Although I am a personal development blogger by profession, I am in no way a mental health professional. See my disclaimer for more info.
Is social media harming your well-being? In this post, I’ll give you an ultimate guide on how to go on a social media cleanse and not feel bored!
So, you want to do a social media cleanse?
We’ve been using our phones more than ever for the last 4 years (and counting). While these little things can be really helpful at times, they can also harm many aspects of our lives. One would be our mental health, which is probably our most valuable health.
I used to scroll on Twitter all the time, but I finally decided to take a break from it since it messed with my mental well-being. Other social media apps like Instagram and TikTok can impact my health, too. I’ve taken breaks from these apps to feel more sane (haha).
If you notice that social media is affecting different parts of your life (like finances and mental health), this post is for you. I’m going to teach you all about how to go on a social media cleanse. But here’s the catch: it doesn’t have to feel boring or isolating.
So, let’s get right into it!
This post is all about social media cleanse.
A social media cleanse is a planned break from different social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter (X), and TikTok.
This is also sometimes called a social media break, which is pretty much the same thing. If you’ve tried to do this before, you may’ve come across a common problem:
You feel bored out of your mind!
I get it; when you go from spending hours a day on social media to not using it at all, it feels like something’s missing.
I’ll make sure to teach you how to deal with this boredom in this post!
Let’s talk about the signs that you may be due for a good ‘ole social media cleanse!
- It affects your mental health — you’re constantly comparing yourself to things you see on social media.
- It’s negatively influencing your spending habits — you want to stop following trends.
- You’re going through an identity crisis — you want to develop a new persona or identity.
- It’s affecting your productivity — you’re spending too much time on social media and not on other important things like school or work.
- Your attention span is getting shorter — it’s hard to focus on one thing for a long time.
So, you decide to take a break from social media. What’s in it for you? Well, it’s actually more helpful than you might think.
- You learn that it’s OK to be bored
- You learn that you’re not missing out on much
- You learn more about yourself — this can improve your mental health, focus, social skills, and so much more.
- You’ll feel more at peace — you’re not constantly dealing with conflicting and inaccurate information, comparing yourself to others, or trying to stay caught up on the latest trends.
- You have so much more time in your life — including work, school, finances, relationships, and other aspects of your life.
- You’ll get better sleep — you’re not staying up late scrolling on TikTok or Instagram!
Now that we’ve covered the basics, I think it’s time to really get into it. If you’re ready to do a social media cleanse, here’s my ultimate guide to do so!
How to Go on a Social Media Cleanse:
1. Ask yourself some questions
Before you officially start, you need to do a self-assessment.
Ask yourself some important questions like:
- Why do I want to do this?
- What will I get out of this?
- How long do I want to do this?
Answering these questions will set you up for success during this cleanse. It’ll help you to be more sure that this is important to you.
So, please don’t skip this step!
2. Do a self-evaluation
The next step is to do a self-evaluation so you can figure out which apps you use the most.
After all, you’re most likely trying to spend time away from the apps that take all of your time and attention.
To do this, go on your phone and look at your Screen Time data. This should show you exactly which apps you use the most, and even how much time you spend on them.
For me, it’s usually TikTok or Instagram. If I wanted to do this challenge, these are the apps I’d spend time away from.
For you, though, that might be something like FaceBook or YouTube (yes, that’s technically social media!).
As long as you do what works for you, this cleanse should be successful!
3. Tell others about your plans
You don’t want to keep your friends and family wondering where the heck you are, do you?
Make sure you let these important people know that you’re taking a break from social media. You can either make a post or contact everyone individually.
If you use social media for your business or company, this might be tough. You can’t exactly go MIA if you rely on these platforms for communication and marketing.
So, this tip probably wouldn’t apply to you!
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4. Start slow
Here’s where some people go wrong: they jump into this cleanse way too quickly. Then they feel stressed, unfulfilled, and want to end the challenge early.
It’s going to be hard to do well if you’re trying to take a break from 5 different apps. That’s too much to handle!
Don’t be one of those people! There’s no need to rush the process.
Focus on one app at a time.
I like to do something I call “tech-free weekends” when I notice that I’m scrolling more than usual.
