There are multiple benefits to reducing our exposure to social media. It takes self-discipline, a change to our daily routine, and a willingness to grow and expand both emotionally and mentally. Once again, if I can do it, anyone can. I was addicted to media and social media but slowly reduced my exposure so that it’s basically nothing now which has had a massive positive impact on my life.
So, let’s take a look at the different ways we can reduce our exposure to social media and focus on the things that really matter in our lives.
The time bonus of limiting our exposure to social media
Let’s be honest, social media takes our precious time away. More and more people are realising this and starting to move away from mindless scrolling and doom scrolling. We are finding better things to do than watch endless reels, read toxic posts, or be exposed to really violent or mind damaging legacy media articles and posts.
Some ways to make the most of the time we would spend doom scrolling, is to throw it into either learning something new, doing something creative, or improving our situation in some way. What I mean by this, is that we could be learning a new skill that’ll help us in the future, get us a different job, or help us relax etc…
There are so many free courses that we can do to enhance our learning. By spending time on learning something new, we not only enhance our skills, we feel better by not wasting our time. Use the screen time function on your phone to see where you spend the most time. This is a good way to see how much time is spent wasted on social media. Then add this time up to see what it equates to in a year. The answer may shock you!
Avoiding social media for less exposure to negativity
I used to call Twitter ‘Toxic Twitter’, and even though the name has changed, it’s still the same. Everyone is fighting in some form. It’s still as toxic as ever and for that reason, I hardly go on it now. If I do go on it, even briefly, I feel like crap afterwards. It’s not a pleasurable experience and I used to start my day like this. All that negative media flooding my brain. What a way to start to the day.
I now start my day with positivity. I listen to little YouTube clips that are positive and uplifting. I then do my strength training which combines stretching and rolling. This sets me up for the day in a positive way. My head’s not filled with negative rubbish but instead, I’m feeling good about myself and looking forward to the day ahead whatever it may bring. Negative media can increase our anxiety – monitor how you feel after a stint on ‘X’.
Put our energy into things that matter
Social media is a major energy thief. It zaps our energy like some sort of energy harvester 😉 that I no longer want to be a part of. It’s almost like it’s feeding the beast which definitely doesn’t resonate with me anymore.
I need my energy more than ever these days so I place it on things that matter to me. Creating, designing, while trying to improve my own well-being, and helping others at the same time.
I no longer have the time or the energy to place it on negative stuff. The way I judge this, is when I do go on social media, I ask myself how I feel afterwards. Almost 100% of the time, I don’t feel great after the exposure. It only takes one thing I see to zap my positive energy and turn it into negative. Try this with your own social media consumption. How do you feel afterwards? Energised or depleted?
Better sleep through less social media exposure
Probably one of the worst things we can do for our sleep is look at a screen right before bed (or a couple of hours before bed). The blue light stuffs with our sleep/wake cycle and makes our brain think it’s time to get up rather than sleep.
Combine the screen with negative social media and it’s a recipe for disaster. Not only does it affect sleep, we could end up thinking (or overthinking) about something we saw online.
One of the best things we can do to enhance our sleep quality, is reduce our exposure to social media. It gives us less to think about, or worry about for that matter. We won’t spend any time worrying about what we saw which can sometimes be an image we can’t get out of our heads once we’ve seen it.
Further reading
My sleep routine to avoid screens and get quality sleep
I’m not a reader so I use YouTube to listen to positive and empowering content before sleep. I don’t look at the screen.
Here are some of the things I do in the 2 hours leading up to sleep. They work for me but may not work for everyone.
Improved focus & productivity by limiting our exposure to social media
There’s nothing more disrupting than constant notifications. I turn the majority of these off so I’m not constantly interrupted. Notifications ruin our concentration because we have to keep jumping from one thing to the next. Instead, we can make a plan to check social media every now and then. This way, we are in control and not the other way around.
Turning off social media notifications helps improve focus by preventing that compulsive checking habit we get into.
Those notifications are designed to grab our attention, break our concentration and make it harder to stay engaged in tasks. By turning them off, we avoid dopamine-driven urges to check our phone constantly. This not only enhances our productivity but also reduces stress and anxiety caused by the pressure to stay updated.
