Since I started my blog I have spent a lot of time on social media than I used too. Social media is a great tool for marketing my blog posts. Social media has such positive benefits for networking and branding but there can be negative set backs and some times a break from social media is good to refocus.
The benefits of social media are vast but there are some negative aspects for example; receiving negative online comments which can make social media exhausting and a struggle at times. March 13th is National Day Of Unplugging and I decided to share some tips about participating in a successful digital detox period and the benefits you will have from going through a digital detox.
If you are a blogger, social media is crucial in being successful. So if you are wanting a few days to detox I recommend:
1. Schedule your content
With the use of helpful apps it is easy to schedule tweets and blog posts, so whilst you are taking the detox, you will still have content going live and have engagement on your platforms to keep your blog traffic steady.
2. Turn off your notifications
Notifications are a big part of not sticking to a period of unplugging, seeing that little notification icon, just makes you want to check it, am I right? So if you are like are drawn in by those little numbers of notifications, turn them off! Then there is no temptation to respond and you will not get those little noises!
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash
3. Make plans off screen
Keeping busy, can help keep your mind away from social media and that scrolling behaviour. Making plans with family or friends and living in the moment. Or taking some time for yourself. I always feel so refreshed after days away from social media with family.
4. Log out of your social media apps
If you still find yourself checking the apps for notifications, you can try logging out of the apps or even temporarily deleting the app from your phone. It means when you are taking a photo of a family moment or taking a call you will not be tempted to click that app.
Photo by Ben Kolde on Unsplash
9 Benefits from carrying out a social media detox
There are great benefits to having a digital detox and taking time away from social media. I complied a list 9 benefits that seem to be the most prominent after a social media detox:
- Improves your mood
- Self-esteem can rise
- Can reduce anxiety
- You will have a lot more free time
- More opportunities to live in the moment
- Will be more productive
- You can stop obsessing over the past
- You will stop comparing yourself with others
- You can sleep better
These are only a handful of benefits you may experience when you take a digital detox. Have you experienced any of these benefits? I remember when I was younger there was less social media and definitely before blogging I spent less time on social media. This is why I like the idea of having a regular detox. Spending several days away from scrolling and making plans.
These are some great tips! I love taking some time away from social media because it really does help, luckily for me I don’t spend that much time but I do try to promote my blog etc on social media sites and to build my blog xxx
I hope these tips can help you. Thank you for reading and commenting!
I spend far too much time on social media and I should really try to cut down on it! These are some great tips that I’ll definitely use!
Thank you!
These are great tips, Lauren! Turning off notifications is such a good one, as it reduces the temptation to check the apps all the time. I definitely felt the benefits of my social media break, and now I am back I am careful not to spend too long on there. I find that at the weekends when I am busy, I often forget to check social media and can go hours without logging on which feels like a good thing for my mental health. Thanks for sharing – fab post as always! <3 xxx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
That’s a great thing that the break has taught you to monitor your time on social media! Definitely great for mental health! Thank you lovely xxxx
I think a lot of us could spend more time offline and see our surroundings more. We forget how to communicate in person and hiding behind a text or a tweet gets normal. I like people but often I feel alone when I’m trying to have a conversation and they just sit there looking at their phone.
Definitely benefit from more time off our phones. Thank you for sharing your thoughts x
Yes exactly 👌 But even though sometimes the block just takes time
This is SUCH a great idea! I’ve been a little burned out on social media lately, and doing a detox would be such a great idea. I think we become so dependent on notifications giving us those little endorphin boosts, that we forget about all the good stuff we’re missing away from our screens. Great post!
Thank you! Definitely. Can you link your blog x
Great tips! Before I started blogging I didn’t realise how important the social media aspect was and I’ve found myself online a lot more and craving the positive responses. Definitely don’t think I’ve got the balance right just yet so a detox might be needed!
I hope these tips help! Thank you for reading and commenting! Can you link your blog x
My partner would say I need a complete technology detox 😂 my time on social has increased dramatically since I started blogging, a detox will definitely be needed at some point.
Adam – http://daddoesautism.com
Yes, me too! Blogging has increased my use of social media! I hope these tips help!
Great tips.
