The benefits of a social media vacation
A social media break is a great way to reconnect IRL ( in real life ) with loved ones and acquaintances alike . It allows time for coffee , connection , hugs and smiles that stretch far beyond emojis .
20 Leadership
Social media is an incredible tool . It allows us to connect , keep in touch , explore ideas or even vent . University of Pittsburgh researchers have found a distinct correlation between use time and feelings of isolation and even clinical depression . Noted scholar Brené Brown has written extensively on the ways that social media seems to have increased fear and loneliness , both noted dangers to health and well-being .
Humans crave personal connection – it ’ s part of why we are so attracted to social media in the first place . At the end of the day , however , talking online or looking at a friend ’ s pictures of their children or a vacation that you didn ’ t take can bring out the worst in us : envy , fear , comparisons and a sense that wherever we are , the grass is most definitely greener everywhere else .
A social media break is a great way to reconnect IRL ( in real life ) with loved ones and acquaintances alike . It allows time for coffee , connection , hugs and smiles that stretch far beyond emojis . If you want to take a break , but use social media for work or as a primary news source , it can be hard to figure out how to take the space you need .
Here are a few tips to get you started :
1 . If you use your phone to check social media accounts , move all of the apps to a blank page , where they aren ’ t the first thing you see when you pick up the phone . If you have to swipe three or four times to get there , you are far less likely to check in on your feeds 30 time a day .
2 . Set designated times to check in on specific channels and for a specific amount of time . If you are an obsessive user , this can help you wean off slowly . Set a timer for , say , 10 minutes on Facebook at 11 a . m . and another 10 minutes on Snapchat at noon . This way , you don ’ t endlessly scroll multiple feeds but are checked in enough to maintain a presence .
By Darcy Totten