Who better to ask about social media breaks than a couple of Instagram influencers? Meet Brendan (@BrendanLowry) and Nicole (@NicoleLoher).
Brendan runs a creative agency based in Philadelphia. He helps brands tell their stories on social media with influencer marketing. Nicole is the Global Digital Editor at Christian Louboutin, Adjunct Professor at New York University, and a triathlete.
Here’s what the two influencers have to say about knowing when it’s time to take a break from social media:
Know When the Negatives Outweigh the Positives
Brendan’s first experience with pausing social media occurred shortly after Trump was elected. With all the negativity being spread online, he thought maybe it would be “best to just turn things off for a little while.” During those few weeks, Brendan says his mood improved dramatically.
“Whether it’s feeling jealous of others’ accomplishments, over-analyzing the content that I’m planning on posting and worrying about what people will think, or building stories around why certain people did or didn’t like my content, it’s happening constantly.” But, he says when he’s in a good place mentally, Brenden is able to put things into perspective and take a break.
When we talked to Nicole, she gave us a tip on how to make the social media experience more positive. “Post with the intention to lift people higher and expect others to do the same.” This way, you can contribute to a healthier social media experience for yourself and for others. Overall, it’s a great way to stay positive on social media.
Seek Deeper Connection
On a trip to Sri Lanka to meet her fiancé’s family, Nicole decided to turn her phone off completely for the first time. She recalls how “incredibly freeing [it felt] to not care what anyone else was doing on the Internet. My fiancé, his family, and I were able to connect on another level.” Now Nicole makes a point to disconnect from social media every weekend.
Recognize When Scrolling Becomes A Habit
Brendan takes matters into his own hands to keep scrolling from becoming a habit. “I don’t have Facebook or Twitter installed on my phone to avoid using it constantly, but I was still logged into the browser and I would find myself mindlessly refreshing/scrolling. These apps are designed to make it super easy to stay logged in and very hard to log out. So I logged out, deleted my browsing, search, and password history, and then deleted and redownloaded chrome.”
Those habits were hard to kick, but he’d put the right barriers in place. “For the first few days, I’d go to the browser and type in Twitter.com or Facebook.com without even remembering I was on a break.” Since he was no longer logged in, it was more difficult to access the platform, which reminded him to stay on a break.
Even social media influencers need to limit their time on social media. Going offline can be a challenge, but it’s one worth taking to feel happier, healthier, and more connected to the people around you. If you’re feeling anything less than inspired by what you see online, unfollow people or simply signout. When social media starts to feel like a negative distraction in life, try taking a break. You might be amazed by how much better you feel, and how much power you have over your social media experience.
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