The last couple of weeks have been odd, to say the least—social media has been full of satirical, hateful and outrageous posts. I, like most other people, partake in the daily (more like hourly) consumption of indulging myself in Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and many other platforms. After the presidential election I saw things that really made me uneasy and decided to take a hiatus from some of my accounts to disconnect myself from a virtual world and get back to the real world. Here are 5 ways to distract yourself from social media:
1. Cooking
Food is essential to living, so cooking or baking sounds like a good way to get away from the internet. Instead of using recipes online call your mom, dad, grandma or whoever and ask them for the recipe to that favorite dish or meal you love so much around the holidays. Maybe you can even decide to spend some time with your family or friends and make it a bonding experience.
2. Game Night
No matter how old you get board games and card games never really go out of style. Host a game night at your house and instead of doing the usual Cards Against Humanity bring out the original Monopoly or Jenga. You might lose so friends after a couple of games but it’s nothing pizza and ice cream can’t fix.
3. Shopping
I never thought retail therapy was real until I started college and realized that it is absolutely a way to clear your mind. Now, depending on your budget, shopping should not be an everyday necessity but you could certainly make it into a weekend extravaganza. Go through your closet and get rid of items you haven’t worn in forever. Once you get rid of some things replenish them by updating your wardrobe. Your bank account might not thank you, but your closet will be happy and the need to get on social media will not even cross your mind.
4. Cleaning
This may not be the ideal way to spend your time away from social media but it is an easy way to consume your attention. Go ahead and vacuum your rug and rearrange that messy shelf in your room that needs to be dusted. Sleeping in a clean room makes for a better night’s rest and makes it easier to find your stuff when you need it.
5. Movie Marathon
Treat your at home movie experience as if you were in a theater and place your phone on silent and enjoy the movie. Find a series or maybe even favorite actor or director and watch three or more of their films. If you have never seen all of the Harry Potter movies they take up a whole day so indulge yourself in so wizardry.
It is amazing to think about all of the connection tools we have right at our fingertips, but sometimes we have to back away and take a breather. Social media can get overwhelming so there is nothing wrong with unhooking ourselves from the online world and finding other ways to spend our time.