Lately, Facebook is adding new features aimed at protecting and improving the mental health of its users. Instagram already has a Restrict feature that allows you to take on bullies and mute any social interaction with them on the platform. Along the same lines, Facebook brought the “Take a Break” feature a while ago and lets you virtually mute any user without having to unfriend or block them. It could especially help in situations where a relationship has gone sour, or you have some disagreements with a user. So if you want to learn how to take a break from someone on Facebook, follow our guide below.
Take a Break From Someone on Facebook (2021)
Here, we have explained everything about this Facebook feature in great detail. You can use the table of contents below to navigate to the relevant section:Table Of Contents
What Happens After You Take a Break From Someone on Facebook?
- First off, when you choose to take a break from someone on Facebook, the individual won’t know about the changes that you have made on your side.
- After you take a break from someone, you will not see his/ her posts on your News Feed. Apart from that, Facebook also limits what that individual can see on your timeline. You can edit the privacy settings of your past posts with that individual and limit who can see those posts on Facebook.
- Take a break feature is pretty helpful on Facebook, especially when you have gone through a relationship change. However, you can use this feature for anyone, be it your friend, family member, or acquaintance.
- In the future, if you want to remove all the limitations from that individual, you can very well take off those restrictions in a few clicks.
How to Take a Break From Someone on Facebook
- Using Mobile Browser
1. If you are using Facebook on a mobile web browser, open the profile of the individual you want to mute. Then, tap on the “Friends” icon next to the “Message” button. After that, tap on the “Take a Break” option.
The steps that follow have been detailed underneath. Facebook will present you with a set of privacy options to limit what the other user can and cannot see on your profile. It is also where you select if you want their posts to appear in your News Feed or not. This way you can easily take a break from someone on Facebook.
- Using Facebook App
1. In case you are using the Facebook app, open the individual’s profile and tap on the “Friends” button. Then choose “Take a Break” from the pop-up menu.
3. Once you do that, you will see a list of options to help you customize the user’s activity on Facebook in relation to you. First, tap on “See Options” under the “See less of X” section and choose “Limit where you see X”. After that, tap on “Save”. That will limit the individual’s posts or tagged posts on your News Feed and Timeline. Besides, you will also not be prompted to message the individual or tag photos matching their facial data.
4. Next, tap on “See Options” under the “Limit what X will see” section. Here, choose “Hide your posts from X” and tap on “Save”. This action will put the individual on the Restricted List, and they won’t be able to see or interact with any of your posts. Bear in mind if you have tagged the individual or have published a post publicly, the person can see those posts. You will be on a break on Facebook going forward.
5. Finally, tap on “See options” under the “Edit who can see past posts” section. Here, select “Edit all of my posts and posts that I’m tagged in” and tap on “Save”. This feature will limit the visibility of all your posts where you and the individual are tagged in. Meaning those posts won’t be visible even to your friends, except to other people who are also tagged in those posts. Besides that, you will be untagged from the individual’s posts and vice versa. Finally, if you have posted anything on the individual’s timeline, it will be deleted and vice versa.
6. If you want to reverse all the changes later, tap on “Take a break” again from the user’s profile. Then, open the specific sections and restore the changes, enabling them to interact with you and see your posts. If you are wondering how long does take a break last on Facebook, let me clarify that there is no limit. You will have to make the changes manually to undo all the restrictions.
Take a Break on Facebook to Improve Your Mental Health
So that is how you can take advantage of the “Take a Break” feature on Facebook to find peace with someone you have disagreements with. It will not unfriend or block the user but will virtually remove the user from your social circle online. Moreover, if you are worried about others snooping on you, you can lock your Facebook profile in a few simple steps. Now if you have any questions, comment them down below.