How to Stop Social Media Addiction

It seems like everyone is online nowadays. With social media growing on almost everyone’s cell phones and computers, it can be difficult for you to keep away from technology and avoid becoming addicted.

The Impact of Technology in our daily lives

Since technology has become a large part of society today, many believe that the more you use it, the more you need it. With over 3.6 billion people using social media today, social media addiction is something that you can’t easily get rid of.

In 2017, a study had estimated about 210 million people suffered from internet and social media addiction. This number, however, will increase year by year as new social media platforms keep arising.

So, if you’re a part of those individuals who got addicted to social media, you need to find a way to deal with it quickly.

Here are some tips for you to beat over social media addiction effectively.

1. Turn off notification

Phone notifications are one of the biggest distractions for human beings. When you hear the notification sound or see the notification bar, you unconsciously check on your mobile device right away.

This can be a major distraction when you have important tasks to do. You will get constantly distracted if you don’t turn off the notification. This can affect your productivity and lead you to procrastinate on your tasks.

2. Get a new hobby

When you’ve set a time limit in using social media, you’ll have more time for yourself. So, where was the last time you did your hobby?

You’ll be surprised that you can do what you want to do when you have more spare time. Since you always come up with social media, you can’t make time to draw, try a new recipe, and read a book.

Try getting a new hobby or revisiting your old hobby and make yourself occupied with it. When you’ve started doing what you love, you will more likely see yourself not checking your social media accounts anymore.

3. Remember the real world

People are all so immersed in technology that they forget to enjoy life with family and friends around them.

If you live alone, you may need to check in on your family. Ask them about their days and keep up with old friends and acquaintances. Getting back to your “old way” of social life will make your life much more meaningful as you can experience it intimately.

4. Put down the phone

When you actually set aside your phone, you can pay attention to people around you closely. Being too occupied with mobile devices by continuously surfing on the internet will make your and social media addiction worse.

Keeping your devices away will limit your interaction with social media whether you’re a social media manager producing creative content, like explainer videos, threads, infographics, etc., or a marketer trying to promote a brand on the social platform.

Although mobile phones are essential to get things done today, you need to take a rest for some time before getting back to your phone. This will help you keep the right balance in your daily life.

5. Get outside more often

While getting lost in a book is one thing, there are plenty of other hobbies out there that do not require any electronics. For example, you can shop in your local store instead of checking out from your favorite e-commerce sites.

Although it’s tempting to use mobile phones for many things, like ordering food online, you can cut off the interaction by doing offline activities. Going outside and taking walks will also get you more healthy than snuggling on your couch all day long.

6. Go to bed earlier

Another tip you can do to beat over your social media addiction is to go to sleep earlier. Many people lost their bedtime because they are still up at 3 a.m. scrolling through social media timelines just to watch meme compilations even how a chicken lays eggs for no reason.

When you’ve promised to go to bed early, you can get a more quality sleep that ensures you wake up fresh the next day. Also, do not forget to turn off your phone when you’re about to sleep. Most people are still occupied with their phones even when they are already in bed. That’s why they don’t get to sleep quickly.

7. Make yourself productive

One way to combat social media addiction is to make a promise to yourself and challenge yourself to do something useful. When you’ve set a challenge, don’t forget to make a reward if you succeed in completing the challenge.

This will motivate you to get over social media addiction and start making real stuff. For example, if you love writing, you can try making a novel on your laptop. Make sure that you will finish your project no matter what.

If your mind focuses on creating a new project, you won’t have time to check your phone for trivial things. That’s why keeping yourself busy with the real world can decrease your internet and social media addiction.

8. Make friends that aren’t on social media

With this tip, you can feed two birds with one scone: make friends in real life and get off social media at the same time. So, you don’t need to check anyone’s profile one by one and start following them as if you want to make friends.

The thing is that making online friends isn’t the same as getting new friends from a local barbershop. You can actually interact with them in real-time!

Moreover, it’s more satisfying when you get to know someone new with a coffee and cheesecake on the table. The two-way, direct interaction is what makes you feel more like a social being than the other way round.

Bottom Line

Social media addiction is something that most people can’t ignore. Since accessing the internet has become inevitable for many people, especially for those who work with it, many people can be addicted to social media without them realizing it.

If you feel like having a hard time not scrolling past your social media timeline and checking your content after posting it, you need a way to deal with the addiction quickly. Follow the tips above to beat over your social media addiction and free yourself from the online world. Good luck!