Is Enough Enough? Take a Break from the Media!

Social media is a part of many of our lives. It’s a great way to connect with like-minded individuals around the world, keep in contact with people, network, & be nosy. However, it can do the most at times, & when you sprinkle in keeping up with the news, you have a recipe for potential disaster! It’s important to know when to put the brakes on your browsing, & Intentional is here to spread the wealth!

     Pretty much daily, I find myself mindlessly browsing Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, & the internet. It’s an easy way for me to check out of reality for a moment. But intending to browse for 5 minutes can easily turn into 45 because it’s so much going on. The time can be even longer if I’m on a mission to find something specific. That Pisces laser focus is a beast 💪🏽! 

     There have been times I’ve felt like my social media usage was excessive, especially when I get my weekly phone usage report on Sundays. Outside of on Saturdays when I do content planning, there really isn’t much I can say to justify spending so much time browsing on this device.

Is My Usage Getting Serious?

     Believe it or not, social media use & internet browsing can be addictive. Many may not think of it that way, but when you begin to neglect other aspects of your life, your physical & mental health become affected, or you spend more time in the virtual world than engaging in the real world, you’ve developed a problem. Some of the signs of social media addiction are:

• Your mood changes when you use social media. For example, you’re happier when you’re on IG & irritable when you can’t get internet service to use it
• Your usage keeps increasing & you spend excessive time on it 
• You have problems with relationships outside of social media & withdraw from people & things you used to enjoy 
• You quickly revert back to excessive social media usage after you try to take a break
• You’re constantly thinking about what you’re missing when you’re not on social media
• You feel like you have to hide using social media
• Your sleep, diet, & exercise routines are negatively impacted by social media usage 
• Your school, work, & home lives are negatively impacted 
• You feel like you can’t stop using social media or go right back to the same habits after taking a break from it 

     All of the above can also apply to watching & reading other types of media. It’s been so easy for anyone to create a story, post it online without credibility, & thousands of people will buy into it & share it. And the COVID pandemic didn’t help at all! Between the panic, the false stories, the depressing number of deaths, police brutality, politics, & people having too much time on their hands, it intensified negative emotions around the world. It seemed like there was nothing the news stations could find to report that was positive, but we couldn’t get enough of watching or talking about those stories.

Do a Detox 

     Technology is such a major part of life now, but it’s ok to disconnect sometimes to maintain balance. If you find yourself constantly checking your phone, refreshing your feeds several times a day, or watching &/or reading the news several times a day, it may be time for a media detox. 

     Put these tips in place to flush some of the funk out of your system:

• Put time limits on your devices. Most devices will allow you to set daily or weekly time limits for apps or types of apps. Once your time expires, find something else productive to do. 

If you can’t set time limits on your devices, set a timer when you browse. When the time is up, go back to handling the important business in your life.

• Limit your feed. Eliminate any people or topics that spark negative feelings in you. Use your mute & block button as much as you need to so you can keep an upbeat spirit.
• Limit your sources. You don’t have to read or watch every news outlet to get information. Not everyone is credible, so limit yourself to 2-3 sources of info that you know are trustworthy.
• Turn off notifications. The app notifications can drive you crazy going off all hours of the day & night. Turn them off! Whatever you think you’re going to miss, you can catch up on when you have downtime. Very few things need to be known in the moment.

     Not everyone has to be at a desk at 5:45am, so they don’t always refrain from texting & calling late. Just so I can wind down & get uninterrupted sleep, I have my phone set to DND after 9pm every night. Nobody & nothing gets through unless it’s my alarm system or someone who lives in my house. It automatically allows notifications to begin again at 5:30am Monday-Thursday & 8am Friday-Sunday. I’m getting too old to function off of broken sleep without becoming Oscar the Grouch!

     Not only do the limits help me with sleeping better, they help me be more productive. I can set my phone to Focus mode when I need to get things done. There are very few things online that I need to know right away. Those who are most important to me know my work schedule, so if they call during those hours, it’s an emergency. I’ve set max limits on my games & social media before, but now that I use social media for business, I don’t limit it. I’ve learned to stop myself if I’m scrolling too long.

Benefits of Media Detoxing

     You have much more to gain from doing a media detox than to lose. Other than not being in the know as often, what else are you losing by stepping away from time to time? Here are just a few ways you can benefit from doing one:

• More time for conversations: Yeah, we “converse” on social media, but there’s nothing like an actual conversation over the phone or in person! Leave the virtual world for a few & catch up with someone in your close circle instead.
• More time to smash your goals: If you have time to browse, you have time to do something else more productive. Unless your goals need some research conducted, get off the internet & put feet to pavement. You have to move to achieve them.
• Mindfulness time: A few minutes of meditation can sway your mind to a more pleasant place. Use your  browsing time to find a 10-minute guided meditation on YouTube. They have all kinds of them, & they’re so calming.
• Live in the moment: You may be physically present, but while you’re browsing you’re not mentally present. You can miss so much while you’re caught up in the virtual world. Take some time to really live!
• Skip the comparisons: Social media can have you feeling down when you see someone living their best life while you’re struggling. If you can’t see it, there’s nothing to compare or make you feel less than. Instant boost in self-esteem!
• More sleep: I’ve said it before: less browsing leaves you more time to sleep. Plenty of nights I’ve been scrolling due to insomnia…which helped even less. Blue lights keep your brain awake, so grab a book instead of your phone when you can’t sleep.

     Everyone needs a media detox at some point in time. I basically stopped watching the news during the pandemic & always do during election season. People will ask if I’ve heard whatever, & I’ll be clueless. I’ve blocked & unfriended folks for being too anything: too sexual, too negative, too controversial, too anything that disrupts my peace of mind & makes me curl my lip up. Because I want to elevate in some aspects of my life, I probably should limit myself a little more on my personal accounts. I definitely find that my business social media accounts are more calm by far!

     If you’re wondering if your social media relationship is getting out of hand, take this quiz to see: https://balance.media/social-media-quiz/

Check these links out too for more benefits & tips on media detoxing:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/janeclairehervey/2018/03/21/is-social-media-stressing-you-out-here-are-9-self-care-tips/?sh=17bac88b4bd2

https://www.ourwestnest.com/blogposts/2021/2/26/10-reasons-why-a-social-media-detox-is-a-form-of-self-care

https://myselfcaresociety.com/blog/social-media-and-self-care-10-tips-for-balance/

Let’s take back our control!