How To Feel Restored On Your Next Social Media Break

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Have you ever looked up after a social media break feeling even more depleted and unmotivated than when you logged on? You’re not alone.

It’s well documented that the fast paced essence of social media with endless feeds and constant comparison causes executive dysfunction, decision fatigue, perfectionism, and inability to focus.

I’m going to be honest — I’m not a fan of social media. But I also know how hard it can be to break the habit. I talked about how much I hated Facebook for six years, but kept convincing myself it would be too inconvenient to delete. (Spoiler alert: The “inconvenience” I worried about never materialized. Sure, I miss Facebook Marketplace, but deleting it doesn’t impact my day-to-day life.)

So instead of telling you to take a social media detox (though I do recommend that), I want to share three simple strategies to make your social media break actually restore your energy.

Take your social media break outside

The average person spends 2 hours and 24 minutes staring at screens each day, but only 30 minutes or less outside. Yet nature is exactly what our overstimulated brains need. Why not pair a social media break with something that combats its negative effects?

Time in nature is well-studied for improving well-being, and you don’t have to spend much time to see benefits. Just two hours or 120 minutes per week significantly improves health and well-being. That’s less than 20 minutes per day.

A 15 minute social media break outdoors, plus a few walks around the block each week is enough to get you over that threshold. Don’t underestimate the power of feeling the breeze on your skin, hearing the birds, and sticking your toes in the grass. It’s one of my favorite things.

If you’re struggling to keep up with your workload, nature improves working memory, executive function, and attention, while reducing stress and boosting immunity. The more you feel like you can’t afford a break, the more powerful an outdoor break becomes. And let’s be honest — you’re going to check your phone anyway, so you might as well do it under a tree.

Turn your phone into a black-and-white movie

I know using grayscale sounds grating (I didn’t like the idea either), but there’s a reason why this tip comes up often. The science is compelling.

Using grayscale for just one week drops screen time by 38 minutes a day, which is a 25% drop (if your screen time is near the average of 2 hours and 24 minutes). Interestingly, people didn’t check their phones less, but they stayed on their phones for less long. So it doesn’t entirely break the phone habit, but it does keep you from endless doomscrolling.

After living with grayscale for a few months, when I turn it off to show someone a picture, I’m genuinely blinded by the saturated colors. It’s no wonder marketers lean so heavily on colors. Simply making notifications red can override our rational brains and make us prioritize them over anything else.

Share it in person, not in the DMs

It’s no secret that social media is making us lonelier. Our brains seek efficiency, so the social validation of getting likes and comments feels social without delivering the actual rewards of deep conversations and true connection.

So instead of sharing a reel you loved via message, show it to someone in person. Tell the people closest to you about the things you learned, laughed at, or found interesting. It might feel awkward at first to talk about what you enjoyed watching, but given how much time we spend consuming content, it offers plenty of material for real conversations.

This simple shift transforms passive consumption into active connection. Instead of longing for empty likes from strangers, you get the real human interaction we evolved to need. If you’re struggling with your mental health, this won’t magically fix everything, but it’s a step in the right direction.

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It’s easy to set big goals around cutting screen time, but making those intentions stick takes more than willpower. The right strategies and alternatives can be the difference between short term flings and making lasting, long term changes.

By making your phone grayscale, taking social media breaks outside, or having real conversations about what you saw, you can change how you feel without drastically changing your routine.

Don’t underestimate the power of small changes. Try one of these today and notice the difference in how your breaks actually feel.