How to detox from social media?

This is an automatically translated article.

If your use of social media is affecting your productivity or causing you to fall into a state of depression, then this is the time to find effective ways to quit social media addiction.

1. The reality of social network addiction

In an era where the number of followers and likes on social media is very important, it is difficult to live completely without participating in this community.
There is no denying that today's social media affects many aspects of life. Through social media, you can express yourself and gain attention from people, find job opportunities, or make your business products more accessible to customers.
However, the flood of fake news, controversial posts and offensive images on social networks will greatly affect our mental health if we spend too much time on them. According to experts' analysis, the feature that allows users to remain anonymous makes them more inclined to share negative and harsh words on social networks. This will adversely affect other users, for example, the content of a stranger's post sometimes makes you think about it all day.
Research shows that 1 month is enough time for the brain to create new neural connections, adapt to new behaviors and habits to replace the old ones. Therefore, if you regularly turn on your phone to "surf Facebook" as soon as you wake up, after 30 days you will accept it as a daily habit. The strong attraction of social networks makes "addicts" constantly update the message board many times a day, even still staring at the phone even while enjoying the beautiful scenery during the trip.

2. How to detox from social media

Like alcohol or drug addiction, science shows that social media addiction and Internet use in general can cause typical unpleasant symptoms. That's why it's important to use these technologies productively and wisely, to avoid letting them take over and transform your life in a negative way.
If you feel that you have wasted too much energy and time online, or simply want to detox from social networks, you can try some of the following measures:
Uninstall social networking applications from your phone: These applications are designed to be extremely convenient and easy for users to access anytime, anywhere, thereby making them gradually become addicted as a normal habit. The feature of the phone apps that allows users to go to social networks to check instantly for any notification - whether important or not, this inadvertently causes us to spend too much time online than the real need.
When removing social networking applications from your phone, you can still access it with a laptop or desktop computer, but it will not be as continuous as on a smartphone. Many people have tried this and found that they almost don't need frequent daily visits to some familiar websites anymore.
Set ground rules: If your job or business requires the use of social media, set a limit on the amount of time dedicated to tackling all tasks related to the online platform. and then log out immediately. Finding the optimal time and limit to handle all the online tasks of the day will motivate you to focus on developing other aspects.

Seek help: You may have to gradually detox from social media because it is not easy. First, set a goal of not being on social media for a certain time of the day, such as right after you wake up, then gradually increase your social media withdrawal limit for the rest of the day (break time). noon, 2 hours before bed, ...). Tell friends, colleagues, and family that you have an alternative way to contact you (not through social media) during that time.
In addition, you can get the help of some websites or applications that have the function of blocking the addresses that you feel you are addicted to according to custom time, for example Freedom or Anti-Social.
Choice of social networks to use: There are many different options for people who cannot completely detox from social media for good reasons. You can use Zalo, Viber or Skype as a medium to connect and chat with friends, colleagues and family.
A little advice is to never argue about an issue through social networks, resolve those conflicts in a face-to-face conversation. For entertainment, you can choose Instagram instead of Facebook and Youtube, because the huge amount of news on these two platforms easily makes you addicted and takes a lot more time.

Prioritize other forms of entertainment: There are many other more practical and meaningful activities that you should do instead of choosing social networks as a hobby to kill time. The top alternatives are always playing sports, reading, going out on a date with friends or watching your favorite movies and shows with the whole family to enjoy time together.

3. Benefits of social media detox

Social media addiction can cause you to miss out on some information that is only communicated online, but it forces you to stay in touch more often with friends and family to receive timely information. important and necessary from them. Strengthening and forging truly valuable real-life relationships is one of the benefits of social media detox.
Overall, social media detox makes your mental health better. When your brain no longer has to think about the news online, you will have more time and excitement to come up with new ideas for work, thereby improving the quality of life. Some experts claim that detoxing from social media, even for a short time, brings significant benefits.

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Reference source: mayoclinic.org; webmd.com