5 Powerful Benefits of a Social Media Break

5 min readDec 27, 2021

If you’ve been thinking about taking a social media break lately, there’s probably a good reason. As a content creator, I get it. In fact, this is my first post back from MY break.

I took two months off and I can not tell you how much it helped me in so many ways! Taking a social media break can be scary but from someone who just went through it, let me tell you why it’s a good idea.

This post is targeted more towards content creators but this can also be if you just need a break from scrolling through your social media too!

How Do You Know You Should Take A Break?

There’s probably a reason why you’re reading this post right now but if you’re still unsure, let’s go over some things to think about.

You have no motivation to come up with new content ideas
Creating content feels like a chore (you should be enjoying it)
Your mental health feels like it’s plummeting
You’re doubting your potential

If you can relate to any of these, I think a social media break could be good for you. Before you go announcing your break to your following, let me go over the benefits I’ve realized on my social media break that has revived my creativity again and got me back on my A-game!

1. Catch Up On Sleep

Let’s face it, constantly creating content, staying consistent, and living up to social media’s standards is exhausting for anybody. Even if it’s something you absolutely love, it’s normal to eventually get burnt out.

I know creating content on social media isn’t usually physically tiring but without a doubt, it can be very mentally tiring. Do yourself a favor and let yourself sleep a little extra.

Sleep itself has powerful benefits such as it boosts your mood, increases productivity, and helps your immune system be at its best. So if you’ve been lacking sleep, make sure you’re getting at least 6 hours a night!

2. Spend Time With Yourself

The first month of my social media break, I didn’t even want to think about Instagram or blogging. I was in a dark place — mostly because of unrelated drama. So I limited the people I talked to, stopped opening social media apps, and started finding ways to enjoy spending time with just myself.

Here are a few things I did:

Played animal crossing every single day
Took more walks
Discovered new motivational podcasts
Started reorganizing my apartment
Wrote lots of self-affirmations

These things kept my mind off of not just social media but the outside forces I was dealing with. It actually brought me a lot of peace.

3. Realize Life Still Goes On

Did you know that even after I haven’t checked my Instagram, life still went on? Yes, I giggled at that after I typed it. But it’s true. As a content creator with dreams of making a living off my brand, I was scared a break was going to ruin it all!

But I stayed away from my analytics for a pretty long time. Spoiler alert, you’re numbers will go down somewhere. But while I wasn’t focused on the next blog post, the only stress I was dealing with was designing my island on animal crossing. I was laughing too hard at cheesy Netflix movies. I was spending more time with my boyfriend on his days off. This part of my social media break was all about self-care.

4. Content Batching Without Pressure

So like I said, the first month, I didn’t touch social media at all. Well, except to post a “Happy Thanksgiving” to my Instagram story but it was a holiday!

Eventually, I started getting ideas for new blog posts.

I started researching the new Instagram algorithm (it seems like it’s always changing.) I started brainstorming new content! That was exciting since I thought that motivation was gone forever.

I knew around late November, I wasn’t ready to completely dive back in and I already told my followers I was taking my break until the New Year. LIGHTBULB MOMENT!

Since I gave myself a “Social Media Break” deadline which I wasn’t at yet but my creative juices were flowing, I decided to use this time to start content batching!

Let me tell you a secret. When I’m typing this, it’s November 28th, 2021. I plan to post this late December because I already have a New Years Post being written. I’ve never been one to content batch but I may just have to take one social media break a year!

5. Rested Up and Ready To Go!

A social media break shouldn’t feel rushed. You take however long you need to take. The whole point of this break is to step away and refocus on yourself so you are ready to come back to social media and be excited about it. The biggest thing you also will need to realize is that this won’t be your only burnout. At the end of your social media break, do a check-in.

The questions you need to ask yourself:

How is my mental state?
Do I feel like myself again?
Do I have my creativity back?
When should I come back to social media?
Do I have a plan for when I return?
Am I prepared for the next burnout?

Instagram tips for when you’re ready:

Now Give Yourself A Break

As you can see, taking a social media break is beneficial for not only your mental health but the future of your creativity on social media.

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Whether you do it just for fun or it’s your career, nothing should feel forced. This is your life. So if you’re ready, step away. Push the guilt to the side because you will thank yourself afterward.

Step #1, extra sleep? Got it.

Originally published at http://itsamandaburnett.com on December 27, 2021.