6 ways to curb your social media addiction during these uncertain times.

6 ways to curb yur social media addiction during these uncertain times.6 ways to curb your social media addiction during these uncertain times.If youve spent the last couple weeks glued to the internet in anticipation of what part of the world will signal trouble next, youre not alone. Uncertainty is making Americans all kinds of queasy.Yet, while the breaking news continues to be more distracting, we cant seem to tear ourselves away from it - especially on our social media platforms, where 62% of Americans get their news.Herein lies the problem for anyone trying to be a productive member of society right now the decision between connecting with friends and family and talking about news on social media, and keeping your sanity.Of course, social media was already a hindrance to productivity long before any governmental upheaval. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Bergen, social media use during work hours can negatively impact overall performance.Now that many of us are obsessively watching Twitter for updates, or going down deep news wormholes on Facebook, that impact can only grow.So how do we break the cycle and still remain informed citizens? Here are 6 tips that have worked for fellow sufferers.1. Make social media harder to access.A food-based analogy - if you want to keep yourself from eating an entire jar of Nutella (because you know youll feel terrible if you do), put it out of arms reach. In social media terms, this means delete all your social media app from your devices. Youll also want to logout to give yourself another step to getting back on. Boston writer Jenni Gritters managed to stay off for a week thanks to this method - although, she notes, it was really hard2.If you have to stay connected, give yourself limits.Remember when your parents set limits on TV watching when you were a kid? Whelp, now youve got to set your own. An hour a day after work is a safe parameter - but if you find that difficult to adhere to, try drumherum stretches of time where you dont check, but make sure theyre specific - like no social media before 11am and after 5pm on weekdays.Keeping your phone/computer far away, like in another room, definitely helps in keeping these resolutions.3.Replace one addiction with a less harmful one.If scrolling withdrawal is getting to you, turn to an app that wont suck you into an anxiety hole, like Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube. Afraid youll see scary, politically-related comments on YouTube videos? Writer Heather Libby swears by Herp Derp - a plugin that effectively blocks them for you.4.Separate yourself from your screens.This is perhaps the most effective (and healthy) way Ive found to quell the gnawing need to constantly check in with the state of the world.Take a walk outside while leaving your phone behind hang out with friends exercise read an actual, physical book or even fire up your Kindle without the wireless access and check out that new book youve been putting off rea ding. Its about redirecting that almost instinctive impulse to open social media at work into an activity that will replenish you rather than drain you.5. Cant do it on your own? Enlist outside help.Make a pact with your friends and co-workers to be each others social media watchdogs. If thats not enough, there are several apps you can download that will lock you out of specified websites for a stipulated period of time including Self Control and Freedom. One app called Offtime even lets you customize do not disturb mode so youre still reachable in case of emergencies.6. Keep up with the news - on your termsCurtailing social media doesnt mean you have to stay uninformed, or if youre politically active, give up on your involvement. Once you sign back on, try curating your feeds with more specific news groups or action-oriented groups and lists - anything from your local soup kitchen to parents groups in your local school district. More often than not, theyll be posting about the di fference theyre making rather than distributing alarming headlines. Wouldnt you rather be inspired by social change during your workday, rather than beaten down by an endless cycle of news that hurts your motivation?It may sound counterintuitive, but unplugging occasionally is the only way you can effectively move forward during these uncertaintimes. Its known as self-care. The important news will still get to you, but youll be much more equipped to handle it.