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    Is A Social Media Cleanse Worth It?

    Is A Social Media Cleanse Worth It?

    Is A Social Media Cleanse Worth It?

    Am I the only one who is sort of addicted to social media? I spend countless hours rotting away on Instagram and while I think I’m enjoying myself in the moment of scrolling, I end up feeling pretty negative after I put my phone down. Why is this? 

    What Are The Negative Effects of Social Media?

    While social media is a great way to connect with our friends and family, it can also have a negative impact on our mental health. It can lead to pressure to compare yourself to others and can increase the feeling of sadness and isolation. Not to mention, we could be so much more productive without those hours of scrolling! I have spent so many afternoons wasting time on social media and avoiding my homework. Other negative effects of social media can include body image dissatisfaction from the constant comparison, increased amount of hateful comments, depressive symptoms, and lower self-esteem. 

    I don’t believe that we should cut social media out entirely, as it can be useful to connect with our friends and family, but it can be beneficial to take a social media cleanse every now and then. I mean, even the influencers I follow take social media cleanses! If you’re not sure what exactly a social media cleanse is, it is when you log out of your social media for an extended amount of time, sometimes for a day, a week, or multiple weeks. According to Leondra Beabout and Vara Saripalli, Psy.D on Greatist, here are a few signs that it’s time for a social media cleanse: 

    • You are sleep deprived because of the constant scrolling at night. 
    • You annoy your friends because you are constantly on your phone. 
    • You’re irritated and very anxious. 
    • You find yourself ‘doom scrolling,’ falling into the bottomless pit of Instagram Reels or TikTok videos!
    • You feel less than. Perhaps your scrolling triggers FOMO, envy, insecurities, and more. 

    After looking at a few of these signs, I’d say I’m guilty of a few of those. I definitely need a social media cleanse. Clearly there has to be some benefit to taking these cleanses, but what are those benefits?

    What Are The Benefits of a Social Media Cleanse?

    According to Leondra Beabout and Vara Saripalli, Psy.D from Greatist, they argue that a social media cleanse increases your mood, reduces your anxiety, clears your focus, as you’ve stepped away from the distracting apps, and boosts your creativity. You now have the time to experiment with different hobbies and engage with others in real life in the process. This will reduce the fear of missing out (FOMO) as you will have a group of friends to be with, and you won’t have to worry about constantly comparing yourself to other people’s lives on social media.

    Your eyestrain will also be reduced because your social media time is reduced! Further, your sleep quality goes up when social media time is reduced. Have you noticed that your posture may be affected by social media as well? During those countless hours of ‘doom scrolling,’ you may be crouched over your phone and affecting your posture. With the social media cleanse, you’ll be less inclined to hover over your phone and you can reduce your neck pain. 

    A social media cleanse can be an extremely effective way to reset your mind and priorities in life. But how do we go about this social media cleanse? 

    How Do You Start a Social Media Cleanse?

    The first step to take when taking a social media cleanse is to approach it gradually. Jumping into the cleanse all at once is too severe. Start by setting a time limit on your social media per day, and then build up to taking certain days of the week off for a social media cleanse. 

    When doing a cleanse, you want to eliminate all of the temptations to draw you back in. That means you should turn off your notifications. 

    Another approach you could do for a cleanse is selecting one social media platform to use versus using several. This will eliminate multiple distracting apps. 

    Reflect on how you feel during the detox. How have your emotions changed? How have your interactions with others improved? Do you feel less anxious, and do you have more time in the day to do fun activities and get enough sleep?

    A social media cleanse is a great way to step back and experience the real world. I highly recommend doing a detox, and I’m going to attempt to do one as well! Let me know how your detox goes in the comments below!

    Lauren

     

    Sources: 

    Saripalli, Vara, et al. “Detox Your Doomscrolling: 9 Benefits of Starting a Social Media Cleanse.” Greatist, 31 May 2022, https://greatist.com/health/social-media-cleanse#after-your-cleanse. Accessed 11 February 2024.

    Zsila, Agnes, and Marc Eric S. Reyes. “Pros & cons: impacts of social media on mental health – BMC Psychology.” BMC Psychology, 6 July 2023, https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-023-01243-x. Accessed 11 February 2024.