Love it or hate it, social media platforms now play a huge role in our lives. According to Statista, in 2020, over 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide. That is about half of the world’s total population.
Applications, like Facebook and Instagram, have greatly changed the way we communicate with each other. They have even affected how we perceive ourselves. That is why many studies are now linking the use of social media to depression and anxiety. Yet, most people still find it hard to take a break and detox from these apps.
Here are some tips and tricks that will help you release the digital noise of Facebook and Instagram:
10 Ways To Stop Facebook Addiction
1. Turn Off Facebook Notifications
The constant sounds, vibrations, and flashes of Facebook notifications will keep you drawn to your phone. Facebook does this trick to get you back on the app. That is why it keeps sending you as many push notifications as possible to trigger your attention.
Turning off these notifications will help you stay longer, without checking your Facebook app. Furthermore, it will help you remain focused on the task at hand. In a couple of weeks, you will find yourself checking Facebook only when you intentionally decide to.
2. Turn On the “Screen Time” Feature
Logging into your Facebook account is pretty similar to going into a dark hole. You lose all sense of time there. We all log in to just check a comment or like a post. An hour later, we find ourselves lost on a random person’s wall. We cannot even remember how we got there.
Tracking your time on Facebook is critical. Some features, like Screen time on iPhones and iPads, can help you monitor and limit your social media usage. Just open your device settings and select “Screen Time”. Turn it on, and your phone will start calculating the time you spend on social media. You can also set a limited time for each app.
3. Set “Cut-off” Times From Your Phone
No one can deny that social media is addictive. It is just like a drug. That is why trying to stop using Facebook cold-turkey will not work. Your brain will fight to get back its daily dopamine hit from the likes and comments.
Setting social-media-free times is a more attainable goal. You can start with 30 minutes and work your way up from there. After a while, you can make these cut-off times longer. Whenever you feel comfortable, you can then set certain times for checking your Facebook.
4. Add a Physical Distance Between You and Your Phone
Are you one of those people who sleep with their smartphones next to them? When trying to quit using social media, this is a big NO-NO. You should make your phone less reachable. This will create an obstacle to constantly checking Facebook.
In general, we are creatures that prefer convenience. Keeping your phone far away will make it less likely for you to do some effort to get it. As a result, you will avoid using your phone and look for something more convenient for you.
5. Delete Facebook App
Another way to make checking Facebook less convenient for you is to delete the app from your phone. This way, you will need to log in using the website. To add another obstacle, do not stay logged in to the website. Now, every time you want to open your Facebook account, you will have to manually log in.
All these difficulties will give you the time you need to make a more conscious decision. You will have a few seconds to think if you really want to open your Facebook account. Also, without a Facebook app on your phone, you will not get constant notifications.
6. Fill Your Time With a New Activity
To adopt a new habit, you need to keep doing it for at least three weeks. This is the time it takes for certain parts of the brain to rewire. Staying away from Facebook is like giving up an old habit. It requires time. In addition, you will also need to fill this time with another activity.
During the first 21 days of not using Facebook as much, it is totally normal to feel the urge to go back. However, you need to fight this feeling and commit to your new routine.
7. De-clutter Your “Friends” and “Follow” Lists
With so many friends on your Facebook account, you will always get dragged into new trends and discussions. There will always be this feeling of not wanting to miss out. So, you will keep checking your Facebook all the time.
One of the main uses of social media platforms is to keep us connected. However, you need to “unfriend” or “unfollow” some of the people on your list to protect yourself. For example, people who always bring you down or trigger you. These certainly need to be deleted from all your social media platforms.
8. Focus More on Real-life Connections
Instead of wasting your time on Facebook, invest in face-to-face interactions. Unlike Facebook relationships, real-life connections are more fulfilling and rewarding. Use your phone as a tool to plan more meaningful, real interactions. Even a video-call or zoom meeting will have a more positive effect on you.
9. Make Facebook Less Interesting for You
To keep you as long as possible on the platform, Facebook keeps on updating your timeline. So, there is always something new to check or interact with. Some tools, like FB Purity, will help you customize your Facebook newsfeed.
FB Purity is a browser extension. It lets you filter out anything you do not want to see on your Facebook timeline. You can also choose to automatically reorder your newsfeed into chronological order. This way, your Facebook will not show you new content. As a result, you will get bored quickly and close the site.
10. Deactivate Your Facebook Account
Do not worry. Deactivating your Facebook account will not make you lose any of your posts or other data. In fact, Facebook has made reactivating the account extremely easy. So, you can always go back to the platform, when you feel ready. However, deactivating your Facebook account will help you take the break you need to detox.
5 Tricks To Stop Being Addicted to Instagram
1. Remind Yourself of Your Real Self-worth
Unfortunately, the heavy use of Instagram makes people forget what really matters. That is why people get addicted to social media. They draw their self-worth from the likes and comments they receive. Over time, this will make you feel anxious and depressed.
To get out of this vicious circle, remind yourself of the reality. Life is not a competition. Your self-worth does not depend on numbers on Instagram. On the contrary, you should learn to love yourself, despite what others think of you. This will help you get less dependent on Instagram to feel fulfilled.
2. Build a Real-life Instead of Instagram Pretend Happiness
Try to look for real happiness outside of the virtual world. You have nothing to prove to others. You should only do what makes you happy, not what you think others will like. The more you live by this motto, the less time you will spend on Instagram.
3. Avoid Rage-checks
You do not need to quit Instagram altogether. Just reduce all the aspects of it that negatively affect your mental well-being. In general, negative feelings can affect our behaviors more than positive ones. That is why many of us keep stalking people we do not like on social media. We spend so much time on these hate-follows. Eliminating all this negativity will help you stay off Instagram for longer periods of time.
4. Customize Your Notifications
Just like other social media platforms, Instagram keeps sending you meaningless notifications to grab your attention. One way to fight back is by customizing your notifications. You can disable notifications entirely. If you do not want to do that, you can also customize your Instagram notifications. This way, you can control what you get notified about.
5. Find a Detox Buddy
Support and encouragement make us stronger and more committed. That is exactly what you need when trying to fight your addiction to social media. You and your friends can take a vow to stay off your phones or social media for a certain period. In any outing, you can play this game of challenging each other to stay away from your phones.
Social media can cause you all kinds of mental health risks. However, that does not mean it should be completely avoided. Try to use it in moderation. Make sure to get the best out of Facebook and Instagram. Do not let these apps bring the worst of you.
Do not let social media affect the quality of your offline life. Take a break and keep it real!
