When you wake up, before you begin work, during your lunch break, when you get home and before you go to bed. Sometimes, even when you use the loo. Did you know that around 3.96 billion people around the world use social media, and, on average, spend around 145 minutes per day checking in. That’s 2.4 hours full hours per day.

Studies have shown that spending too much time on social media can increase feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. Many find that they want to take a break from their phones, but find it extremely difficult to resist the urge to constantly check their social handles. This is because social networking is designed to lure you in and keep you addicted. It is however vitally important to learn how to take a break from social media. If you are checking your social media and spending more than 2 hours per day consumed by the world wide web, perhaps it’s time to take a detox, and here is why.

It helps you in setting boundaries

Social media can often feel like an anxiety-fueled space, due to amount of negativity you are exposed to on a daily basis. It’s up to us to decide when to turn it off and stop the negativity from seeping into our personal space. By shutting off the noise on social media and taking a break, you ultimately set the healthiest boundary you can for yourself, which is the ultimate form of selfcare.

It allows you to reclaim your time

One of the most precious commodities to ever exist, time is something you can never get back. If you are complaining about having zero time for family, to go for that run, or to get your emails seen to, perhaps it’s a good idea to not give in to the social media procrastination pull.

It helps you stay focused on your goals

When you remove that constant distraction, it allows you to keep your eye on the prize. Stepping away from social media means less wasted energy thinking about comments and who last viewed your Instagram story. Instead of scrolling, it’s far more refreshing to begin doing things that feel good for you, and not for the reactions it receives.

It helps you to reconnect

When you take a break from social media, it allows you to have more real-life interactions. Whether a phone call or a coffee date, plan a day out with a friend that you’ve been wanting to catch up with, and take enjoyment with some “guilty pleasures” or self-care routines, like taking a trip to the spa to recharge.

It is important that you use your time offline to deal with issues that may affect you when you are online. The key is to ensure that you’re no longer triggered when you see certain posts online. Social media is an open forum for people to post about their accomplishments, big wins and great moments, however, it can also be a place where you could be cyberbullied and can often make one feel inadequate about your life or appearance. The fear of missing out (FOMO), and isolation that social media provides is unhealthy too. You need to equip yourself with the proper tools to ensure you're not susceptible to triggers when you do log back on. 

Here are a few common signs that you may need to take a break from social media.

It’s not fun anymore

Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are meant to be a fun and enjoyable way to connect with family and friends. When it’s no longer a source of joy and connection in your life, it may be a sign to take a break.

You compare yourself to others, even offline

If, at any stage, you feel like you aren't good enough, pretty enough, or successful enough as others in your news feed, you should consider taking a break. Especially if you feel worse about yourself after you’ve been online, this is a string sign that you are damaging your emotional well-being.

You're doomscrolling

Doomscrolling occurs when you find yourself continuously and mindlessly, scrolling through social media sites. You may do this because you feel the need to constantly know everything that's happening in the world— from news to trending topics. At times, you may not even realise you're doing it until a huge lapse of time has passed and you're still sitting in the same position, having been absorbed into your screen.

It's the last thing you see at night

Looking at your phone right before bed may be disrupting your sleep patterns because it keeps your mind active and awake. The blue light from your cell phone suppresses melatonin, which is a hormone responsible for controlling sleep. Since blue light is an artificial colour that imitates daylight, your body thinks it's daytime and tries to keep you energised and awake, thus resisting the urge to fall asleep. 

It changes from a “nice-to-have” activity to a “need-to-have” activity

The moment you feel that you “need” to check your social media, you should know you need a break. The rule of thumb is this; if you're occasionally using it to stay connected or otherwise enhance your life, that's a nice-to-have. However, if you're using it as a way to cope and begin to feel anxious or like you feel yourself becoming distressed because you haven't checked it in a while, those may be signs that you need a break.

To ensure that social media has a positive impact on your health, it's important to be conscious of how you're using it. That means knowing when to take a break and direct your attention elsewhere.