• Anxiety
• Stress

How to Take a Break from Social Media

Medically reviewed and edited by Debra England, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, NBC-HWC

Navigating the constantly connected world of social media can often be a double-edged sword.

While social media allows us to stay in touch with various communities, it can also become a toxic environment that negatively affects our health.

In these cases, considering a social media break can be extremely beneficial, especially if done correctly.

In this article, we’ll explore productive ways to take a social media break, how you can resist the temptation to scroll, and how this can positively impact your well-being.

Why Should You Consider a Social Media Break?

While social media keeps us connected to the world, it can consume our time and harm our mental health.

This can lead to a phenomenon called ‘social media fatigue’, which often causes symptoms of anxiety, depression, and feeling overwhelmed while online.

Taking a break from social media can help you minimize these feelings, which can improve your mood and outlook on life.

Spending time offline can also be a great opportunity to discover new hobbies or pastimes you couldn’t fit into your day before.

This can help you develop new skills, improve your knowledge, and enhance your quality of life.

Benefits of Taking a Break from Social Media

Improved mental health

Constantly being online and engaging with other social media users can cause various mental health concerns — especially if you find yourself scrolling endlessly.

Studies have shown that many chronic social media users report intense feelings of loneliness, which can increase their risk of developing anxiety or depression.

A break from social media provides a much-needed pause, allowing you to focus on your mental health without the influence of external validation.

Enhanced sleep quality

Exposure to the blue light emitted by screens can disrupt your natural sleep cycle, making it harder to get a good night’s rest.

The habit of checking social media before bed also stimulates your brain, which can increase stress and impact your ability to fall asleep.

By taking a break from social networking sites, you can create a relaxing pre-sleep routine — which may include some reading or meditation — that can improve your rest.

Better sleep not only enhances your physical health but it’s also essential for proper cognitive function and mood regulation.

Better offline relationships

Social media platforms often create the illusion of connection without providing the depth and fulfillment of real-life interactions.

Taking a break from social media allows you to free up more time to invest in face-to-face relationships with friends and family.

Direct interaction enhances your connections, encourages you to be more present, and helps you to show appreciation for your loved ones.

This reduces feelings of isolation and helps you show a deeper appreciation for the people in your life.

Preparing for Your Social Media Break

Taking a social media break is simple, but preparing properly can greatly enhance its effectiveness.

This can help you work toward meaningful changes in your life that you can continue with once your break is over.

Set clear goals

Before taking your social media break, identify your reasons for doing so.

For example, is social media harming your mental health? Or do you want to put more effort into learning a new skill or spending better quality time with friends?

By identifying what your reasons are, you can set specific and measurable goals that can help improve your quality of life.

For example, if you aim to reduce the stress or anxiety caused by social media, your goal might be to spend 30 minutes each day exercising or engaging in a mindfulness activity.

Having clear goals like these can help you stay focused while providing a sense of achievement that can keep you motivated.

Choose the time duration

The duration of your social media break can vary based on your personal needs and goals. If it’s your first time, a shorter break may be more manageable.

Clearly defining the duration can also help you better stick to your social media hiatus and give you a realistic timeframe in which to achieve the goals you’ve set.

Notify your close friends and family

Letting your friends or a family member know that you’re disconnecting from social media can prevent misunderstandings while ensuring ongoing support from your loved ones.

You can also share other methods of contacting you during your break — such as via email or phone calls — to ensure you’re still reachable for important matters.

This can help you maintain your social connections, even if you’ll be offline for a while.

Practical Steps to Help You Disconnect

Dealing with the temptation to scroll

Resisting the temptation to log on to social media can be one of the most difficult parts of going offline.

It’s important to understand that this temptation usually results from some sort of trigger, such as boredom, loneliness, habit, or seeking connection.

Understanding these triggers can help you anticipate them and put measures in place to counteract them.

Restricting your access even further by logging out of your accounts and using screen time management tools is also a good option to avoid scrolling.

You can also delete social media apps completely, if you find it too tempting to scroll through them.

Putting effort into accessing social media can effectively help you resist temptation and maintain your break.

Removing distractions

Using social media has become such a habit that we often don’t realize how different app notifications can distract us.

You can combat this by disabling social media notifications on all of your devices to help you focus on your break.

It can also be a good idea to establish areas in your home where electronic devices are not allowed, such as in the dining room or bedroom.

This can help reduce mindless scrolling — especially before bed — and may encourage you to engage in other activities.

If you need to remain available for work or personal reasons, schedule specific times to check your emails or texts.

This approach helps you stay connected without the constant distraction of social media.

Finding alternative ways to fill your time

Suddenly having ample free time during a social media break may overwhelm and discourage some people.

However, try to reframe this as an opportunity to discover new hobbies, increase physical activity, improve friendships, and learn something new.

Fun offline hobbies you can try include:

• Reading

• Cooking

• Gardening

• Painting

• Learning a language

You can also try a new activity, like yoga or pilates, which can significantly improve your mental health.

What Should You Do after Your Social Media Break?

Evaluate your experience

Once your social media break ends, reflect on how you felt. Note any improvements in your mental health, productivity, and relationships.

This can help you identify positive aspects of the break that can motivate you to maintain a healthier routine.

Set intentional boundaries

Once your social media break is over, going back to endless scrolling and mindless use can quickly lead you back into a negative headspace.

That’s why you should set intentional boundaries for your social media use after your break. This may include:

• Deciding on specific times of the day or the maximum amount of time you’ll spend on social media apps.

• Curating your feeds by unfollowing social media accounts that trigger negative emotions.

• Following people who inspire, educate, and uplift you.

• Engaging purposefully by sharing meaningful posts, commenting on content you find valuable, and using social media to build better connections.

It can also be helpful to regularly check in with yourself to assess how your social media use is affecting you.

This allows you to make adjustments as needed to avoid becoming fatigued or overwhelmed by social media.

Where Can You Learn More About Healthy Lifestyle Habits?

If you’re concerned about social media fatigue or want to know more about disconnecting in a healthy way, LifeMD is here to help.

LifeMD can connect you to a team of medical professionals who can assist you with information on mental health care and managing a social media break effectively — all from the comfort of your own home.

Make an appointment with LifeMD to learn more, today.

Debra England, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, NBC-HWC

Debra has been working with patients for 15 years. She is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and a national board-certified health and wellness coach who takes a whole-person approach to care. She utilizes a blend of conventional, functional, integrative, and lifestyle medicine interventions. Debra’s experience spans across chronic illness, pain, fatigue, and stress management, as well as rheumatology, orthopedics, traumatic brain injury/post-concussion care, urgent care, telemedicine, and mental health specialties. In her free time, Debra enjoys skiing, the Great Outdoors, music, and family time.

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