In the world we live in today, it can be difficult to find someone that doesn’t have at least one social media account. Social media is simply part of many people’s lives.  At first, these social media networks were created to act as a bridge to connect people from all across the world, but as it stands, they can now be a source of unhappiness, addictions, and unhealthy lifestyles. Just like any other bad habits that we have in life, there comes a time when we have to do something about it, and in the case of social media, a social media detox is exactly what the doctor ordered.

What is a “Social Media Detox?”

This simply refers to a specific period of time when an individual stays away from all social media platforms.

A social media detox is highly recommended especially when an individual suffers from social media addiction. If you are wondering what social media addiction is, it is simply the excessive use of social media platforms on a daily basis. When you are addicted to your social media life, you slowly lose out in the real world.

10 Reasons to Take a Social Media Detox

1. You gain an extra dose of free time to engage in more productive activities such as reading, exercising or learning new skills. On average, some people spend between two and five hours on social media on a daily basis. Imagine what you can do with all of that free time.
2. You start to live in the real world and interact with people more on a deeper (and less superficial) level.
3. Your happiness levels increase because you stop comparing yourself to some of the fake lives you observe on social media.
4. There is an overall improvement in your mental health, which improves clarity on your thoughts and decision making.
5. You have more time to spend and concentrate on your family, loved ones, and relationships.
6. You avoid the toxicity of social media like bullying and trolling (experiencing it and observing it).
7. You can use the extra time on hand to engage in more physical activities that can lead to health improvements.
8. Decision making can become faster because you are not thinking about what your social media audience will do, say and react.
9. There will be a visible increase in your productivity in your office, business, and home.
10. Being off of social media helps to protect your privacy and data.

How to Execute a Social Media Detox

The hardest part isn’t starting a social media detox, but following it through to the end. Though it will seem difficult at first, the short-term and long-term results are worth every bit of effort you put into it. You can start by doing this detox for a few hours a day (perhaps the last few hours of your day?), work up to once a month and eventually once a week. Every so often you can even go off the grid for a few days at a time, which is magical.

So, how should you carry out a social media detox?

• You can start by deleting all your social media accounts/apps from all of your devices. The trick here is to just do it, and don’t think much about it.
• Engage in more productive activities in your free time. You can learn a new skill, or go for dance lessons if you wish.
• Let the people in your life know that you are on a social media detox so they can support you and not be on their social media accounts while spending time with you.

A social media detox does more good than harm and is really healthy for your soul. It may seem like a scary thing to do but your mind will thank you. Are you worried about stepping away from social media because you use it for business? Connect with us because we can help you manage your accounts.