Taking a social media break can be daunting. Latest news, memes, shopping deals, celebrity teas, fashion trends— you’ll miss out on many of these things the moment you log out.

However, what you gain from it is much, much more valuable. In this guide, we’ll explore these perks and tips to consistently keep yourself away from social media.

Signs You Need a Social Media Break

Before we explore the perks of a social media detox, we want to clarify that the internet isn’t inherently evil.

Yes, it has some dark sides, but it also comes with many benefits. First, it lets you showcase your talent freely—you don’t have to take the “mainstream media path” to be famous. Just prop your camera and hit record. With a great personality, relentless drive, and a dash of luck, you can get rich and popular by doing what you love.

Social media also made messaging and calling much easier for people with distant friends and family. Back then, you’d need to spend tons of $$$ to even hear someone’s voice. Now, you can digitally talk to them with no issues, face-to-face. And let’s not forget the jobs created because of it, such as social media managers, content writers, videographers, programmers, and freelance artists.

However, not everyone has had a positive experience with social media. If you’re experiencing the signs below, consider taking time off from your online space.

1You’re scrolling for hours.

A few minutes of checking your newsfeed is harmless, but scrolling for hours is physically and mentally unhealthy. If you find yourself spending hours sitting or lying in your bed, switching to reels, shorts, reddit posts, and x posts, it’s time to get off from your smartphone.

The more you scroll through your smartphone, the fewer hours you have to finish your chores, spend time with your family, and work on your projects. If phones are allowed in your workplace, you might even lose time from finishing tasks, leading to work issues.

2You find yourself comparing your life to others.

Your high school batchmate is engaged. A coworker just completed his Japan tour. Your cousins were posting their pictures from The Eras Tour. There’s a cute loft house posted in Home Buddies Facebook Group. Your best friend got a promotion. A friend just posted a bunch of her office OOTDs.

You kept scrolling, happy about the news you saw on your social media feed, but the other side of yourself was angry about it. It’s not that you don’t want your cousins attending their dream concert or your best friend getting promoted.

It’s just that… you want to experience it too.

You then started comparing your life to theirs, feeling sad for not having an “aesthetic” apartment, your face not good-looking enough, and your work not having a fancy title.

As a way to cope, you end up binging your comfort food, drinking the night away, or impulsively checking out a bunch of stuff in your online shopping app. It’ll distract you or make you feel you’re “progressing” toward your goal. But after a few hours of scrolling in your feed, the comparisons will start again.

If you find yourself in a scroll-compare-cope cycle, it’s a sign to take a social media break.

Remember that social media is a highlight reel for most people. It’s rare for people to share their struggles on social media. Most curate their feed to portray a happy and peaceful life, but they’re just like you.

However, it’s natural for people to compare at times, so it’s better to stop using social media and instead focus on the things that make you truly alive.

3It’s becoming harder and harder to fall asleep.

Are you having some difficulties sleeping? Your social media habits might be playing a role.

Take a step back and assess the things you do before you sleep. Do you spend your time chilling in bed, or are you doing what most adults do—scrolling on their smartphones? If it’s the latter, you’re not alone. A 2019 study involving 435 Saudi non-medical staff working at King Saud University shared that “More than 98% of the respondents owned a smartphone, and nine out of ten use their smartphones at bedtime.”

The main reason you couldn’t hit snooze mode is the blue light emitted from your phone. It makes your brain think that it’s still daytime, keeping you fully alert. You also learn a bunch of information as you scroll on your social media feed, keeping your mind from working.

Most smartphone brands have addressed the blue light issue by providing a “night light” filter that’s automatically activated at night, but if you want to fully give your mind the rest it needs, it’s better to take a social media break. This will help you fall asleep quicker, lessening stress, mood changes, daytime fatigue, and other effects of sleep deprivation.

4You spend more time making “content” than memories.

