, our future, the future of those around us (if we raise our heads above our phones to see who actually has stuck around), as well as those of our offspring. It is no mystery that social media addiction has actually ended up being out of hand due it’s who’s-the-first to know nature.
Double-edged sword of social media
Social media can bring communities together, not just for recreation but also to trade, reducing the chances of conflict. It can be an appealing platform to meet new pals. However, the equilibrium can be quickly manipulated. We are regularly contrasting ourselves via social media. While taking a look at stranger’s highlight reels and also establishing a sense of Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) realizing that our lives might not be as daring or charming, generating anxiety.
Research studies are now revealing that social media usage can cause mental health issues such as clinical depression, anxiousness, social seclusion, etc. It can also perpetuate eating disorders, low self-worth, body image problems, and self-harm habits.
However, all of us understand social media is a tiny sliver of truth, a falsified photo gallery of us constantly at our best, that we wish to represent to others. Its not reality, is it?
We don’t only have an array of successes that we need to share with the world. There have also been times, where we have crawled onto the floor, curling up small and shedding tears in moments that we gave our everything to but still didn’t go in our favor. Those moments are privately and conveniently hidden in corners of our memories where no sunlight will ever reach, but, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
What are the best methods to digitally detox?
Should we simply take a lengthy cleanup? Delete social media entirely? Or reduce and restrict our display time? Sometimes, going completely cold turkey has been a tried and tested method for other addictions, like smoking. So why not, try it by deleting all social media?
For those of us who ain’t so gutsy, can begin by taking a break from the diversions. Investing more time involving with individuals in real life as well as striving much harder to meet our career aspirations. Take social media breaks often, and you’d be surprised to see how quickly it turns into a habit. You got to take the initiative to stay off the phone and into the present. Particularly, when adventuring in the outdoors appreciating the benefits of the big wide world out there or spending times with close ones who deserve my respect through attention and care.
“Get offline and into your life”
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How to quit social media?
Below are the seven steps or techniques (that actually work) on how to quit social media and get rid of the addiction:
1. Put your phone down and out of reach
I frequently discover that if my phone is in another space, I won’t have the impulse to grab it. Maintaining your phone out of reach is especially important when you are around other people. No one wishes to hang out with you personally if you are constantly on your phone. Certain sometimes we may need to respond to a fast telephone call or respond to a work e-mail. However, when it becomes a practice, others will certainly be annoyed.
Several of my friends and I have a deal where when we head out to dinner. We placed our phones face down in a heap on the table. Whoever touches their phone first buys a round of beverages or grab the dinner expense. If you are hanging out with individuals you care about and also respect them, there is no reason you would certainly intend to be on your phone, to begin with. Out of sight, out of mind is a great way to forget about social media and quit.
2. Establish limitations by tracking your social media time
There are lots of apps out there that can track your social media time and aid monitor and also manage just how much time you invest in Facebook and Instagram. Set a goal on your own, possibly one hour in the morning or one hr during the night and if you find that you are not adhering to your objective after that download and install an application that will certainly aid you to establish limitations on your phone so you take healthy breaks from social media.
3. Shut off notifications and set digital boundaries
Shut off all social media alerts on your phone so you do not feel triggered to examine your Instagram or Snapchat whenever you obtain a brand-new notification. You can likewise organize your “iPhone desktop” to ensure that your preferred applications are not the very first thing you see. By making it so these applications are not front as well as center, you minimize the lure.
4. Establish “Phone-Free Zones”
Pick locations in your house where you are not enabled to be on your phone. This might be the dining area table during dishes or in your bedroom before you go to sleep as bright lights and technology can disrupt your sleep.
5. Schedule “social media free days”
Possibly it is every Sunday or maybe it is the entire weekend break where you actively decided not to check or involve in your social media accounts. These social media totally free days can permit you to spend more time fraternizing others, engaging in leisure activities and being efficient.
6. Delete social media apps from your smartphone
Numerous of my buddies have erased Facebook as well as Instagram off of their phone and as a result, can only inspect their social media on their computer system when they are at home. This is one of the best ways to quit social media frenzy. This enables them to stay in the minute when they are out and also around as opposed to constantly really feeling need to examine their phones as well as disengage in the existing. Are you ready to delete social media?
7. React offline
Did Facebook simply tell you that it is your buddy’s birthday? Avoid the “Happy, birthday!” wall surface article and grab the phone. If a friend is getting married, withstand the urge to send a tweet or a Facebook message. Rather, mail a card. Both these actions will be extra meaningful to the recipient.
In a digitally revolutionized world, social media addiction is just the starting point of how we should take important matters involving our lives in our own hands, instead of relying and reacting on how other people perceive us. Let’s simply delete social media.
You will find that you have more time to be focused and present in your own life.
On this cheerful note, let’s cherish the realities of each other and take forward our digitally detoxed selves to strive for higher and better goals.