Social Media Cleanse: 7 Ways to Disconnect to Reconnect

We have to admit that we have reached an era where we have become heavily reliant on our phones to get us through day by day. We not only bring our phones anywhere we go, but check it every 5 seconds. This technology isn’t going anywhere soon and it’s probably going to get better in the future. So as exciting as that can be, we also have to be more cautious.

Taking a Social Media Break or Social Media Cleansing is disconnecting from social media applications for a certain time period to reconnect with the world around you. I would recommend the cleanse to take at least 2 weeks or 1 month. This will just be enough time to lessen your attachment to social media, shake off the toxic energy you’ve absorbed, focus more time and energy on actual goals in life and develop a healthier relationship with social media moving forward. We have to be smarter in using Social Media so that it won’t use us.

If you’re an Apple or iOs user, you can limit your Social Media Usage by using the Screen Time App. Click this link to learn exactly how.

Social Media Cleanse: 7 Ways to Disconnect to Reconnect

Break out of Social Media’s clutches and mind control by distancing yourself far away. You don’t have to throw your phone. You can actually still use your phone during this process. You just have to configure the settings of your social media accounts or apps.

You can choose one of the three options below:

1. Deactivate your Accounts

This will remove your profile from the system so your friends or followers won’t be able to see or interact with you any longer. This is literally disappearing so your friends might get worried. They might think something happened to you, and start asking questions. Talk about drama! If you want that, why not right?

2. Just Log Out of your Accounts

This is more of a quiet escape, just taking a sweet short time away from the app. People will still be able to see and interact with your profile, but you won’t get any news or notifications about them. The problem with this though is that it’s not very committal. It’s so easy to get back. You may randomly just find your way back into the app, because you have gotten used to signing in that it’s become a reflex already.

3. Uninstall the Apps

By removing the apps themselves from your phone, you won’t have anything to look for when you want to go check your social media. They’re simply not there and that will remind you again that you’re on a cleanse and you should stick to it. It’s quiet and won’t raise any unnecessary suspicion to any of your friends or followers. They can still see you, but won’t know that you’re unreachable and enjoying some time away from them.

No matter which option you choose, you just have to remember to stay off the Social Media apps for the entire 2-week to 1 month period. You have to resist that automatic reflex of opening your apps and scrolling through them. Do other things with your phone like watch youtube or netflix, read ebooks, blogs or articles, or check-out pinterest to get some nice ideas. Use the free time you now to have to take a look at your life and the world around you.

There’s so much to see and so much to do other than looking down your phone every 5 seconds. And after some time, you’ll notice how you’re no longer reaching out for your phone as often as you used to and how you aren’t that bothered with your apps or notification anymore. That’s when you’ll know you’ve arrived at a healthier place.

Developing a Healthier Relationship with Social Media Moving Forward

Going back is the last step of the Social Media Cleanse. You have to come back though with the discipline that your world doesn’t revolve around social media. It is merely just an everyday tool.

Don’t use Social Media because you need to. Use social media for a certain purpose whether that is for entertainment, connectivity or promoting yourself. When you’re done though, go do something else.

Here are a things you can try out to develop discipline in Social Media Usage:

1. Hide your Apps

In the same principle of “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” by removing the apps from your home screen, your attention won’t automatically be drawn to it. You can hide these apps in a folder behind a bunch of other apps so that it will take a little more effort for you to get to them.

2. Don’t Allow the Apps to Send you Notifications

You can stop consciously wondering if people are liking your posts, following you back or paying attention to you. It removes the waiting for any sort of audience reaction from anything you put out there. The notifications will no longer pull you out of the moment you’re in or demand you to open up the app again and perform a call to action. You’ll only see them when you have the time to open up the app and you can then act accordingly.

3. Use the Do Not Disturb Feature

This is more on when you need to focus on a task at hand and don’t want anything bothering you. By using this feature on your phone, you won’t be hassled by any sudden messages or alerts from people or apps. You can dedicate your time on your task or enjoy your day freely.

4. Go on another Social Media Cleanse every once in a while

When you feel like you’ve somehow arrived at the bad place you were before or you feel like you’re on your way back there, then you can go on another cleanse. Put your phone away more. Enjoy a vacation somewhere fun. Just try to do activities that require you to be physically and mentally present. Then, you’ll get more life into your days and renew the spirit you might have lost.

Try Social Media Cleansing today and experience life outside the bezel-less edges of your phone. Good luck. You can do it!

Find out how Social Media Cleansing can help you by reading 4 Remarkable Benefits of Taking a Social Media Break

Love this blog? Pin it!

Thoughts:

The Flawsome Lady
I do this from time to time. But just like Karla, I schedule my posts in advance for my followers (auto-posting). Social media detox can actually boost creativity once you’re back 🙂

Theresa Montino
It would be difficult for people who rely on social media as their bread and butter. But I like the idea of pulling out from socmeds. I also do that once or twice when I really want to detach myself from what’s happening on the web.

Blair Villanueva
I have a regular social media disconnect moment twice in a week,. Its a great feeling – then my annual social media cleansing, unfriending those whom I don’t engaged with.

Ivan Jose
It’s a good thing that I have a toddler who keeps my hands full on weekends. I can do social media detox without even trying and it’s really helpful — in removing toxicity from social media, that is

Share this post and tag your friends.