Detox from social media

[On The Road]

Recently I have been drawn into social media as I keep reading negative news (A LOT happening recently) which has triggered me and after that, I keep browsing some lighthearted content to try to make myself feel better. I found out I waste a lot of time and did no good for my mental health, also has been not productive to focus on my own business. I have tried grounding myself but can't help going back 😞

What are your opinions and practical advice on detoxing from social media? or how to use social media more wisely, I know Most ppl can't cut themselves off it for several days and most of us just go back to this.

[white knight]

Hi

10 years ago I was a member of two motorcycle clubs on Facebook and some groups. A guy sent a nasty message "go take more meds nutter". It rocked me. I decided to stop all social media. It lasted 5 months before I realised that friends and club members wouldn't email, text or ring. I was no longer in the loop.

So I returned to FB and studied the finer details. I set about blocking anyone that was abrasive and limited who saw my posts. It was the best thing I could have done.

Social media is great if you control it and moderate its use.

TonyWK

[smallwolf]

hello.

with the nature of social media it is hard to just stop using. There can also be some useful things to get out of it. So perhaps one thing to try is getting an app that helps you to limit the time you spend on related social media. That is one thing to try.

The other suggestion that I have is rather than to look at social media, perhaps to use that time reading... this only helps if you like reading.

Or perhaps using that time / space in the creative manner re your business.

Me... I stopped watching news. I was never a big social media user. (With that said I used to be hard into gaming. Then there was one day, when I was playing (vs working) and had this realisation this is problem and hard to work on it. It's hard.

[Ggrand]

Hello On The Road, Tony, Tim and everyone....🤗..

I think it’s how you use social media is very important...Keeping things safe by only using it to keep updates on my family is the way I use it...

I have only a few friends on my fb book account and they are all family...

Because I live around 6-7 hours drive away and don’t really get to see them all that much..,I can talk as well as see my grandchildren growing up..things that I would I would miss and get to see are ... 1st day of school, birthdays, anniversaries and achievements earned by my grandchildren are all shared only between my family...

Without this contact...life would be a lot more lonely for me then it already is...

I do agree with our lovely Tony...about the need to be in control and use it in moderation....as well as doing everything we can to keep it safe for ourselves..

Kind thoughts..

Grandy..

[Mark Z.]

Hi On The Road,

My way is to design my routine in details. Regulate the frequency of checking my phone and emails. For example, first 2 hours in the morning focus on planning the day and do the toughest job, adjust my phone to fly mode. And after that check my phone once an hour when I take a break, check my email only 2 times a day.

Another secret is running. When you do exercise everyday, some chemical will happen and it helps you focus and give you more confidence.

Hope it works for you too.

Mark

[Sophia16]

Hi,

Seeing negative news can really affect our well-being. It is understandable if you feel distressed looking at all the negative news that is going on at the moment.

I was brought up in the generation of social media use (Gen Z). It is super hard for me to stay away from it but when I have uni exams and I get super busy, I delete everything. It only lasts around 2-3 weeks though.

I, myself would love advice as to how to stay away from it. Especially when everyone uses it and it's the only way I can communicate with my friends and family.

[jaz28]

Hi there,

negativity certainly does have a bad effect on our mental health, especially when it is everywhere online atm.

my personal policy is to keep to a maximum of 1.5-2 hour screen time per day. if i go over this, i know it is time to set my phone down and do something else (e.g. journaling, study, reading, exercise) etc. and i try not to use my phone much for the rest of the day. you could also set a goal like this depending on your personal needs for using your phone and social media. i find it very helpful.

i hope things improve and i am sorry to hear,

jaz xx

[On The Road]

Thank you for everyone's replies, some of you have similar struggles like I do and also provided practical advice🙂 It is stressful for me as recently I didn't spend much time on here as I couldn't focus on reading others' stories. I'm steering myself away from social media and newsfeed right now. 🙂

[Guest_1643]

I think fb and instagram are toxic for mh...but I know some feel it helps them connect

I think deletingfit sometimes is good self care

[smallwolf]

there can be some good in social media but that come with a lot of caveats etc.

I am equally aware (from when I started) that it can be addictive. And if you look at influencers or what friends are doing .... that can feel like missing out! There are plenty of studies that talk about the negative aspects and impacts on mental health.

while i have not searched for anything, but I would think or hope there are stories or articles on how to deal with ort use the technology. But if the suggestions that are mentioned in these same stories do not work then removing yourself might be the best decision.