Social Media and Mental Health
This article is a little bit different from my usual content. It's more of a personal update about something I've been trying out recently. But I'm hoping it will resonate with some of you and maybe even inspire you to try something similar.
One of the things I wrote about in my book, The Web Dev's Guide to Freelancing, is the importance of having a healthy work-life balance. I also wrote about the importance of setting boundaries, how to set them, and how to stick to them. Boundaries help you to avoid burnout and maintain your mental health. But sometimes, it's hard to do that when your phone is constantly buzzing with notifications.
I don't know about you, but my phone is always buzzing with notifications. Messages, group chats, social media updates, emails, and on, and on, and on... It's a never-ending stream of information and distractions. This makes it really difficult to maintain those boundaries because I'm constantly being pulled back into work mode.
Distractions During the Day
For example, during a workday, I could be in the middle of a task, and I would receive a notification from X or LinkedIn. I'll check it, and then I'll get distracted. Before I know it, I've spent 10 minutes scrolling through my feed, and I've lost my focus. It's crazy how quickly that can happen. It then takes me another 10-15 minutes to get back into the flow of what I was doing. So that one notification has just cost me 20-25 minutes of productivity.
Starting the Day Feeling Anxious
As well as this, I sometimes wake up to 10+ emails and 30+ notifications from X and LinkedIn, all of which need thoughtful responses. Now that might not sound like a lot to some people, but for me, it's a lot. It means that I can sometimes start my day feeling overwhelmed and anxious. It adds a mental note to my to-do list that I NEED to reply to them all. If I reply to them first thing in the morning, it can take quite a lot of mental energy. But if I leave them until later in the day, I can sometimes forget about them, and then they pile up. Plus, I'm still aware of them in the back of my mind, which then leads to even more anxiety.
Distractions Outside of Work Hours
After I've finished work for the day and I'm trying to relax, I might receive a notification from one of my social media apps. And since I see programming as both a job and a hobby, I'll often check it out of curiosity. Before I know it, I've spent another 20-30 minutes scrolling through my feed, and I've lost my relaxation time. This can make it really difficult to unwind and disconnect from work. This is especially bad when I'm ignoring my family in order to check my phone.
Now, this isn't to say that I don't enjoy using social media or messaging apps. I do. In fact, I attribute a lot of my freelancing success to social media. It's helped me to grow my business, get more clients, and talk to people around the world. I've made a huge number of friends through social media.
But I also need to be intentional about how I use it rather than mindlessly scrolling through my feed. Otherwise, I risk blurring the lines between work and personal time again.
Comparing Myself to Others
As well as the distractions, social media can sometimes make me feel like I'm falling behind. In one post, I'll see "I've just launched product XYZ", and in another post, I'll see "I've just landed a $50k/month client". And you know what, I absolutely love seeing these kinds of posts (assuming they're genuine). I love seeing people doing well and achieving their goals, and it makes me really happy for them. But at the same time, it can also make me feel like I'm not doing enough. Like I'm falling behind. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. And that's not a good place to be in. I can sit there in bed (because I'm checking my phone as I'm falling asleep) thinking to myself, "Why can't I be doing that?", "What product or service can I build that'll make me a ton of money?", "Why am I not as successful as they are?". It's a dangerous game to play in your own head. It makes it really hard for me to switch off mentally and relax because I'm constantly thinking about what I should be doing next to "catch up".
Writing this down now (after I've been doing my digital detox for a few months), it sounds so stupid. But it's true. And I know I'm not the only one who feels like this.
Muting notifications
So, in January 2025, I trialled muting all my social media and work-related notifications on my phone for a month. That meant no more notifications from X, LinkedIn, Discord, Slack, or Telegram.
I could have bought a second phone and used it solely for work, but that wouldn't have solved the problem of being distracted by notifications (I'd just have shifted it to a different device). Plus, I don't want to carry around two phones. So muting the notifications on my current phone was the next best thing.
What I Noticed After Muting Notifications
This is where things started getting interesting for me.
I noticed that muting the notifications helped a lot. It massively reduced the amount of time I spent on social media, and I felt better for it. I was opening the apps on my own terms, rather than being pulled in by notifications.
