Social Media Obsession and Detox During Crisis

Social media is a fantastic tool. With it, we are able to reach across miles to family and friends at basically any time, sharing our lives and our thoughts. We share pictures, art, and ideas in real time.

In my community, a local Facebook page has been started to encourage communication during this crisis. I’ve been checking it kind of obsessively. I definitely have a fear of missing out (FOMO for short, we’ll get to that more in depth, later) . I’m afraid I’ll miss a tidbit of important information and put someone else at risk. I need to chill, I’m afraid.

Social Media Obsession

If you’re like me, crisis situations demand that I be as fully informed as I can at all times. This is a very unrealistic expectation. It’s just not sustainable. I’m looking at you, there in the back WebMD’ing your cough. I just can’t think that I’m alone in my feeling that I have to be sitting on the edge of my seat, ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice. So now I that I have an actual crisis to deal with, I’m pretty overwhelmed at the amount of information (and misinformation) is available right now.

Being that I was born a while ago, I do happen to remember when people didn’t have access 24/7 to news and information on a real-time basis. As I was growing up, we lived in the woods. We didn’t even have cable. The news was on for a couple hours in the evening. I didn’t have a life where I was literally immersed in information at all times. So, sometimes I forget that I actually don’t need to feed this social media addiction/crisis mode that I’ve put myself into.

Detoxing from Social Media

Because I’ve noticed that I’ve basically been operating in crisis mode for at least two weeks, I know it’s time for a change. I’m putting myself on a mini-quarantine from social media for the next week. Next Friday I’ll let you know how it goes.

Here are the rules for the experiment, if you want to try it too:

• Turn off Notifications – While I’m not sure I’ll go as far as turning off text notifications, I will turn off the social media ones. This will prevent me from being tempted, and is a really important step of my detox. Calls from family and friends are still being accepted, just no social media.
• Let my phone charge all the way – I sit on my phone to pass the time, and then I totally lose track. I use my phone so much that I find myself plugging it in and sitting on it some more. When the phone is dead, it’s a pretty good indication that it’s time to take a break. I’ll let my phone charge up before I pick it up again.
• Schedule time to look at social media and news sites – If I’m really concerned, I can go down a rabbit hole of news trying to find the truth out about something I’ve seen on Facebook. Before I know it, I’ve been looking at click-bait for an hour trying to confirm something. I’m going to spend no more than an hour a day on social media, and I have a timer.
• Stick to your boundaries – The goals I’ve set for myself I think are pretty obtainable and sustainable for at least a week.
• Don’t be afraid of FOMO – If you’re like me, you suffer from FOMO, or fear of missing out. I feel pressure to be at a level of preparedness that I’ve never felt before. It’s a way of perceiving control over a situation you have no control over. If you’re having a moment where you need to let go, I challenge you to take this detox on.

Unplug from the World

I’m not ready to throw my phone out the window yet, but I do recognize that my situation won’t be bettered by freaking out about it. Panicking won’t solve anything. In fact, enough of that and you’ll be headed for a burnout.

So I’m going to spend my week journaling and working on various art projects. Exercising and spending time with my family. I’m not going to give in to fear and anxiety. Just because we live in a frightening time, doesn’t mean I need to spend all my time frightened.

I hope that you try this detox with me for a week. And let me know how it turned out for you! Good luck! Below I’ve included a link to a helpful article that lists some ways you can unplug!

• 7 Ways To Stop Your Social Media Addiction | by Phoebe Avison | Bustle