Do a little test on yourself by turning off notifications to see if this affects your productivity. My guess is it will.
Improved mental health from less exposure to social media
This is a massive one for me. The combination of negative news and toxic posts gives me anxiety. I stay away from it because it makes me feel like crap. I want to see uplifting content that inspires me to be a better person, or content that helps me improve my health even further. I’m not interested in someone’s holiday photos but I am interested in something that they’re sharing that will improve me in some way.
Spending less time on social media can really improve our overall mental health. It can help reduce stress, anxiety, and the constant pressure to compare ourselves to others. Social media often shows only the highlights of people’s lives, which can make us feel like we’re not doing enough. Reducing our exposure gives our mind a break from the endless scrolling, negative news, and online drama. Instead, we’ll have more time for real-life connections, creative projects, and self-care (essential), which can boost our mood and self-esteem.
Reduced social media for improved self-esteem
So that leads me to improved self-esteem. I feel sorry for the young people growing up today thinking that what people put on social media is actually their real life. Pictures are placed, posts are curated, and it’s not really real life, just snippets of the best parts. I’m just as guilty as the next person for putting up posts on Instagram but I keep my account private and I don’t really engage with any other social media now.
I’ve also changed the direction of my Instagram posting as I want to provide more detailed information about improving health and wellness rather than just the fun parts of my life.
All I can say is that just have a go at trying to reduce your exposure and see how you feel. It can’t be a bad thing. There’s more positives than negatives to reducing it!
Reducing our social media can help reduce overwhelm through less information
If we suffer from information overload, reducing social media exposure can help with this. Our brains just weren’t designed to be bombarded with a constant stream of information. I cringe these days when I see everyone just staring down at their phones.
We definitely need information but not 24/7. We need more fresh air, nature, and time away from devices to actually enjoy the reality we have, not the one through the screen or watching someone else enjoy their reality. It’s kinda weird when you really think about it.
Having too much information can cause us overwhelm. It can make us feel worse if we’re going through a tough situation.
But there is hope. We don’t have to lose contact with people or go off social media altogether. We can just reduce our exposure to it which ultimately helps us in multiple ways. Check out the following list to find out some practical ways to reduce social media.
Here are some practical steps to reduce social media exposure:
1. Set Clear Goals
- Decide why you want to cut back (e.g., improve focus, mental health, or relationships).
- Set specific limits (e.g., 30 minutes per day).
2. Track Your Usage
- Use built-in phone tracking (e.g., Screen Time on iOS, Digital Wellbeing on Android).
- Identify the apps that consume most of your time.
3. Turn Off Notifications
- Disable non-essential notifications to reduce temptations.
- Keep only critical alerts (e.g., messages from close family/friends).
- Put your phone on ‘do not disturb’ but allow phone calls if desired.
4. Schedule Social Media Time
- Set designated times to check social media (e.g., 10 minutes in the afternoon and evening but not too late).
- Avoid mindless scrolling by sticking to time limits.
- Be aware of ‘doom scrolling’.
5. Use App Restrictions & Tools
- Use app limit settings or third-party apps (e.g., Freedom, AppBlock).
- Set up grayscale mode to make apps less appealing (mine is 3 fast clicks of the ‘on’ button and it goes to black and white)
6. Remove Social Media Apps from Your Phone
- Access them only through a browser to make it less convenient.
- Remove the app from you home screen.
- Log out after each session to prevent automatic checking.
7. Replace Social Media with Other Activities
- Read a book, exercise, meditate, listen to positive YouTube clips, or pick up a hobby.
- Spend more time catching up with friends or family in person.
8. Create No-Social-Media Zones
- Avoid social media in bed, at meals, or during family time.
- Leave the phone in your bag when out for dinner.
- Use a physical alarm clock instead of your phone.
9. Unfollow & Curate Your Feed
- Unfollow accounts that don’t add value to your life.
- Follow pages that inspire or educate rather than distract.
- Don’t interact with negative posts because the algorithm will feed you more of that.
10. Take Breaks or Go on a Social Media Detox
- Start with a short break (e.g., 24 hours or a weekend).
- Gradually extend to longer detox periods.
- Go camping off-grid – this is great if you want a total device-free weekend – I do this but not enough!
