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A Week-long Break from Social Media Lowers Anxiety
Disclaimer: Not medical or professional advice. Always seek the advice of your physician.
Nowadays, it seems that phones have become an extension of ourselves. We fall asleep scrolling through social media feeds and reach for our phones as soon as we wake up. We do it out of habit to keep up with the latest breaking news. Social networks have evolved over the past 15 years and changed the way we communicate. Pew Research Center estimated that 69% of adults and 81% of teens in the US are active on social media.
The growth in social media use has prompted many studies related to its impact on our physical and mental health. For instance, neuroimaging studies have revealed that excessive gadget usage does have a negative impact on areas of the brain that are responsible for the ability to perform such tasks as planning and prioritizing.
Scientific research has discovered an association between the excessive use of social networks and the deterioration in mental state, including depression, anxiety, and feelings of isolation. British investigators recently published the results of such a study.
Results of Dr. Jeff Lambert's Study
A recently completed study from the UK involved people who had to stay off social media for one week and share their impressions afterward.
The experiment was led by a team of researchers from the University of Bath and the lead investigator Dr. Jeff Lambert. The results of the study were published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking. The research found that a week-long break from social networks can lead to substantial improvements in mental health and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The study included 162 participants aged between 18 and 72 years who spend an average of 8 hours per week online. The participants were randomly divided into 2 groups. People in the control group were told to continue using social media as normal. However, the second group of participants had to significantly reduce the use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for 7 days.
At the beginning of the study, the researchers collected patient baseline scores for anxiety, depression, and well-being. A week later, the same measurements were taken again. The data showed that well-being, depression, and anxiety scores improved considerably in patients who stopped using all social media.
Besides, those who were asked to take a break reported that they spent an average of 21 minutes on social networking compared to an average of 7-8 hours for control group participants (both groups provided screen time statistics).
In an article for the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, Jeff Lambert pointed out that social media is an integral part of our lives. It is actively used as an important tool for interacting with the outside world. But if a person spends too much time online, this inevitably results in the development of psychological problems.
The research team now plans to continue the study using the obtained data to see whether a short break from social networks can help different population groups (teenagers, people with physical and mental health conditions) reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. They also want to follow people who have refrained from using social media for more than one week to find out if those benefits remain over time. If the results last long enough, the researchers suggest this method could be used as part of clinical practice for managing mental health.
How to Take Control of Your Social Media Use?
To confirm the study findings, you can do a small experiment. Take a break from your smartphone and computer for at least an hour. Pay attention to the people around you - for instance, your family members, friends, and colleagues. Spend time with the ones you care about. Take a walk, looking at the sky. Distract yourself from all thoughts and worries. Try to notice how you feel after such an emotional release.
Group all your social networking apps into a separate folder and move them well off your home screen. This way, you will have fewer reasons to open them out of habit. If you still stay active on social media accounts, you can try to delete them from your phone for a while. Some smartphones have a feature that allows setting a time limit for certain applications. You will get notified when time is running low.
Analyze accounts you follow. Whose posts affect your mental health? Whose content can have a negative impact on your self-esteem and ruin your mood? Decreasing your time on social media can help free up time to spend on other things.
Conduct your own research and observe your inner thoughts, feelings, and sensations at least twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. There is no need to permanently quit social media and delete all your accounts. The main thing is to balance the time spent in front of digital devices, showing concern for your mental health.