Anti-social

I’m response to yesterday’s post about how getting away from social media has helped my mental health, I got a few questions about what I did to break the seemingly endless cycle of notification checking and doom scrolling.

Here’s what’s worked for me:

1. Delete the apps from your phone and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). This forces you to log on from a browser and go through an additional step to get connected (i.e., 2FA). As a bonus, turning on 2FA makes your account more secure and less prone to being hacked.

2. Set time limits using your phone’s native settings. Limit your usage over time until it reaches a level you find acceptable.

3. Delete any accounts you’re not using or aren’t connecting you to people care about and/or content that benefits you (after downloading your content to keep your pictures, etc.). It’s drastic, but effective.

4. If you need to use platforms to share content more broadly (e.g., blog links on Twitter) use auto-posting features to limit your time and interaction on those sites.

5. Turn off notifications so you aren’t tempted to open the apps (if you don’t delete them) every time a red badge pops up.

I’m not entirely off of social media, because I don’t feel that I have to be and I don’t want to be. However, limiting my consumption has dramatically improved how I feel about myself and the world. Find what works for you.