Do you have an uncontrollable urge to post everything that’s going on with your life? When you go out, do you spend more time making content for the gram instead of being in the moment?

Though there’s nothing wrong with spending a few minutes taking photos and videos during a special occasion, too much focus on capturing the best shots for your social media takes you away from the actual experience.

5There’s less priority in real-life relationships.

Whenever you hang out with your partner or best friend, do you spend time talking, or are you both sitting in the cafe with your phones? If you’ve been experiencing the latter, it’s time to ditch the smartphone for a while.

Yes, they’re also using the phone, but you’re encouraging them to stop using theirs, sparking a real-life conversation by not using it in front of them. Also, using your phone instead of having a real-life convo with your loved ones can be disrespectful.

Benefits of a Social Media Break

For those with an unhealthy attachment to social media, taking a break from it can feel impossible. Fear of missing out, being unable to relate to friends, and being incredibly bored are some things that could happen if you stop checking your social media apps. However, the pros outweigh the cons— below are some of the amazing things you can gain from detoxing online.

1You’ll become more productive.

The main benefit of a social media break, and probably the reason most of you are even interested in taking one, is increased productivity.

Since you’re not spending most of your day scrolling on your feed, you’ll now have the time to work on personal projects, house chores, and hobbies you’ve been holding off for weeks. And unlike before, you don’t have to cram everything in a couple of hours— you have the time to do the process correctly.

2You’ll get closer to your loved ones.

This statement is quite ironic, considering that social media apps aim to bring people closer together. But it’s true—staying off social media can foster a more meaningful connection.

For example, instead of watching your cousin’s social media stories about their new dog, you can actually send them a text message or call them about it. Not only will you get to catch up with their lives, but your cousin will surely appreciate you taking the time to call them directly.

3There’s less impulse to shop, binge eat, and other coping mechanisms.

Another benefit of taking an online break is that you won’t be able to compare your life to your peers’ curated social media feeds, which limits your impulse to partake in unhealthy coping mechanisms. Not being on social media also means you won’t see many ads and sponsored posts, reducing your temptation to add another item to your shopping cart.

4There’s time to try new things!

Taking a social media break is a way to regain your time, which means you’ll have more time to explore new experiences. Want to try knitting, dancing, hiking, cooking, and baking? You can easily do that since you’re not spending hours scrolling on social media.

Now, if you need help with where to get recipes, hiking tips, and other crucial details about your newfound hobby, you can always rely on books, blogs, long-form videos, and other available resources.

5You’ll feel less negative about yourself and others.

As mentioned earlier, social media increases your urge to compare your life with others. This makes you feel negative about yourself since all you can see is the highlights of those profiles. Not only that, but the excessive complaining and fearmongering in social media can also affect your mood, especially if that’s the content you’ve been reading for hours. Quitting the online space can help you reframe your mindset and get you off the cloud of negativity.

6There’s a chance of increasing your attention span.

Countless studies and articles discuss how social media shortens our attention span, especially now with the rise of short-form content. That’s why only a handful of people are interested in reading; more people prefer funny, bite-sized content online.

If you have difficulty concentrating, a social media detox can do wonders. It trains you to concentrate longer on your actions since you don’t have social media to check on. However, people with medical conditions such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may need more than just a social media break to work through their short attention spans.

7No more sleep deprivation!

Another great thing about taking a social media break is that you’ll get to sleep earlier than usual. There’s no blue light hitting your face and no distractions keeping you awake, which will result in improved productivity and a happier mood.

8You’ll reduce the physical issues of excessive social media usage.

Studies show that excessive use of social media can lead to a bunch of health issues, such as eye strain, back pain, and thumb pain. A study from the University at Buffalo also presented that “Research participants who used social media excessively were found to have higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biological marker of chronic inflammation that predicts serious illnesses, such as diabetes, certain cancers, and cardiovascular disease.”

