OFF THE FEED & INTO REALITY // 5 ways to cut back on technology & social media usage📱🤳

0 comments

JOLYN Australia Swimwear blog - 5 ways to cut back on social media & technology usage

How good is technology?! It allows us to stay up to date with what our friends and family are up to, connect with people from the other side of the world, follow the lives of our fave celebs and sporting idols, remain in the loop about current events and world news, and even order food to be delivered straight to our door! There's no denying it, technology and social media are wonderful tools to keep us all connected, especially at the moment while a lot of people are separated physically from their loved ones.

However, you CAN have too much of a good thing, and overuse of social media has the potential to cause many negative effects on our mental health. For example, it's easy to slip into a dark hole of comparing ourselves and our lives to the 'online lives' of others, which leaves us feeling pretty down, as IG is often just highlight reel showcasing the best moments of peoples lives. This can be very damaging to our self-worth and overall wellbeing, as can becoming addicted to that instant dopamine hit that likes, comments, mentions and follows give us.

It's extremely important to look after your mental health by limiting your time on social media and disconnecting from technology often. Below, we'll walk you through five easy ways to cut back on your technology/social media usage and become more present.

We can guarantee that if you've been feeling a bit blah lately, putting these tips into practice will help give you a wee boost so you start to feel happier and more motivated! ✨

 

JOLYN Australia Swimwear blog - managing time spent on technology and social media

If you haven't already heard about Apple's new Screen Time feature, here's what you need to know: using Screen Time, you can set a daily time limit for absolutely any app on your phone. Once your times up, you won't be able to accidentally pick up your phone out of habit to start scrolling on the 'gram again because your phone will remind you that you've reached your daily limit, and hitting that 'Ignore Limit' button will only leave you feeling extra guilty...⌛

Through the Screen Time section (in Settings) on your phone, you're able to see how much time you spend on your phone divided into categories such as Social Networking, Messages and Other, so you can closely monitor time spent on your phone and where you spend most of it. We are ALL. FOR. THIS! 👏👏👏

 

JOLYN Australia Swimwear blog - managing time spent on technology and social media

This is a really simple way to avoid unnecessary distractions throughout the day and reduce the amount of time you spend on your device. Instead of checking each notification as soon as it comes through, set aside one or two times throughout the day to check them all at once. This'll help you avoid looking at your phone 24/7 and going on to spend waaay too much time aimlessly scrolling feeds or swiping through insta stories (as enjoyable as it is).

All you have to do is go to Settings > Notifications > Select App > then turn Allow Notifications off (on iOS). Easy peasy! ✔️ 

 

JOLYN Australia Swimwear blog - managing time spent on technology and social media

There are much better ways to start the day other than scrolling through Facebook like it's the morning newspaper. If this is a habit you've slipped into, it might be time to break it! 📵

JOLYN Australia Swimwear blog - 5 ways to cut back on social media & technology usage

Switch up your morning ritual - make yourself a tea and practice mindfulness, read a book, lay in the sun for 10 mins to get some Vitamin D, or spend more time making a nourishing meal for brekky. There are plenty of wonderful ways to begin your day that'll have you feeling much more refreshed and reenergised than checking socials! Save your social media time for the arvo and use your mornings to get prepared for the rest of your day in the best way possible.

 

JOLYN Australia Swimwear blog - managing time spent on technology and social media

Sometimes it's easier to just go full cold turkey and cut out social media completely for a short while in order to reset. It's up to you how long your 'dextox' lasts for, it could be 3 days, a week, a month, however long you feel like you personally need.

If you're finding yourself regularly feeling negative emotions whilst spending time on socials, this may indicate that you also need to re-think how you USE social media post detox. It may be time to unfollow some people, post less frequently, reduce the amount of time and energy you spend on creating content, or simply cut back on the amount of time you spend browsing these platforms each day. 📲

 

JOLYN Australia Swimwear blog - managing time spent on technology and social media

If you're really serious about reducing your time on technology/social media on an ongoing basis, and you have enough self-control to maintain this, challenge yourself to have a 'screen free' day once a week! Obviously this is going to be pretty difficult as we now use our devices for so many things like receiving important phone calls, getting directions, Googling information etc., so one day on the weekend may be best to try this out.

It's incredibly refreshing to disconnect from technology from time to time, and instead spend time in nature, with people IRL, and doing the other things you love. You might wanna give a 'screen free' day a go next time you're on holiday (or on staycation) 😜🏝️

JOLYN Australia Swimwear blog - 5 ways to cut back on social media & technology usage

It ain't always easy kicking a bad habit to the kerb, but it's definitely worth it. With these handy tools and strategies, you should be able to dramatically reduce time spent on your devices ASAP! Less time on technology = more time for your other hobbies, self-care, relaxation, learning, exploring, and resting. BIG WIN! 😍 🙌 

LET US KNOW BELOW how you limit your time on technology and social media👇💬

Leave a comment

All blog comments are checked prior to publishing
You have successfully subscribed!