Unplugging from the Media

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

1. 1. Try not to turn on technology for the first hour after waking up in the morning, and you will be surprised to know that the world worked just fine without you for the past 8 to 9 hours. Blocking that one hour out to focus on meditation and exercise will help you to utilize the rest of the hours wisely.
   2. Choose the time to turn off your devices and commit to it. This period can be the first or the last hour of your day or after lunch, dinner, or maybe just before bed. What is important is that you discipline yourself and learn when and how to unplug. Do it for a better lifestyle and stick to it at all costs.
   3. There are a certain number of internet tools that can help you manage your time online. Freedom: it will disconnect your internet for a particular period, which is set by you. Self-control: it will allow you to block websites like Twitter Facebook Gmail except for a particular period while you have access to the rest of the web. It is a perfect option for Facebook addiction.
   4. Take an intentional break regularly. Unplug unnecessary applications on your phone for a weekend. Remember that you are doing it for no one else but yourself. Pick something a new hobby or anything; your life is waiting ahead of you. Like this, you can set a higher limit for yourself, like unplugging 40 days a year.
   5. Uninstall all but your most essential applications. Yes, that’s right; it’s time to say goodbye to the Clash Of Clans. Delete all the applications that you are using to soothe your tension rather than to connect with others.

BENEFITS OF TAKING A BREAK FROM THE INTERNET

1. SAVE YOUR TIME:

Social media is a time-waster: don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself. How many times did you pick up your iPhone or Android to check the latest updates from your Instagram, Facebook, Tinder, Snapchat, or Twitter account in the past one hour? Two times? Or was it 3? or 4? 5? 6? 7? Or you lost the count by now already? Never mind, but if you get a chance to tally on how many hours you spend on these social sites per day, you might be shocked by the result. An average American loses 3.2 hours per day to social media addiction; this accounts for 1168 hours per year. If you do further calculation, you will find that an average American citizen of the United States spends 2736 full 24 hour days of his lifetime browsing through timelines, updating or liking photos, commenting, and posting updates on social media.

2. REGAIN YOUR MENTAL HEALTH:

Social media can hurt your confidence, happiness, self-esteem, and mental health. How often do you notice your friends or family post an update about how sad they are, how terrible their day was, or how miserable their lives are going? Rarely, right? The reason is that nobody likes to post about their failures. Everyone on social media is on the top of the world; they are happy some are getting engaged, married, promoted, or accomplishing big success. Regardless of what people’s Instagram feed or Facebook timeline shows you, the truth is nobody’s life is perfect. All of us have flaws and imperfections. People air out photos in their greatest, happiest, and most successful moments. The worst flaws mistakes and awkward moments do not obviously make it to the internet. We only tend to outdo and impress each other with our “perfect lives.” No matter how many likes you got on your recent photos, there’s always someone more popular, more well-liked, or getting more attention and more likes and comments on their posts than you are. And it is really hard not to compare yourself with those people.

3. SAVE RELATIONSHIPS

Social media hurts real-life relationships. Ever been to a social gathering and noticed that almost all the people are bent over their smartphones? Bars, clubs, restaurants, birthday parties, gyms, or other social outings that people attend to connect but waste time over aimlessly looking through text messages or other updates on their smartphones. You see groups, gatherings, and crowds of people rejecting real-life human interaction to stare down at their phone screens. This phenomenon gets worse and worse as the years pass by. Ironically social media was originated to bring people together, but it ended up doing the opposite. A study in 2014 stated that the mere presence of a mobile phone device was enough to divide the participant’s attention. Social media is an addiction and can really take the life out of your relationships if you cannot manage to keep it under control.

“If you stop everything only for a notification, you need to ask yourself if you have control over your life”- Chris Bailey.

You can enjoy the best of both worlds if you have control over your social media usage. You can enjoy connections, entertainment, and conversations online, and still have the freedom to use your time wisely, be productive, feel happy, confident, and keep your sanity.

Social media is everywhere, and almost everyone you know uses it, you know. But you know what the good news is? You don’t necessarily have to be a victim of social media addiction.

You are the creator of your life all you have to do unplug!