On these special days, I try not to use my phone or TV at all. I get to live in the moment and do fun things that don’t require technology.
Believe it or not, it’s definitely possible to have a good time without going on your phone!
I also make myself log into my platforms on my laptop if I feel tempted to go on them. This takes more time and isn’t as convenient, so it usually dissuades me from going on there at all.
I know it can be tempting to scroll if the apps are in sight.
You go on your phone, see TikTok on your home page, and indulge in a 30-minute scrolling session.
It seriously happens that fast (and easily)!
If this is you, consider deleting some apps from your phone. This way, they won’t be on your home screen and tempt you to get on them.
Once again, though, don’t delete all of them yet! Start with the one you use the most, then delete more after that.
Oh, and make sure you remember your login information — I’d hate for you to get locked out of your accounts!
6. Find a dopamine replacement
Another common debacle when doing this challenge: you feel like you don’t have anything to do.
It can feel isolating and weird to not have something to do every second of every hour.
But, throughout this cleanse, you’ll start to realize that boredom is good. Being bored boosts your creativity and allows you to reflect on things.
Some of my best thoughts and business decisions happen when I don’t have anything going on.
If you just HAVE to, though, look for something to replace the feeling of dopamine you usually feel when you’re on social media.
Dopamine is the hormone that is responsible for giving you feelings of pleasure, motivation, and satisfaction.
Besides social media, there are many things that can give you a similar feeling. Try:
- Spending time with your loved ones
- Playing an instrument
- Exercising
- Cleaning
- Drawing
- Reading
- Writing
- One of the hobbies/activities listed in the linked post below!
RELATED POST: 67 Stress-Free Hobbies for Adults to Enjoy During Your Free Time
THINK: Besides scrolling, what are some things you enjoy doing? Tell me in the comments!
7. Keep your phone out of sight
Just like the apps themselves, your phone can be tempting if it’s visible.
Anytime I’m working, I have to throw my phone on my bed so I won’t feel tempted to take a 15-minute scrolling break.
I’m not saying this is bad, per se. But, not being able to easily pick up my phone any second boosts my creativity and productivity.
My phone is on my bed as I type this, actually! If it were right next to me, I know it’d distract me.
8. Track your progress
Don’t forget this crucial step. When you’re doing any kind of challenge, you should track your progress.
This helps to keep you accountable and motivate you to keep moving forward.
You can track your progress many ways. I love to do this in my daily journal or with a habit tracker.
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Journaling is absolutely one of my favorite ways to practice emotional/mental self care, and my free daily journal can help you do just that.
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9. Reward yourself for the small things
I always say this: your brain LOVES a good reward!
If you don’t reward behavior at all, you’ll be less likely to keep it up!
So, let’s say you finished one week of this social media cleanse. That’s awesome — reward yourself to celebrate!
10. Do a self-reflection
Great; you’ve completed the challenge.
But did you though?
It’s time to do some reflecting. Whether you spent less money or compared yourself less often, the goal is to learn a lesson and become a better version of yourself.
You want to continue to implement the habits and mindset that you learned through this process.
You should also think about your relationship with social media now that you’ve taken a break from it.
Going forward, you can change your media habits. Instead of scrolling for 2 hours, try to lower that to 1 hour. And then maybe even 30 minutes!
You might want to unfollow people who aren’t serving you, too. That way, you don’t have to constantly see them in your feed.
How do you feel? How does social media affect different parts of your life? Do you think you could do this again?
These are all great questions to ask yourself to find out how this break helped you.
RELATED POST: 34 Inspiring Tips on How to Improve Yourself & Start to Heal
Let’s recap!
We made it to the end of the post!
Today, we talked about how to do a social media cleanse.
It’s not always easy — especially if you spend lots of time on social media like I do. But these tips should help you do it the right way, and not feel bored throughout the process.
Please remember to take time to take care of yourself!
I know, in this economy, it can be hard to find free things to do that are fun. That’s why I put together a list of 7 free self care activities to enjoy today!
In the midst of chaos, don’t forget to smile,
DeMarcus – your self care buddy
PIN IT FOR LATER:
This post was all about social media cleanse.
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