Why I No Longer Need Social Media Breaks || 5 Tips That Can Help You Enjoy Social Media Again

I bet you've either seen an "I'm going on a social media break" or "I'm back from my social media hiatus" post in this past year from someone you follow. Or worse, you're the one who is posting it. Social media breaks/detoxes seem to be the latest form of self-care. Almost all mental health-related outlets will advise that taking a break from social media can help decrease the amount of depression, anxiety, and loneliness one feels nowadays. Shit, even I wrote a piece three years ago called 5 REASONS YOU SHOULD TAKE A SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK. Even though I stand behind the points I made in that article, I shifted my perspective on the matter and I want to share that with you.

image source @frayedfeems

We like to point fingers: 
"Social media isn't real, people are faking the perfect life" 
"No one really looks like how they do on their IG" 
"Social media is setting unrealistic standards" 

Yet...you still follow that account, you still like that picture, you still view that video. So have you ever stopped and wondered how much you contribute to the issue? Even if you are not producing content to push this facade, you are engaging and for that, you need to take some responsibility. 

It's sad to think that we willingly put ourselves through the negativity. We follow people that we can't stand/consume content that makes us feel inadequate. We have an addiction that we constantly bitch and moan about but rarely take the proper steps to cure. Social media breaks are a temporary solution for a long term problem. Why put a bandaid on a cut if you don't bother to disinfect it?

I will admit this, I am a social media addict. Instagram addict if I'm being honest, and I fucking love it. I live for it. First thing in the morning or if I can't sleep, I'm scrolling on my IG explore page liking hilarious dog memes or cute bunny pics. I'll scout out inspirational quotes to save and post on my story. All throughout the day, I go down my entire feed and for the most part, I like every single picture. And I mean 'like' in the sincerest way, not just the double tap way. 

I used to be one of those people that felt mentally exhausted after going down my feed. I was tired of being part of the majority who are a slave to this societal shitshow. So I started implementing five practices that helped me reclaim my power as a consumer and creator.

I've changed the way I use social media, and its become something I enjoy more than ever. Of course, it still has its ups and downs. But following these 5 tips really helped me take control of what I decide to consume on a day to day basis, and I want to share that with you guys so we can flip the script on this modern epidemic.

5 Tips That Can Help You Enjoy Social Media Again

1. Get rid of unnecessary apps/accounts

Just because you can be on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter doesn't mean you have to be on it. Unless your job requires you to be on all social channels (or you're promoting your brand), there's no reason to have all these apps on your phone. First of all, it takes up space. Secondly, it's one more distraction in your life.

You should only keep the apps you use regularly. Let's say you have a Facebook account but you never use it. Just delete it off your phone. It's one less app to mindlessly scroll on. You'll still get email notifications if some important message pops up, so check that instead. It'll save you from rolling your eyes at all the fake news articles your uncle likes to share or the 523 pictures your auntie uploads from that one family dinner. 

I don't have a Facebook and I recently deleted my Linkedin. I am considering deleting my Snapchat because I enjoy posting on Instagram a lot more. Even though Twitter seems to be the most poppin platform at the moment, the amount of stupidity on there is enough to piss me the fuck off on the regular. I keep it around because its a great way to share my latest blog posts. Thanks to tips 2 and 3, I've been able to enjoy Twitter more and use it to my advantage. 

2. Unfollow/Follow

This just might be the most important tip.

Unfollow accounts that make you cringe, hate your own life or annoy you. First of all, ask yourself why you are torturing yourself by following accounts that make you feel bad in the first place.

I know a huge part of this is courtesy follows. Just because we know each other IRL doesn't mean we have to follow each other on social media. I even encourage people to unfollow me if the content I post doesn't interest them. I truly don't care for courtesy follows.  If you want to support me, or you genuinely like my content, then I've done what I set out to do. But if you're just following me to be a stalker, that's weird af and you need a hobby. 

The most annoying thing about this social media courtesy world is feeling obligated to follow back someone just because they followed you. It took me years to come to the conclusion that...it really doesn't matter. Especially if these are people you never talk to. What's the worst that can happen? I doubt the person will message you "wHY DId yOU uNfOllOW mE?" 🙄

Follow accounts that you enjoy and add value to your day. It's as simple as that.

3. Block/Mute

I cannot explain how amazing these features are. They play a key role in how I totally changed my outlook on social media. There are certain cases where you can't unfollow someone because the relationship is too special and you don't want to offend them. We all have that one friend that puts a whole 3-hour movie on their Snapchat/Instagram stories when they go out or are singing (terribly) at the top of their lungs and pirating an entire concert. Sometimes, we just gotta do ourselves a solid and mute their asses. Lol, its all love though. Another factor could be that you have this same person on multiple social platforms, and you don't need to see the same posts from them on every single app. 

In other cases, you follow someone because you love their feed, but their stories can be a bit excessive. Just mute the stories (both IG and Snap have this feature), and voila! It's that simple. 

Let's talk about the block button. Holy shit. My favorite button ever. I can guarantee my block list is longer than my wedding guests list will be. I block people left and right. If I don't want you to have access to my work, my creative space, and my mind, I'm blocking the fuck out of you. You never have to justify why you blocked someone. That feature exists for a reason. You should utilize it to feel safer and less paranoid by who can see your account. 

4. Take the pressure of posting off

Some people feel so much pressure to constantly post. For content creators like myself, we're told the more content we put out, the more growth we'll get. That's not always true. When someone I follow posts way too much, I get overwhelmed and either mute/unfollow them. You can tell when people are posting just to post and not being authentic. I only want to post things I am proud of and admire, so I post when I want to. 

Unless you are a social media influencer and your income depends on posting, there's no need for you to stress yourself out by forcefully posting three times a day. Post whenever you want, and post whatever you want. If it isn't part of your job, you shouldn't feel obligated to post. You should use it as an outlet to benefit your mental, not deteriorate it.

5. Don't fake it

The pressure to post ties into the pressure of perfection. When people feel like they don't have the perfect picture to post or the pics they took didn't come out the way they wanted, it spoils the moment for them and kind of ruins their mood. Don't let this affect you from actually enjoying your real life. Sadly, people don't even live in the moment anymore. They live for the perfect picture to portray their "perfect" lives.

Stop pretending your life is something it is not. No one really gives a fuck. Every person's favorite line today is "social media isn't real, its only the best moments." If everyone is walking around saying that line to make themselves feel better or "realistic", then you don't need to fake "living your best life" on the gram. Cus guess what? People can see through the bullshit and we know when people WANT us to think their life is poppin when its really as regular as it gets. Who gives a shit if people think your life is fabulous? How does that even benefit you? If you thrive off of making people jealous, that's a whole other issue that we can discuss at another time.

I can go on forever about this topic, but this post is already super long 😅

Final Thoughts

Social media is here to stay and we just have to learn to use it properly and not abuse it. At the end of the day, your real life should be just as wonderful or even better than what's on social media. So make sure you are putting more energy and efficiency in crafting the perfect real life rather than the reel life. Badum Tss. Sorry, I was starting to feel like a motivational speaker.

But all jokes aside, you should always put your mental health first. Do what is best for you. If you think a social media break is good enough, then I'm right there with ya! Sometimes all we need is a few days off to refresh and recharge, and I totally get that! But if you noticed a constant pattern and need that push, I'm here as a testament that those tips work.

I hope you found this helpful, and I'm always available to elaborate a point further if you have any questions or opposing thoughts. Feel free to slide into my DMs on Instagram, or leave a comment below. Please share this post with someone you think can positively benefit off these tips.

As always, thank you for reading! xoxo