Journal Prompts for Social Media Breaks

Use these journal prompts to guide you through your social media break. They were designed to help you create new positive habits and gain awareness of your relationship with social media on a deeper level. 

Start with a Brain Dump

Start by doing a brain dump. I talk about this a lot. Because I do it a lot. Sometimes you just can’t stop those racing thoughts and the best thing you can do is get all of them out of your brain. 

Spend 5-10 minutes writing down every single thought that comes into your brain. Every thought, worry, fear, or judgment. Get it out. So we can move forward.

Journal Prompts for Before Your Social Media Break

• Why do you want to take a break from social media?
• What do you hope to gain from a break?
• How do you want to use the time you will gain from not scrolling?
• How long will your break be?
• What positive habit will you try to turn to whenever you (naturally) want to scroll?
• What will you gain from that positive habit?
• Are there any activities or hobbies you’d like to lean into more or learn during your break?
• How do these activities make you feel? (Having awareness of the benefit to you is key.)
• Think about how you want to feel, the habits you’ll have formed, and the new perspective you’ll be returning to social media with. Visualize what that looks like and feels like.
• How can you find meaningful ways to connect with others (one of the benefits of social media)?

Journal Prompts to use During Your Social Media Break

• How are you feeling being away from social media?
• It is harder than you expected?
• Are there any unexpected emotions that have come up?
• What challenges are you facing?
• What are you doing instead of scrolling?
• How has your daily routine changed since leaving social media?
• Reflect on how you are using your time during this break.
• Has your perspective on social media changed now that you’ve had some time away?
• How does it feel to be “disconnected”?
• Are you experiencing any FOMO (fear of missing out)?
• How are you coping with those feelings?
• Have your sleep habits changed after removing social media from your routine?

Journal Prompts for After your Social Media Break

• Has your perspective on social media changed now that you’ve had some time away?
• What kind of influence does social media have on your mental health, productivity, or just life in general?
• How does social media impact your view of yourself? Or the way you speak to yourself?
• How did it feel to be “disconnected”?
• What did you learn about yourself in this experience?
• What positive changes have you seen in your mental health, life, or relationships?
• What other benefits did you experience as a result of this break?
• How will you use social media differently now that you’ve taken a break and intentionally unpacked your relationship with it?
• What will you be mindful of in the future to have a healthy relationship with social media?