Slow down your social media
- Author
- Elize ·
- Date
- 1 June 2022
Are you easily overstimulated by your phone and the internet? Then it might be time to slow down your social media. In a world where everyone and everything is at our fingertips it is important to make sure you have a healthy relationship with the internet. We often underestimate how invested we are in our phone, sometimes even addicted (even though we hate to admit this of course).
It's an age old story that keeps repeating itself. We hear, over and over again, how unhealthy social media and your phone can be for you. But let’s face it, as much as we want to sometimes, we are not going to throw our devices away and move into the mountains, detaching from society and pop culture.
So the best we can do is establish a healthy relationship with our phone and social platforms. Because just like every other relationship you have, you should set some boundaries within it. In this article we will discuss a few simple and quick boundaries you can set for yourself on or with your phone that will make sure you get less overstimulated and distracted by what’s going on online.
- Lose your notifications.
We know, we know. But what if someone needs you?! What if it’s important? Notifications can be useful, but more often than not, they are just a distraction or trigger to suck you back into your device. Turn your notifications off for certain apps. You can trust us on this one, it is a game changer for your personal peace. - Limit that screen time!Often there is the possibility on your phone to limit your screen time. You can set a timer for certain apps or social media. This way you can decide how much time you want to spend on your phone every day. Of course, the trick is to stick to it and not remove it once you have used up your time for the day. Another useful app to not go onto other apps is Forest or the free alternative, Plantie. This way you watch a plant or tree grow on your screen the longer you haven’t used your phone.
- Remove certain apps from your home screen.Most phones give you the option to delete an app from your home screen. This does not remove the entire app off your phone, but just keeps it out of sight. This way you have to specifically look up Instagram or TikTok. Hopefully, as you do this, the guilt will become so high you return to your study session. Or you know, if not, just delete the apps all together each time you have responsibilities or deadlines in the real world.
- Leave your phone at home!A small nice thing to do is to leave your phone at home every now and then. You can easily start with some small outings. Quick trip to the grocery store? Leave the phone at home. Going for a walk? Leave the phone at home. Sure, some music is nice, but have you heard the birds whistling lately? Be present!
- Have a phone free day.If you want to go more extreme, this is the one for you. Make sure that every week, whenever it suits you and your schedule best, you have a phone free day. Check your messages in the morning and then turn that thing off! No one needs to be online all the time. Often the offline world is much more fun, real and relaxing. At the end of the evening you can come back and
Whether you will truly implement all these steps, we’d like to encourage you to evaluate what your current relationship is with social media. Are you missing your deadlines, messing up your grades or losing sleep because of your phone? Do you feel like your self-esteem or mental health are influenced by social media? Whatever the answer is, we truly believe that when you lose your phone more often, you begin to find yourself back.