How to do a social media detox still have friends

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There is no doubt that social media has changed the way we communicate with people. Not only are we more likely to keep in touch with friends and family, but now we know what our primary school acquaintances ate for lunch, as well as the complex political views of our distant cousins. But constantly browsing our social networking sites can have some less serious consequences. "

" some studies have shown that those who spend the most time (more than two hours) on social media every day are twice as likely to feel social isolation as those who say they spend half an hour or less on social media sites every day, "said Dr. Barbara Cox, business coach and consultant. The way to rest in the case of close people.

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1. Work together. Get friends and family involved in your digital detoxification, says Kevin J. Roberts, author of "addicts: escaping games and online traps." In this way, you will have a responsible partner to prevent you from checking your account, and you can share the benefits of reducing the time spent watching TV together. "It's an opportunity to build and strengthen relationships," he said. Before you start, take the time to brainstorm and do something together that you can do. Go hiking or ride an adventure bike. "If you work together before you stop socializing, you're more excited to start detoxifying and more likely to stick with it."

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2. seek truth from facts.

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when you set parameters for social media cleanup, make sure you don't create insurmountable benchmarks. " Be realistic about spending cuts. "Cold turkey can be difficult, not necessarily something you want or need to do," said Miriam kilmyer, a psychologist and friendship researcher. Avoid strict rules. It makes you feel guilty if - or when - you slip. " Instead, she says, commit to reducing your use of all sites, or separating from one at a time. So you can rest assured. As for how long your cleaning should last, George Bradley, an interactive communications expert at circa, recommends two weeks. " "It gives you enough time to change your daily life and once the drug treatment is over, your daily life will continue," he said. Warn your followers. "

if your attention and participation are important to you (personally or professionally), you may consider alerting your online community," says therapist Miriam Kimmel. "It's not only making people more likely to stay because they don't want to know where you're going, it's also giving you the opportunity to connect with people who may have questions about social media detoxification or are going through similar experiences," she said. Clinical psychologist Erika Martinez, Ph.D., suggests posting something visual. " "Create or download a picture of when you are receiving social media treatment, when you will be back, and then upload it as your profile picture," she said. For example, "I'm going to quit before XX!" It's a good job. "When you're on holiday, treat your post as an outgoing message, but have fun.

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4. Prepare for success.

after starting detoxification, Andrew sellerpark, director of the social media graduate program at the University of Florida, suggested uninstalling social apps from mobile phones, or at least turning off notifications. "

business coach Barbara Cox added that you may want to install a stayfocusd like application on your computer that will allow you to block certain websites." No matter what browser you use, the result is the same: if you enter a banned URL before the end of the time, you will be told that the website is not available. This will help you keep your laptop or work computer working properly.

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5. Find another way to connect. To stay in touch with friends and family without social media, simply text your loved ones or ask them for coffee, says Barbara Cox, a business coach. You can also arrange video chats with friends who live far away. " These simple activities have more potential for emotional and connection improvement than they do on social media, "Cox said. When sites like Facebook provide you with a more convenient platform, you may not be used to contacting people in these ways.

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6. Clear your followers. Piotr ryterski, an influential blogger, said: "with the end of detoxification, you're ready to go back to social media, clean up your friends, and follow them." "You should limit your list to people close to you," he said. This way, you spend less time trying to keep up with anything posted or thrown at you. You have to control your level of sanity and stress. "

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this ensures that you read only the people you know or the accounts you really care about, and not the stories and photos that don't make much sense to you. The same applies to work or business accounts: eliminate contacts and brands that lack real contact or collaboration, so you can focus on what really matters.

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7. hold the line. "

at the end of your interval, let the spirit of detoxification continue." "You should get used to a certain level of everyday life without social media," said George Bradley, a communications expert. Even if you start using social media again, stick to these practices. " Barbara Cox, the business coach, also recommends that you slowly start over and aim to keep your use lean. " "Research shows that social media can lead to addiction, loneliness, and significantly affect school and work efficiency, so keep monitoring your use," she said. Ideally, she recommends scrolling the feed up to a few times a week for no more than 30 minutes.

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What do you think?

youHave you ever done social media detoxification? What does it feel like? Do you think you need social media detoxification? Can you try the tips on this list? Do you have anything else to add? Share your thoughts, questions and stories in the comments below!

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