Using social media and falling into the habit of "doom-scrolling" can seriously exhaust your energy and affect your mental wellbeing. By learning to log out and take breaks from social media, you can refresh your experiences and make your mental health a top priority.
Connect with people outside of social media to foster real and meaningful interactions. Invest time with friends or loved ones who are not first responders, providing an opportunity for genuine conversations and bonding outside of work.
How to Limit Time Spent on Social Media
Things to do instead of social media:
- Schedule regular time with friends, family, or loved ones where you agree not to be on social media while you spend time together.
- Turn your phone off or set it to do not disturb except for emergencies while you are doing a specific activity.
- Schedule a certain period of time per day or week to cut out social media and internet use. For example, during dinner every day, after 5pm on weekdays, or even all day on your off-days.
- Spend at least an hour a week doing a screen-free hobby. If you find that easy, try increasing it to two hours, or an hour every day.
Ways to limit time spent on social media:
- Use an app or browser extension to monitor your social media use or overall screen use.
- Set a timer to remind you to log off social media after a certain amount of time.
- Use an app or browser extension to block social media sites, either entirely or just for or after a set period of time.
- Delete social media apps from your device and only use browser log ins.
- Turn off social media notifications.
- Delete your social media accounts entirely. This might seem like an extreme route to take but if you think it might be right for you then give it a try.