Take Control Of Your Instaddiction
4 Tips For Taking a Healthy Break From Instagram.
You’ve heard it a million times – the importance of taking a break from social media. You’ve probably felt it too (that moment of disgust you feel when scrolling for the past hour or when you suddenly realize how crappy you feel about your life after seeing one perfect photo after the next).
Taking a break from social media allows us to use that time for more meaningful things. It also encourages us to be mindful of what’s going on in our own lives rather than focusing on everyone else's. We could probably rattle off a million more benefits, but the truth is that deep down we're already aware of them. We KNOW we would prosper from a break… the hard part is actually taking one!
Just to be clear, I’m far from an extremist so I’m not going to tell you to delete your instagram or take a six month break from it. BUT, I do support small doses of freedom here and there. This post is meant to help you achieve and ENJOY them.
So Here Are My Top Tips For Finding Freedom:
1. Hide the app on your phone
We know exactly where each app is located on our phone. Ever notice that your fingers just seem to navigate there on their own? You wonder how you even ended up on Instagram in the first place, right? This can be quite convenient, but it also causes us to mindlessly click on the app without even realizing it! We’ve trained ourselves to head straight there the moment we have a brief second of stillness. Try this: move the app into a miscellaneous folder where it’s uneasy to find. When you realize it's not in it's usual spot, you'll be aware of your actions and able to make a different choice.
2. Make a mindless activity into a mindful one
Download a news app, an inspirational or how-to blog, or digital book. Use that mindless scrolling time to do something that will educate and nourish your mind instead. Take it a step further by putting that app where instagram used to be! You’ll be much more likely to click on it.
3. Start small
You want to start with a timeframe that you know will result in success. If you fail at your first attempt you won’t be encouraged to try again. Start by taking a break for just one day. Work your way up to a few days and then eventually 1 week.
4. Move your phone away from your bed
Laying in bed first thing in the morning and right before you fall asleep are probably when you are most susceptible to mindless scrolling. I’m sure you have your phone charging on your nightstand every night, so try moving the charger to a different place in your bedroom. Yes, you will have to actually get up to shut your alarm clock off in the morning but that can be good for ya too! ;)