In today’s digital age where most things are conducted online and everyone is connected, it can be hard to keep up with many different social media accounts and potential online interactions.
As popular as social media is these days, some people may find it hard to develop healthy relationships when it comes to their online activities. If you find that you are experiencing negative symptoms well utilizing social media it may be time to take a break.
Our article will give you more detail on some popular reasons to delete social media, signs that you might need to take a social media break, and advice on how to delete your social media accounts. Read on the have all your questions about deleting social media answered.
Reasons to Delete Social Media
There are several common reasons why you may want to delete social media. Below we list the most common reasons why people decided they could sabbatical from their social media accounts or delete them altogether.
It’s important to note that these reasons are not the only ones out there for why you may want to be deleting your social media accounts. The choice to delete your social media is a very personal one. Don’t worry if you don’t see your specific reason on this list – any reason you may have for deciding to delete your social media accounts is a valid one.
Mental Health Problems
Improving mental health is one of the biggest reasons that individuals choose to delete their social media accounts. High social media usage is often associated with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
If you find that every time you log into your social media accounts you end up feeling sad, lonely, apathetic, or dejected, it may be time to take a step back from social media and see if it improves your overall moods.
Sleep Disruption
It’s no secret that many people fall into the trap of endlessly scrolling on social media and constantly staying tuned to see if anything exciting or interesting occurs. Not only does this increase the anxiety-inducing condition of FOMO (fear of missing out), but it can significantly ruin your sleep patterns. Additionally, the blue light generated by many of our devices serves to further interrupt natural sleep patterns and cycles.
Focus and Productivity Issues
There is no greater detriment to focusing and productivity than endlessly scrolling through social media. The constant ding of notifications on your smartphone or another device and endless online activities that never stop can also effortlessly steal your attention. Another popular reason that many people delete their social media accounts is to improve their overall focus on work, creative pursuits, and productivity.
Increased Spending
For some people, social media usage leads to an increase in online product purchases due to the number of adverts seen on social media accounts. If you find yourself needing to save money due to constant online purchases, deleting your social media and avoiding this targeted advertising altogether can be helpful.
Constant Life Comparison
Many people find that constantly engaging in social media leads to them being less present in their own lives and constantly comparing their lives to what they see online.
These constant comparisons can make people less happy with their own lives and ruin their self-esteem when it comes to the items that they can realistically obtain. It may also encourage people to live beyond their means in order to keep up with the things that they see online. Deleting your social media accounts can reduce these feelings and help you focus on what is important in your own life.
Signs You Need a Social Media Break
While you may be considering some of the above reasons to delete your social media accounts, there are also some signs that you can look out for the indicate it’s time to take a break from social media or delete your accounts altogether.
- You feel angry, sad, lonely, or have other extreme and unpleasant feelings while using social media or after logging off of social media.
- You find it hard to stop scrolling and lose hours utilizing all of your social media accounts without even realizing it.
- You find yourself constantly comparing your life, your items, and your living style to others that you see online.
- Your relationships with a partner, children, friends, or other loved ones are suffering due to your moods after using social media or the amount of time you spend engaged with social media instead of them.
- You are spending money you don’t have on items you see online or purchasing items that are recommended to you in order to be more like the online accounts you follow.
- You find yourself unable to sleep, you wake up throughout the night to check your social media, or you disrupt your sleep patterns due to social media usage.
- Your productivity and overall focus on important things like work, creative pursuits, or hobbies are interrupted by social media usage or the planning of social media activity.
- You have FOMO, anxiety, and even eye pain after social media usage.
All of these signs indicate it’s time for a social media break, and it’s up to you whether you pause your accounts, set aside limited time for social media usage, or delete your accounts altogether.
You may also be experiencing other negative symptoms related to social media usage that aren’t on our list. It’s important to recognize that social media is designed to allow you to have fun, connect with others, and learn interesting things.
If you are experiencing anything negative, unpleasant, or anxiety-inducing after using your social media accounts, it’s time for a break and a reevaluation of your relationship with social media.
How Do I Delete My Social Media Accounts?
Deleting your social media accounts is fortunately not too difficult, though it may be time-consuming depending on how many accounts you have active. Simply log into each of your social media accounts, navigate to your account settings, and find the option for account deactivation or complete deletion.
If you need help locating all of the social media accounts you may have, you can always use an email lookup tool, like the one on Information.com, to figure out which accounts belong to you. From there, you can delete them one by one and reframe your relationship with social media.
Putting Your Health First
Social media is incredibly popular today, but it may not always be the best thing for us to engage in. If you find yourself experiencing negative symptoms after using social media and other problems related to social media usage, such as loss of sleep, it might be time to think about your social media use and consider taking a break.
Whether you delete your accounts altogether or simply deactivate them, make sure that you are always putting your health first when it comes to social media usage.