I did a pretty dramatic detox after the 2016 election. I actually deleted my twitter account, my instagram account, and deactivated my facebook (I didn’t fully delete facebook because I had a lot of pictures there). It definitely improved my mood and made me feel less anxiety. I did eventually come crawling back but I’ve been extremely careful how much time I spend and the the types of accounts I follow. A good tip is setting Screen Time limits for specific social apps on your phone.
It’s great you benefited from that detox. That’s great you are working on your screen time! Thank you for reading and commenting!
These are great tips. It can be hard to do the initial detox though, can’t it? I like the idea of turning off notifications and keeping busy doing something else to switch off.
I always try to stop going on social media at a certain time before bed and read a book instead.
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
Yeah I am trying to allocate time to reply and read blogs etc to limit my screen time. Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog x
Social media was emotionally draining me therefore I logged out in September and haven’t been back on since. I do plan to return soon however I’m going to turn my notifications off so I’m not spending so much time on Facebook.
That’s great it seems to have been working for you!
Loved this article – it’s so needed to keep ones sanity! It’s so refreshing when you do it – to not be inundated with so much information.. Great ideas for doing so!
Thank you for reading and commenting! Can you link your blog x
These are some great tips. When I started blogging I got a Twitter and IG (never used before) and I’ve been finding that i spend a lot of time on them both. Last year I took a tech detox for 4 days and it was hard in the beginning but it felt so freeing. I definitely recommend doing them.
Thanks for sharing
Loren | plaidandsugar.blogspot.com
Definitely is a good thing to do regularly to help with mental health. Thank you for reading and sharing x
A break from social media is a great way to focus on your life! I am out enjoying the spring wind and sunshine, watching daffodils flower without worrying. Scheduling posts helps, I think, reduce worry because you know your online life is taking care of itself. 🙂
That’s great! I am glad you are enjoying the Spring weather x
The ability to schedule content is my saving grace – I can only imagine how busy I would be if I had to continuously post everything live! I’ll sit down and work hard for a day scheduling as much as I can so that I can walk away from it for the better part of a week.
That’s great you have a method that works for you! Thank you for reading and commenting. Can you link your blog x
I definitely need to unplug. I tend to do it on the weekends. A full week would be nice. I will try these tips so it can be possible without hurting the blog.
Definitely, give it a go!Thank you for reading and commenting!
I did not know that today was national day of unplugging! That is so cool. I need to do that. And yes, it gets so overwhelming at times! It’s always nice to take a step back and a break from it!
Definitely! Thank you for reading and commenting!
YESS! It is important to unplug from social media and the internet once in a while. I try to do this on a somewhat regular basis (which is why I go MIA during the weekdays). I am BIG on turning off notifications. I only have it on for text messages and email. Thanks for sharing all of these benefits! Getting off of social media helped me with avoiding burnout :).
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
That’s awesome you have found a method that works for you! Thank you for reading and commenting! X
It’s really so so important to take some time from everything, from social media too. Scheduling is really important even if not always easy to do (I’m not the best one in this hahah) but I try to do some detox on Sundays 🙂
xx Dasynka
http://dasynka.com
That’s great you do that on Sundays xx
Great tips! We definitely need once in a while small detox from social media stuff….
Definitely! Please check my comment has gone through on your post 😊
I often detox from social media when struggling with anxiety and for a week or 2 if I’m really struggling with my mental well-being. I had no idea there was a dedicated day for this.
That’s great you do what works best for you! Can you link your blog 😊
Great tips! I took a break from social media last month and couldn’t feel any better! Amazing post
xoxo Olivia | http://www.oliviaandbeauty.com/
That’s great it worked well for you! X
Love this article. I advocate going on social media detox for mental health. Most times I just go MIA, no pictures, no posting, just living within the moment. With that I don’t have to compare my life with anyone else. Thank you for this post
That’s great you do this often. It’s important I think. Thank you for reading and commenting!
I could give it a try. I sometimes unplug for the weekend or for holidays and it’s always felt good.
That’s great!
One of my favourite things to do is have a social media detox! It always helps me come back feeling super inspired and motivated!
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing! X
These are really great tips, but can we really go on a social media detox? There’s always something or the other, like catching up on new posts or responding to comments. And scheduling posts is easier when you have already written in bulk or post maybe like once a week, but those who post more frequently need to stay connected.
Maybe allocate time to write in bulk so you can schedule. Even if it’s just a day off of social media can be beneficial
I *just* posted a blogpost on a similar topic 🙂 Had no idea about the national unplugging whatsit though!
