There is no doubt that social media has changed the way we interact with people . Not only is it easier to keep up with  friends and family, we now know what our elementary school acquaintances had to eat and the intricacies of our distant cousins’ political views. But continually scrolling through our social feeds can have some not-so-great consequences.

People who spend most of their time on social media, more than two hours a day, are twice as likely to be perceived as socially isolated than those who

they spent half an hour or less a day on social media. So it is necessary for all people to learn to take a break from social networks without isolating themselves or moving away from their closest and loved ones.

Do a social media cleanup

When setting parameters for your social media cleanup, you have to make sure that you are not creating insurmountable benchmarks. You have to be realistic about cropping or deleting the profiles of those friends. Being cold can be tricky and you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. Avoid being too harsh so that you won’t feel guilty later if you mess up.

Ideally, you should commit to reducing the use of your social networks or stop using one by one. This way you can feel good about your social media detox. The ideal is to establish about two weeks without looking at social networks. This will give you enough time to be able to make changes in your daily life that will be maintained when you finish the detox period.

Communicate your absence on social networks

If your participation in social networks is good for you, you can warn your online community that you will be “offline” for a while. Not only will this make it more likely that people will stick around because they’re not left wondering where you went, but it also gives you a chance to connect with other people who may have questions about a detox on social media or are going through an experience similar to what happens to you.

Instead of just writing a typical status update, you can post something visual. You can create or download an image that conveys that you are on a social media detox and when you will be back, then upload it as your profile picture. Think of your post as an out-of-office message when you’re on vacation, but have a little more fun.

Uninstall the networking apps on your phone

After starting your detox, the ideal is to uninstall the social apps from your phone or at least turn off their notifications. When you are on the computer, if you think it is necessary, you can download applications so that they do not allow you to enter certain URLs while you are in your detoxification.

In this way, if you want to enter a social network, the installed application will tell you that this website is not available and you will remember that you are in time to detoxify from social networks.

You can send text messages

To stay in touch with your friends and family without social media, text your loved ones just to say hello or ask them to meet you for a quick coffee. You can also schedule video chat appointments with friends who live far away.  These simple activities are more likely to improve mood and connection than being on social media . You may not be in the habit of reaching out to others in this way when sites like Facebook have provided an easier platform for you to interact with others.

When you return to your world of social networks, remember to keep only the most select friends on your profile, that is, those who are closest to you. After 2 weeks of detox, you will realize that social media is not that important in your life … you will have learned to appreciate other things.