Social Media Breaks for Mental Health

Written by Catherine Pannell

How frequently do you open a social media app? Do you have a healthy relationship with technology, or do you find yourself scrambling to check every notification? Social media is a ubiquitous method of communication, but that doesn’t mean it’s always healthy. Numerous studies have shown that it can harm its users’ self-image and mental health. Taking a social media break is a simple, seemingly easy way to recover from the stresses social media users often experience. So what are social media breaks, and how do they help your mental health recovery?

How Social Media Affects Mental Health

You might be tempted to think that your social media habits have no impact on your health, especially if you’re a compulsive user of the technology. But numerous studies have found correlations between the use of social media and poor mental health.

• In 2015, a study found that children who used social media sites for at least three hours on a school day were twice as likely to score poorly on mental health measures compared to children who used social media for up to three hours or not at all.
• In 2019, a study found a correlation between social media addiction and social anxiety and loneliness.
• A study conducted in 2021 found that adults in the U.S. who reported symptoms of depression on an initial survey were more likely to report worse symptoms on a subsequent survey after social media use.

You might feel that social media use does not impact your mental health. However, surveys have shown that the negative repercussions of social media use are widespread. A survey conducted by ExpressVPN in 2021 revealed that 86% of respondents reported that social media harmed their mental health.

Many also reported that social media exacerbated depression and increased anxiety. In 2022, another study found that individuals experienced a decline in mental health after using social media for socializing or entertainment during the pandemic.

These studies compellingly argue that social media can adversely impact mental health. Its use can degrade self-image and mental well-being while exacerbating anxiety, depression and loneliness symptoms. If you interact with social media regularly, it’s quite likely that doing so has hurt your mental health. However, there is hope. Social media breaks are a great way to recover.

Benefits of Social Media Breaks

Social media breaks can bring about a positive change in symptoms of depression and anxiety. A study conducted by the University of Bath found that individuals who took a week-long break from social media scored better on tests designed to measure levels of anxiety and depression than they had before the break. In comparison, a group that had not taken a social media break scored poorly on the assessments.

Social media breaks can also benefit your ability to connect meaningfully with those around you. After a weeklong break from social media, participants in a 2020 study reported better mental health and a decrease in loneliness.

Social media breaks aren’t only beneficial for mental health. Spending less time on social media can help you spend more time on real-world responsibilities. It can also benefit your physical health as staring at your phone can lead to eyestrain and neck pain.

Social media use can also impact your sleep, especially if you scroll through a social media application immediately before bedtime. A study conducted in 2021 found that participants reported better sleep after taking social media breaks.

How To Tell if Social Media Is Harming Your Mental Health

So how do you determine whether social media is harming your mental health?

• Pay attention to how often you check social media. If you’re tied to your phone and disrupt daily activities to scroll through apps, you may want to take stock of your relationship with social media.
• Think about whether you compare your life to the lives of people you see on social media. Constantly thinking about the highlights of other people’s lives can lead to an unhealthy preoccupation with your own perceived faults.
• If others are using social media as an avenue to personally attack you, it’s almost certainly time to back away. Don’t continue to engage with online bullies.
• If you experience significant anxiety levels when you’re unable to check social media, you may need a break.
• If you start and end every day by checking social media, it probably occupies a disproportionate place in your life.
• If you feel dissatisfied, anxious or depressed when you check social media, it’s probably time to reevaluate its place in your routine.

If you recognize these behaviors in yourself, it might be time to consider taking a social media break. Although it may sound inconvenient, the benefits of a break from social media can vastly outweigh these temporary feelings of disconnection.

How To Break Up With Social Media

You may find it difficult to walk away from social media. Even if you know that you feel worse after using social networking apps, their algorithms can draw you in again and again. So how do you begin to leave it, even for only a short time?

Start by setting realistic goals. If you’re addicted to social media, going cold turkey may not be practicable. Instead, monitor the time you spend on social media each day and gradually reduce it to a reasonable level. Studies have found that individuals tend to feel and sleep better after cutting social media time down to 30 minutes a day, so incremental improvement can still help.

You can also decide when to engage with social media. If you only check social media feeds at a particular time every day, you may be less vulnerable to content that could harm your mental health. You may also be less prone to distraction. Turning off notifications for non-essential apps can help you accomplish this goal. Since blue light can harm sleep quality, it is best to refrain from social media use several hours before bedtime.

When you’re ready to take a full social media break, develop alternative plans for what to do with your time. Consider how you use social media and develop activities that can provide the same benefit. For instance, if you use social media to socialize, you might try spending time with your friends in person instead.

Accountability can help you achieve your goals for a social media break. You can start by letting friends and family know that social media won’t be a good way to contact you during the break. You can also download apps that help track your time on social media. If that’s not enough to keep you away from notifications, consider deactivating accounts or even deleting apps from your phone.

It may be difficult, but a successful social media break will be worth the trouble. Social media breaks can alleviate depression and anxiety, improve sleep and even help you engage more productively with the world around you.

A Parting Reminder

Although social media can seem like a benign and easy communication method, it has a dark side. Social media sites are designed to be addictive and can facilitate harmful behaviors like cyberbullying. Individuals who haven’t been the targets of malicious behavior can still experience a decline in self-worth and mental well-being. They can also experience increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. That’s why social media breaks are so effective. With minimal effort, you can protect your mental health, recover from social media use’s harm and gain more time for activities in the real world.