Cee @ dorareads.co.uk
Just read it! It’s so important! Thank you for reading and commenting!
Back in 2012 I can remember leaving social media for like 2 weeks, I missed it though and was soon back on it again! I generally find it positive though, but I do find scheduling great for when I want to share something when I’m offline. x
https://blog.victoriaaustin.co.uk
That’s great you gave it a go! Thank you for reading and commenting! X
Great post, I’ve been trying to have a digital detox for a few hours every week and have seen such an improvement this year.
Thank you for reading and commenting! That’s great you have a plan for that in place. Can you link your blog x
Sure its http://www.thekellydianereport.co.uk
I have been very plugged in since starting my blog for fear of losing the tragic I have been working so hard for, but you make very valid points. Once my scheduled content is back up to speed, I’ll plan times to unplug because I can feel the weather being constantly plugged in is having on me.
Yes if you have tweets and posts scheduled. A few hours or a day away shouldn’t impact too much! Can you link your blog so I can have a read 😊
Ah I could really use this right now because I’m finding social media to be really hard to cope with in the mist of the current virus! I always try to schedule tweets because I’m worried id spend way too much time on twitter otherwise x
Kayleigh Zara 🌟 http://www.kayleighzaraa.com
I haven’t done a full digital detox yet but I’ve tried to get into the habit of not checking my phone after 9pm and I’ve really noticed a difference in my sleep, so it’s definitely worth doing! I think for me and probably a lot of others it’s having my phone physically next to me that makes it so difficult – it’s such an obvious, silly thing to fix but I think we’re a society that’s so reliant on having our phones on us all the time it’s a difficult habit to break! x
Definitely a break is always a good thing! That’s great you have made little changes that can help! X
I definitely use social media so much more now than before I started my blog. I hadn’t used Twitter for about 6 years and now it’s my favourite social media platform for my blog! Logging out of my accounts is my go-to when it comes to taking a detox. It’s the most effective way to stop myself from spending too much time on social media x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
That’s great you have a way to stop using it for a while when detoxing! Thank you for reading and commenting! X
great article , i guess with detox people also needs to understand etiquette , i have interesting article on that let me know your reviews
https://apnakatta.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/social-media-etiquette/
Great post!! I work as a social media specialist and have been working from home lately. Managing negativity and controlling things like alerts and notifications is so critical!! 🧡 pinksheepdesignblog.wordpress.com
What an interesting job! I hope you are staying safe during the lockdown. Thank you for reading and commenting! X
I loved your content,its amazing. How you put forth it so easy to understand. Beautifully written.
Keep writing and inspiring us.
By the way i write too.
Check me out.
https://unfcukwithable.wordpress.com/2020/05/29/69/
I could do with one of these right now, outside of the blogging community, it’s a complete dumpster first at the moment 😳
Yeah I like to do it regularly
Oh I love a good social detox! The benefits are amazing! Thank you for sharing these tips – I especially need to work on the scheduling… now you’ve brought it to the forefront of my mind I’m going to spend more time working scheduling into my routine ☺️ X
Definitely helps to give you a break from having to be present on social media constantly.
Make a schedule for your content is a bliss. You can finish your awhole week content in one day and make schedule to post and you can rest in entire week.
I’ve recently had a social media break from Instagram and it has done me the world of good! x
– charlotte / https://charlottesspace.com
It definitely feels good and you feel refreshed.
Some great tips Lauren, so much pressure with sociAl media I now take regular breaks otherwise the enjoyment for it disappears. A great post!
Sarah
http://Www.simplysarahjayneloves.com
Definitely a good idea! Thank you for reading and commenting.
This is interesting. I have never done a full detox but I don’t have notifications turned on for my socials so I get to choose when I engage instead of being constantly bombarded.
That’s a good idea. Thank you for reading and commenting.
I seriously need to give myself a digital detox! I’m trying to keep Saturdays free from social media but I spend all day planning/writing/scheduling blog content instead so it’s definitely not a proper day away from it all. I probably need to go further than social media and have a laptop detox to be honest. Some great tips here, thanks for sharing!
Yeah if you schedule that content you can then have a day free and still seem active on social media and your blog. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Great tips, Lauren. I’ll certainly keep them in mind in case I ever have too much social media action going on – frankly it’s not a problem at the moment! 🙂