But I also noticed I was still checking my phone more than I should have been. The addictive nature of the apps meant I was still being drawn to them. The first thing I would do in the morning is check on X and LinkedIn. And when I say first thing, I literally mean the first thing. I'd wake up, roll over in bed, and grab my phone off the bedside table to check it. I feel so stupid even writing that down. But it's true. I'd also check it last thing at night before going to sleep.
I'd find myself even checking them when walking my dog. I'd be out for a walk, enjoying the fresh air, and then out of habit, I'd reach for my phone to check X or LinkedIn. But it's not like I was joining in on conversations or replying to messages. I was just mindlessly scrolling through my feed.
Deleting the Apps
I only use social media for work-related reasons now. But a few years ago, I trialled deleting all my personal social media apps. I found Instagram, in particular, was having a huge negative impact on my mental health. I was constantly comparing myself to others, which made me feel bad about myself. So I deleted it from my phone, and it had a huge positive impact for me!
In May 2025, I decided to take things a step further. I deleted all the social media and work-related apps from my phone.
If it worked for Instagram, maybe it would work for X and LinkedIn, too?
The idea behind deleting the apps from my phone (and not deleting the accounts altogether) is that I can still use them on my computer, but I won't be able to quickly access them on my phone. So I can still use them when I want to, but it'll require a bit more effort. Scrolling through a feed on a computer is a lot less convenient (and somehow less addictive for me) than doing it on a phone.
I made a deal with myself: if I got to the end of the month and felt it was negatively impacting my business, I could always reinstall the apps. But I wanted to see how I felt without them first.
It's now been just over 6 months since I deleted the apps from my phone, and I wish I'd have done it sooner!
What I Noticed After Deleting the Apps
For the first few days, I found myself randomly reaching for my phone to check X and LinkedIn. Muscle memory kicked in and I instinctively unlocked my phone, scrolled to where the app icons would have been, and then realised it wasn't there. Each time I did this, I had the feeling of "Huh, I forgot I deleted that.". I'd then just put my phone down again and carry on with what I was doing before.
But after a few weeks, I stopped doing that. In fact, I stopped reaching for my phone altogether, except to watch YouTube videos or listen to music.
In general, I've felt more relaxed and have managed to separate work and personal time much better. Of course, I still think about web development and programming outside of work hours, but that's totally cool. I enjoy it and see it as a hobby. But I'm not being pulled into work mode by notifications or the addictive nature of social media apps, unless I actively choose to go upstairs to my computer and do so.
Not having the apps on my phone has felt like a digital detox.
I plan to keep the apps off my phone for the foreseeable future. I might reinstall them at some point, but for now, I intend to keep them off my phone and enjoy the digital silence.
It's been nice to have a break from the constant stream of notifications and distractions. It's helped me to focus on what's important and be more present in the moment, especially with family and friends.
Of course, it hasn't solved my issue about actually replying to messages and comments on X and LinkedIn. But it's helped to remove the anxiety and stress of knowing that they're there. Until I actually sit down at my computer and open the sites, I don't know if there are notifications waiting for me. And that's a good thing, because it means I'm not constantly thinking about them.
Apps Trying to Pull Me Back In
One thing I noticed after deleting the apps is that X and LinkedIn are still trying to pull me back in. For example, after uninstalling the apps, I started getting emails from them with messages like "XYZ has just posted an update", "Connect with ABC", or "You have new notifications".
Each time I got one of these emails, I went to the site on my computer and muted that notification type.
But then I started getting a different type of email from LinkedIn. If I went on to the LinkedIn site and replied to a message or comment, I'd get an email within seconds saying "LinkedIn is better on the app". Of course, these just get muted too.
But it's been really interesting to see how much they're trying to pull me back in.
Try it Yourself?
Maybe what I've said resonates with you? Or, maybe, this article is just me rambling on about something that doesn't interest you at all.
Either way, I'm glad I've written it down because it's helped me to process my thoughts and experiences. And I'd be interested to see if I still feel the same in another year or so.
But if you do feel like social media is having a negative impact on your mental health, maybe you could try muting the notifications on your phone for a week or two and see how you feel. Or, if you're feeling brave, you could delete the apps from your phone for a month.
Our brains all work differently, so what works for me might not work for you. But it's worth a try if you're feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
Either way, I hope you're doing well and taking care of your mental health. It's so important, especially in today's world where we're constantly connected to our devices.
Thanks for reading!
Keep on building awesome stuff 🚀
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