Why You Should Disconnect From Facebook Messenger

Be honest: do you ever take the time to disconnect from Facebook Messenger and your other social media apps? Now, we invite you to sit back, relax, and unplug! Facebook Messenger is a great tool for communicating and reaching out to friends and family. So great, in fact, that 1.3 million people use it monthly. Needless to say, it is a pretty popular form of communication. There are times, however, that we need to take the time to disconnect from social media platforms and log out of Facebook. If you have wondered, “how do you log out of Messenger?” (without just losing your Facebook Messenger login) we’ve got the answer for you. You don’t have to deactivate your Facebook account to disconnect from FB Messenger!

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What is Facebook Messenger?

If you keep up with the ever-changing world of social media, you probably know that Facebook is one of the top companies. With 2.74 billion active users, Facebook dominates most other social media platforms in terms of users. On average, Facebook users spend about thirty-four minutes a day on the app. To put things into perspective, that is about 12,410 minutes a year.

Facebook Messenger is a popular American messaging app and platform developed by Facebook. It was originally developed as Facebook Chat in 2008, but the company chose to revamp the app in 2010. On the app, users have the ability to send and exchange messages, photographs, videos, stickers, audio, and files. The app also gives users the option to interact with bots. Additionally, the app also supports audio and video calls. They are essentially a one-stop-shop for any kind of communication you could ever want.

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The Importance of Disconnecting

As a society, we have a very heavy dependence on technology in our daily lives. So much so, in fact, that we need to take the time to debrief from our social media platforms. Technology has the power to do wonderful things, but just like anything it has the power to negatively affect people. At times, we need to remind ourselves that our technology addiction may be overbearing, but we always have to power to turn it off at a moment’s notice. With that being said, here a few reasons to disconnect from Facebook messenger, but also other social media sites every once in a while.

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1. Powering Down Helps Remove Feelings of Loneliness, Jealousy, and Envy

As Facebook reaches more and more of an audience, researchers are making shocking discoveries. Studies have shown that one in three people actually feel worse about their lives after visiting their social media platforms. At times, it is impossible to resist the urge to compare our lives to the people that we follow. This internalized comparison can lead to strong feelings of loneliness, jealousy, and envy. Ultimately, our unintentional comparisons have the ability to lead us to low feelings of self-worth. At the end of the day, no kind of social media is worth that internalized self-depreciation. If you find that you are starting to feel this way while scrolling through social media, it might be time to take a break.

2. Unplugging Combats FOMO

Fear of missing out; we all know it and we have all experienced it. At times it feels impossible not to be upset when you know you are missing out on a good time with your friends. Have considered the fact that you would not experience this phenomenon if you simply did not see when other people were hanging out? As social creatures, many of us always want to be a part of the fun and take it personally when others make plans without us. This leads to low feelings of self-worth.

3. At Times, We Need Solitude

In order to function as human beings, we all need our time alone. This is extremely hard to find when we live in a world where people are constantly connected, especially when you are constantly receiving messages on apps like Facebook Messenger. Nobody can fully function if they constantly feel pressured to communicate with everyone they know. That’s just a fact. Now, it may be easy to overlook this basic human need, but it is a very important factor in keeping us all sane. With that being said, we encourage you to take some time for yourself every day without a screen shining in your face or noise blasting in your ears. You might be pleasantly surprised to find the peace that can come with disconnecting from Facebook Messenger.

4.Life is Happening Right in Front of You

This is a concept that can be extremely hard to grasp. With so much constantly happening on social media, it can be hard to remember that the life people choose to display and communicate over social media platforms is not real. Not only is it not real, but it virtually has no effect on you. It is crucial to remind ourselves that the life other people choose to display on their social media does not change our own. Not unless you let it. At the end of the day, life is happening right in front of us, not on the screen of our phones.

5. We Can Only Understand our Addiction to Technology When it is Taken Away

If you choose to take a break from your social media platforms, you might notice that you habitually reach for your phone even when you do not mean to. Our bodies have become so accustomed to picking up our phones and checking our notifications that it literally becomes second nature. It is necessary for us to break these habits that are starting to define us. It is time to stop allowing apps like Facebook Messenger to dictate our every move.

How to Logout of Facebook Messenger 

Now, if you are willing to take the plunge and disconnect, here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to turn off your own Facebook Messenger (without having to delete the app entirely!)

1. Open the Facebook Messenger app.

2. Tap the ‘People’ icon on the bottom right of the home page.

3. Click on your profile on the upper left-hand side of the screen.

4. Find the option that says ‘Active Status’.

5. Tap the green switch to turn off chat and appear inactive. You can tap the button again to turn chat back on.

It just that simple to close Messenger!

How to Restore Access to Facebook Messenger

So, you’ve taken your break, but now you’re ready to head back to your Facebook Messenger login and get back to it. You’ll have to go back through your security and login. Here’s how:

First, find the app on your phone. Then, enter your phone number or email address, and then your password. Click Log In, and you’re done! If you’ve forgotten your password, or need a new account, there are options for both of those, too.

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Taking Care of Yourself When You Disconnect from Facebook Messenger

Choosing to take a break from social media platforms is not always an easy decision to make. It can be extremely difficult to remove ourselves from the curated world we see every single day. In times like this, it is important to remind ourselves that we all need a break. It is impossible and unrealistic to put these kinds of harsh expectations on ourselves every single day.

What to Do After You’ve Disconnected

As silly as this may seem, the amount of time that you can free up from taking a break from social media can be overwhelming. We’ve conditioned ourselves to spend every ounce of free time we have on our phones, so it is time to reprogram. Instead of sitting on your phone, here are some alternative activities you can do.

Read a Book

When is the last time you sat down and carved out the time to finish a book? For many of us, it is extremely difficult to find the time to read a book from start to finish. Without constant use of technology, we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a different world. Reading is a great way to take a temporary escape from our hectic lives.

Find a New Hobby

That’s right! Teach yourself something new. This could be something like gardening, rollerskating, writing, cooking, and so much more. Hobbies are a more productive way to fill our time because they are both stimulating and relaxing. In addition to that, hobbies open us up to a world of new possibilities. They allow us to connect with people that we might not have the opportunity to connect with.

Go Outside

All of the time spent scrolling through our social media platforms and responding to messages on apps like Facebook can be spent out in nature! If you have access to a public park or outdoor space, try to carve some time out of your day to be outdoors. Researches have found that nature simply makes us happier. Anxiety, depression, anger, and feelings of loneliness are notably decreased after being outsoors.

Meet With a Friend

So often we worry about our friends and what they are doing over social media. A healthier alternative to communicating with the people we love is to meet up with them in person! Having time to socialize with our friends in person is cathartic and far more meaningful. Next time you do not know how to occupy your social media-free time, call up that friend you have been thinking about and ask them out for a cup of coffee!

At times it may seem hard to disconnect from Facebook Messenger and other sites, but it is one of the biggest breaks we can give ourselves. Unplugging from social media is not only helpful but necessary to keep ourselves sane. Now that you have all of this useful information, it is time to sit back and give yourself a break!

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FAQ:

  • What is Facebook Messenger?
  • How do I turn off the chat on Facebook Messenger?
  • Why is it important for me to take a break from social media?
  • What are some healthy self-care practices?
  • What kinds of effects does social media have?

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