Social Media Cleanse – What Is It And How To Do It

If you feel like you need a break from social media, a social media cleanse might be for you.

Social media can be really draining. Spending too much time online and on apps such as Instagram and TikTok can not only have a negative impact on you but can also alter your perception of the real world too.

While there are loads of benefits to social media, and in the year 2021 it would be pretty hard to live a life without it, there are also plenty of benefits to taking a social media cleanse too.

What is a social media cleanse?

A social media cleanse is as simple as it sounds, it’s a period of time where you give up using social media. It’s up to you how long you want to do your cleanse for, some people choose to just try it for 24 hours, while others may try longer periods of time, like a holiday to ditch social media.

If you’re considering doing a social media cleanse, remember that this includes all forms of social media not just the type that might be “harmful”. To do a successful cleanse you would have to avoid using any and all social channels for the period of your cleanse, this includes Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and any other platforms you might use regularly. For many people, this also includes YouTube and Pinterest, Discord or other online messaging websites, or apps that edit your photos for you as well as refraining from taking selfies for the period of the cleanse.

Why take a social media cleanse?

There are loads of reasons why you might choose to take a social media cleanse. It’s commonly known that social media can be pretty toxic and has changed a lot of people’s perceptions of the world.

For many people, the idea of ditching social media is a big step as so many of us are reliant on social media and use it daily without a second thought, however, it can be super harmful too.

What are the benefits of a social media cleanse?

Some of the benefits of choosing to take a social media cleanse include:

1. Improved mental health

Social media isn’t always accurate. With the popularity of Instagram and Snapchat filters and editing apps such as Facetune, it’s likely that a lot of the stuff we see online isn’t real.

For many people, social media can be an insight into other people’s lives, which can lead to comparisons, anxiety and low mental health.

Social media can not only reduce self-esteem but it can also create loneliness if you’re checking in on people and seeing other people living a life you wish you had. Not to mention, social media is a great way of keeping tabs on people you don’t need to, such as an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend or friends you’ve fallen out with. If you took some time away from social media, you wouldn’t have to see what other people are doing or compare yourself to photos that are highly edited or a lifestyle that has been fabricated.

A lot of people, especially Influencers and celebrities can greatly exaggerate parts of their life online to make it seem better than it actually is, especially as Influencers are literally paid to document their lives online.

Taking a step back from social media means avoiding content that is not only potentially triggering for you, but also giving you time to focus on yourself and your life in the real world, which can be super beneficial if you’re experiencing low mental health.

2. Better sleep

A social media cleanse can actually help you to sleep better. For many people, scrolling through social media before bedtime is part of their daily routine which can actually have a negative impact on your sleeping pattern due to light from your phone screen.

Artificial light (from your phone or laptop) can interfere with your body’s ability to create melatonin which is the hormone responsible for helping you sleep, so if you’ve ever stayed up late watching TikTok’s and as a result struggled to sleep properly, you know why.

By taking a social media cleanse you can spend your time before bedtime doing something productive such as reading a book, writing, drawing or listening to a podcast.

3. Prioritising personal forms of interaction

Let’s be real, social media is a great way to keep up with your friends and family but it has also probably made everyone a bit lazy.

Knowing you can just voice note your friends or send them a Snapchat if you need them has meant that for many people, social media takes a priority over real life.

While making fun TikToks and taking photos that are purely for Instagram can be fun, living your life purely for social media can mean having less personal forms of interaction.

If you’re considering a social media cleanse, you’ll want to fill all of the time you usually spend on social media doing something else, such as meeting up with your friends and family, going to the cinema, going out for coffee or lunch or taking a sightseeing trip.

During your cleanse it’s a great opportunity to reach out and connect with family members or friends who you haven’t seen in a while and enjoy spending time together in real life, without the disruption of social media (and let’s face it when you’re hanging out with someone and you both spend the entire times scrolling through your phones instead of talking to one another, it’s a much less meaningful interaction).

4. Less eye strain

It probably comes as no surprise that staring at a screen all day is really bad for your eyesight. Taking a social media cleanse means that you’ll be giving your eyes a break too, as spending all day on your phone can actually lead to headaches and blurred vision.

How do you take a social media cleanse?

Ok so, you’re actually considering taking a social media cleanse. If you think you’re ready to take the plunge, it should actually be pretty straightforward. Firstly plan when you’ll be doing your social media cleanse and how long for. If you’ve never done a cleanse before and you’re very reliant on social media, it’s likely that you’ll probably find it quite hard so a 24-hour cleanse might be a good place to start.

If you really just need a break and want to take the challenge, a weekend or even a week might be a good option for you. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s going to be achievable for you. For example, you might need to use social media in order to complete coursework for uni or to look something up that benefits your studies.

If you have to use social media a lot to support your studies or your job, it’s best to plan your social media cleanse over a holiday period when you know you won’t have to use it.

Although using social media for your work is different to using it for personal time, a proper cleanse is no social media at all, and checking it for work purposes is cheating a bit and defeats the point.

Once you’ve decided on when and how long you’re going to do your social media cleanse for, here’s how to begin:

1. Delete social media

For many people, clicking on social media apps comes from habit. Some people like to take the cleanse to the extreme and temporarily deactivate their accounts. Most social media websites such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook allow you to temporarily deactivate meaning your account won’t be permanently gone.

If you don’t want to fully disable your accounts if you’re only doing a quick cleanse, you can delete the apps off your phone so you can’t be tempted to click on them. If you don’t want to fully delete the apps, you can simply move them off your home screen on your phone and put them into a folder. This way you’ll be less tempted to have a quick browse and won’t automatically click onto apps by mistake out of habit.

2. Tell people

If you’re going to take a social media cleanse, it might concern some people if they see your accounts deactivated or that you’ve gone radio silent, especially if you’re normally super active online.

Tell your close friends and family that you’re planning on doing a cleanse so they know that you’re not ignoring their DM or TikTok they’ve sent you. This also means they’ll know to contact you strictly via texting or WhatsApp instead if they need you.

By letting people know you’re taking a social media cleanse, they’re also going to know you’re available to make plans too!

3. Plan what to do during your detox

So, you’re taking your social media cleanse…now what? Well, that’s up to you!

If you’re taking your detox and you haven’t made a plan of what to do instead of using social media, you might feel yourself going slowly insane from boredom, so you’ll want to plan out what to do instead.

Use your screen time stats to work out how much of your week you spend using social media apps, and then allocate that time to doing other things that you enjoy. Whether this is baking, reading, writing, exercising or hanging out with friends and family.

You’re going to have a lot of free time if you’re an avid user of social media, so this is your time to use it to be productive. Make lists of what you want to achieve during your social media cleanse, whether this is a list of things you’ve been putting off, or a list of books you want to read or activities you want to do.

Should you do a social media cleanse?

Ultimately the choice is up to you. If you think that social media can be toxic and harmful and you’d benefit from a break then yes absolutely you should try it out. However, for people who have grown up using social media the idea of taking a break can be a huge challenge and not as easy as it sounds.

While there are negatives to social media there are also loads of benefits too, not only is it a good way to pass boredom but it can educational too and a great way to keep informed with the news and what’s happening in the world.

It’s your decision as to whether a social media cleanse would work for you, but if you feel like you just need a break from everything there’s no harm in trying a social media cleanse for 24 hours.

Even if you fail a social media cleanse, the benefits behind taking a bit of time offline are huge, so it’s definitely something to consider trying out, even if it’s only for an afternoon.