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Hi There!
Today we’re talking about taking BREAKS from social media. Ahhhh, social media. It can be such an amazing resource! For this blog, it’s been the main way that I’m able to connect with you, on a personal level. As I’ve mentioned before, it is my FAVORITE thing ever when you message me because I LOVE getting to know you! I love hearing about what you like on my blog and also what you DON’T like! It’s incredibly helpful whenever anyone sends me a message with feedback, because it helps me decide what I should focus more on. After all, I’m blogging for you! <3
Anyway, today I wanted to chit chat about something that isn’t talked about very much in this whole blogging world, something that I find to be very necessary at times… Taking breaks from social media.
As a blogger, I tend to spend quite a bit of time on social media. Social media has been a huge blessing in my life, because it’s allowed me to pursue something I’m wildly passionate about! That being said, over the last few months I’ve started to implement what I call “social media breaks” into my schedule, and I’ve come to realize that they are actually very important. I want to talk about them here, with you, in case you too might be needing a break from the huge world of social media.
You might be wondering what exactly I do for a “social media break.” Well, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds. After I’m feeling a certain way, (going to fill you in on the signs below) I will fully delete the social apps from my phone. For me Instagram is my main platform, so that’s the main one I need to delete. I’ll delete the app for a full 24 hours and come back feeling SO REFRESHED!! I strongly believe that you can have a passion for something, and still need to step away sometimes, in order to come back refreshed and more passionate than before. While a 24 hour break doesn’t sound like a lot, it really does serve as a reset button and gives you a chance to step away. I’ve done this about five times now and every time I’m so happy I did!
Here are the tell tail signs it might be time for a BREAK from social media.
1. You’re falling into the comparison game.
In case you missed it, I wrote a post on what I call “the comparison game,” which you can view here. The comparison game is a tricky one, because sometimes it really sneaks up on ya. Do you all of a sudden find yourself looking at blogs or social media pages that make you wish you had what they have?? This happens to me occasionally, and is a tell tale sign that I need to step away for a break from social media. When feeling this way, I know it’s something that is going on with me and has nothing to do with the person’s blog or social account I’m looking at. When I’m fully present in myself and in my full power, I’m able to consume content I love without it making me jealous. (Bleh isn’t jealousy a jerk)!!
2. You’re spending time consuming content that doesn’t make you feel better, but actually makes you feel worse.
This one is a big one! Recently, I also unfollowed about 1,000 people that I was previously following. Why? Not because of anything personal, but because I realized there were quite a few accounts I was following that weren’t making me feel better about myself, but actually were making me feel worse. I’m not going to go into detail about who or which accounts but I would advise you to thoroughly look over every person that you follow on social media and gauge who makes you feel happy! Does an account make you feel crappy every time you look at their stuff? Do you watch their stories and feel refreshed and motivated? The time we spend consuming content is actually very precious so I recommend choosing wisely! Before my most recent social media break (while I was on vacation), I realized that I needed to consume less content and give my IG following feed a good re-vamp. This was also a sign I needed a little hiatus.
3. You want to be better about being 100% in the present moment.
While I was in Maine, this was the reason for the social media break. I wanted to be fully present and in the moment with my family! I absolutely love sharing my life, experiences, and wellness finds but decided to take some time to step away and just be. Social media breaks are wonderful for this!
Do any of these situations sound like you? I’ve definitely been in the mindset of all three and have found the break to be incredibly helpful!! Maybe next time I’ll try for 48 hours? We shall see!
Have you ever done a social media break? Has it helped you??
Are you going to try it now? Let me know in the comments!