If you think about it, it makes sense why these physical issues manifest when you focus too much on social media and your smartphone. Spending hours online means you’re likely inactive during the day, resort to unhealthy (but quickly prepared) meals, and have difficulty sleeping. You can reduce the risks by avoiding social media apps and diverting your time into exercise, cooking, and other healthier activities.

9Your mind gets to rest.

Do you feel constantly tired? Does your mind feel cluttered? Taking some time away from your social media apps can help.

You see, constantly checking your social media feeds means presenting new information every few seconds. News about inflation, a famous comedian getting divorced 5 months after the wedding, your friend warning everyone about a scam—your brain processes everything within seconds.

That said, give your brain some rest by staying off on social media. You can enhance the experience by meditating, exercising, strolling outside, listening to music, or even napping.

10You’ll have time to reflect.

Do you feel stuck in certain situations, such as an unfulfilling job or a bad relationship? The first thing you need to do is reflect and assess your current condition. Since reflection requires a lot of concentration and quiet time, distractions such as social media are a big no-no.

That said, take a social media break if you consider stepping in a new direction. Not only you’ll get to clear your head, but you also won’t be reading posts that might cloud your judgment.

Social Media Detox Tips

Acknowledging that you have a problem is the hardest part of taking a social media break, so just reading about this guide and planning to get offline is already a major leap! However, it’s just the beginning, as you’ll be venturing into various challenges as you go through the break. Below are some tips to help you navigate those potential issues.

1Plan it out.

Start by establishing a goal. What do you want to achieve from this break? Do you want to be more productive at work? Finish the sculpture you’ve been working on for months? Spend more time with your partner? Have more sex with your wife? Heal yourself from a toxic relationship? Note that down, as that will be your reminder whenever you feel like logging into your social media apps.

Next, plan your break. Figure out how long you’ll be offline and which apps you’ll stop logging in to. If you plan to deactivate your accounts, inform your loved ones about it and have an alternative mode of communication in emergencies, such as text messaging or a messaging app like Telegram.

Another crucial step is identifying the root cause of your unhealthy attachment to social media. An insightful Reddit post from r/productivity shared that an effective way to stop wasting our time online is “discovering the problems that our smartphones solve for us.”

Reflect on why you’re always on your phone. Is it because of loneliness? Have an uncontrollable desire to fidget and play around with your hands? A way to escape certain memories? It’s not a surefire way to detach yourself from social media, but it can help.

2Keep yourself away from your smartphone and social media apps.

This is a pretty obvious tip, but seriously… You need to put the phone away. A study published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research discovered that “even when people are successful at maintaining sustained attention—as when avoiding the temptation to check their phones—the mere presence of these devices reduces available cognitive capacity.”

If you want to reduce the temptation of checking your phone, we recommend placing it away from your view, such as in a cabinet or inside your bag. Turn off the notifications for all the non-essential apps. We also recommend deleting your social media apps; you can’t check your social media if it’s not on your phone.

3Consider getting a “dumb phone.”

If your work is connected to social media, you have a business, or other related reasons, you might need a dumb phone. It’s the kind of phone you’re using in the pre-internet era. It can barely connect to the internet and only works well for calls and messages.

Once you’ve completed the necessary work on social media, you can put your phone away and use the dumb phone for emergencies.

4Watch for signs of shifting to another addiction.

While reaping the benefits of taking a social media break, here’s a reminder to check in with yourself occasionally. Some people tend to move from one addiction to another, so check if you’ve been excessively drinking, emotional eating, and other related coping mechanisms.

If you realize you’re in a similar situation, we recommend reflecting and talking to a counselor, therapist, or any mental health professional who could help you work through these issues.

Takeaway

There’s a popular saying that “quitters never win.” However, quitting can lead you to winning, such as taking a social media break.

Though you might get bored or have difficulty relating to your coworkers at times, what you’ll get from being offline is far much better than the juiciest internet drama— you’ll get the freedom to do what you love, connect with the people that truly know you, and grow your professional pursuits.