6 Signs You Need a Social Media Break

At the end of 2017, I made the decision to take a break from social media. When I did it, I really had no idea of where it would lead or how long it would last. When I started, it was the beginning of December and I imagined that I would just stay off for the holiday’s and would return after the new year. However, what I didn’t expect was the massive impact that it would have on my life. Beyond that, I didn’t return shortly after the new year. Instead, I saw a month turn into 2 and then before I knew it, 6 months had passed.

Somewhere between month 6 and 7 I returned to social media and now check it about once a week, sometimes less, and I find that it works well for me.

Whether or not we want one, our minds all need a break once in a while, and I can promise you, from experience, that you will appreciate that you did it.

And, if you’re still not sold, keep reading and see if you can relate to any of these feelings….

You Feel Anxious After Being on Instagram

Before I took my social media break, I found that regardless whether it was a few seconds or 30 minutes, being on social media would leave me feeling anxious in a way that I really didn’t like.

Or, think about it like this… If you have anxiety in your life, start taking note of what activities or situation are making you feel this way. If like me, your phone (or the apps and all of the excess noise) on the your phone makes you anxious, then set some clear boundaries with yourself.

You Don’t Have Time for Important activities like exercise, reading, friends, family, etc.

If you can relate to this one, there’s good news for you! If you regularly use social media, then you know that there actually is time in your day. For example, maybe you can institute a rule where you don’t use social media apps after 5 pm. This way, you can use those little pockets of time in the evening for exercise, reading, or spending more time with loved ones.

This is not meant to make you feel guilty but to simply recognize how and when you’re spending your time. In fact, this is one reason why I’m such a big advocate of Time Tracking as it allows me to see exactly how I’m spending my time each week.

You’re Secretly Jealous of Your Social Media “friends”

Social media SHOULD be a fun way to connect with others, and if it’s not, then maybe you need a break. I know the feeling of getting on Instagram, and immediately feeling like your life is less than perfect.

Within seconds you find yourself thinking in extremes like:

“I’m the ONLY person who doesn’t “summer” in Europe” or

“I ALWAYS have to work weekends when EVERYONE ELSE is having fun” or

“I’m the ONLY person whose home doesn’t look like a Pottery Barn catalogue”

While it’s easy to recognize the absurdity of this when someone else is saying it, I find that most of us do this to ourselves. Therefore, we have to be honest with ourselves about what social media really is…

It’s a place where people post the best of the best
A place where people go when they’re raging mad

Either way, these represent a small percentage of our overall life. So just keep that in mind.

You Feel Like Your Life is Boring Compared to “Everyone else”

Similar to my last point, eating a bowl of cereal can feel bland next to 100 pictures of avocado toast. Remember, that they’re probably eating cereal or worse, skipping breakfast, 30 days out of the month, but they’re only showing you the 1 day when they went out to brunch.

Instagram pics are often like birthdays, they don’t happen all the time, and they typically don’t represent everyday life. So, just be clear with your expectations and know what you’re getting into. Or better yet, get vulnerable on social media and show your imperfect life. It might even inspire someone else to do the same.

The more we can be willing to show the boring and the mundane, the more willing others are willing to go there with us.

On the other hand, if you find yourself spending the whole weekend watching Netflix and eating too much junk food, then, try using Instagram as inspiration to plan at least one fun activity each weekend.

You Have No Clear Idea of How Much Time You Spend on Social Media

Unless you use a tracking app, most people have zero idea how much time they spend on social media. And this can be a big problem, because it’s hard to make changes if you don’t know what you’re dealing with.

Also, unless you know that you’re 10 minute Facebook checks throughout the day add up to 3 hours…then you won’t have much incentive to do anything about it. 10 minutes doesn’t seem like a big deal…while 3 hours is.

I would suggest tracking how often and for how long you check social media. To do this, just open up the notes app on your phone or write it down in your planner. Try doing this for a week and see how it goes.

This should give you a good idea of how often and at what times you check social media. Then, going forward, you can find solutions. For example, if you check your phone each morning at 10 AM because you don’t want to get started on your work, try setting your phone to airplane mode until you finish at least one big task in the morning.

You Find Yourself Distracted From Real Life Memories or Experiences because You’re Focused on Getting a Good Pic for Instagram

This is a big one, friends. And it’s one that worries me about our generation. In April, I was still off of social media and went on a road trip with my parents. Most of the trip was what you would call…the middle of nowhere. We visited North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Indiana, and Minnesota.

During the trip, I saw some of the most stunning views that the US has to offer including the Badlands of South Dakota and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. While I did take a few photos to remember the experience, since I wasn’t posting them on social media it was a really different experience.

Instead of focusing on getting the perfect shot, I was thinking about how I was going to remember this or share this experience with my husband when I returned home.

Remember that you’re life was meant to be LIVED not INSTAGRAMMED.

Summary of Key Points:

You feel anxious after being on Instagram
You don’t have time for important things like exercise, reading, or friends and family
You’re secretly jealous of your social media friends
You feel like your life is boring compared to everyone else
You have no clear idea of how much time you spend on social media
You find yourself distracted from real life memories or experiences because you’re focused on getting a good pic for Instagram