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Unplugged: A Social Media Detox

Earlier this year I decided to give up Facebook for 40 days. This is not the first time I’ve done this. I’ve had periods where…

by  [email protected]

Earlier this year I decided to give up Facebook for 40 days. This is not the first time I’ve done this. I’ve had periods where I deactivated my Facebook for even longer amounts of time. For me, it’s always been a time waster. But this year, I realized that Facebook wasn’t just time killer but it actually brought a lot of unhealthy habits into my life.

Facebook has changed. It used to be just about sharing photos, engagements, babies, puppies, graduations etc. Now there are ads, news platforms, memes and just a lot of straight up junk. And I know there is a way to ‘unfollow’ or ‘dismiss’ a lot of these features but at certain times, it felt like I could not escape. I knew I had to give myself a break. So I did.

After about two weeks, I felt like I had more clarity, focus and time surrounding me. But I also noticed that I had transitioned my obsessive-like scrolling from Facebook to Instagram and Twitter. I realized at that moment that I just needed to Shut.It.Down. I needed a break from every social media platform I was on.

So for the next 7 days, I didn’t have access to my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat. And you know what? I didn’t feel bored. I didn’t feel lonely. I didn’t feel isolated. Quite the contrary actually. I filled my time with listening to podcasts, going to the park, cooking, meditating, reading and really enjoying the people who were physically present with me. But the greatest shift of all was that I felt more connected to myself.

Were the first few days difficult? Not going to lie, yes. It’s really uncomfortable when you’re waiting for your drink at Starbucks and you have to just stand there and watch the people around you instead of taking a quick scroll through Instagram. I realized I was too comfortable filling my uncomfortable moments with the comfort of my phone. And how does that help me in long run? It doesn’t. I began to look back at some of the most transformative times in my life and you know what they all had in common? I was deeply uncomfortable. Whether it was in the form of pain, anxiousness, angst or failure – I was downright “want to jump out of this skin” uncomfortable. I couldn’t keep using my phone as some type of crutch to get me through the difficult moments. It wasn’t improving my life at all. My obsession to my phone was more like that old wives tale our grandma’s told us about drinking coffee at a young age – it was stunting my growth.

Another weird thing happened. I noticed that people have this expectation of you to know what’s going on in their lives based on what they post on social media. As if their post is a way to replace the actual conversation that you might have. A perfect of example of this is during my detox, my friend adopted a new dog. I was texting her about some Thai place I wanted to check out and then she randomly goes “Didn’t you see the new pictures of my dog?” Um NO? We think that we can post something on social media and the reaction or conversation we want will inadvertently come from our friends and family. This is a ridiculous expectation to set for the people in our lives. So now, if I have news to share, I make an effort to call, text or set up a lunch date. I’ve learned to ask questions like “What’s new?” instead of “What’s up?” Anything to really establish a connection with the person on the other of the phone or the table.

I should let you know now, I’m not against social media. I don’t want to delete all my accounts. I think social media has some really great qualities. It’s connected me to some friends from all walks of life and from all around the world. It’s great for smaller companies who are trying to promote their brands. I am all for it. But sometimes social media can feel like that San Francisco fog where it’s super difficult to see the light. That’s when I know I need to get out of town, lift my head from my phone and take a breather.

Doing a 7-day detox from social media was super gratifying. So much so that I decided to go social media free on the weekends. Yup. You heard me. Social media FREE. Granted, I don’t do this every single weekend but I’ve learned to check in with myself to see if I do need a break.

 

Here are a few tips that have helped me stay off social media for those blissful 48 hours.

Turn the cellular data off for the social media apps

If you have an iPhone, you can go into your settings and turn off the data for each social media app that you have on your phone. This is way easier than deleting the app every weekend and then re-downloading once the weekend is over. I would also suggest blocking the websites on your computer. Google Chrome as some great site blockers in the app store!

Put your phone in the other room

This is super easy. Simply put your phone in the other room. I like to place my phone in the kitchen to charge. (I’m one of those people who forgets to charge their phone until it’s at 5% so it’s kind of killing two birds with one stone) I try to do this for every meal that I have as well. If I’m out with friends, I might leave my phone in the car. If I’m at home, I’ll just leave it in the kitchen or in my bedroom. I promise you…you still have all your limbs. It just feels a little weird at first.

Make some plans yo’!

Making plans is a super important step! I’m not suggesting that you go out and spend a bunch of money on activities for the weekend. If at the very least, I download a few podcasts that I’ve been wanting to listen to. I’ll look on my bookshelf for a book I haven’t read in awhile.  I’ll find a new series on Netflix. I’ll make dinner plans. I’ll go see a movie. I’ll try to prep some meals for the following week. I’ve randomly been super into puzzles lately? It’s weird but also super rewarding. It’s much easier to break a habit when you replace the time that you would normally spend doing the habit with something else – preferably something healthy.

Breathe and be mindful

This is the easiest of all! If you’re anything like me, you probably lack major self-control. I would find myself sitting on the couch or at a restaurant and I would be scrolling through my Twitter feed. Aimlessly. Mindlessly. Shamelessly. I would realize 5 minutes later that I was doing this and throw a fit. (Hence why I literally had to turn on the data and block the sites) I began to understand how addictive my phone was. Each time I would go to my Instagram app and see the little error: “No Internet Connection” I smiled and felt a sense of gratitude for the reminder to be mindful and present. If the urge to check my phone came up, I would simply take a deep breathe and be mindful of where I was at, who I was with and what I was feeling.

At the end of the weekend of no social media, I always feel more aligned with myself. I’m able to focus. I feel a bit lighter. I am more clear headed. Just overall – I feel great and ready to tackle anything this week throws at me!

Be Well,
Bree

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61 comments

  1. I did a social media detox this year too! It was AMAZING! Really helped to reset my emotions, I even started reading a few books on the dangers of social media and digital addiction and it is REALLY scary to know the amount of $ that is spent to keep us addicted to our screens. I used to think it was some sort of personal issue that I wanted to be on my phone all the time but now I understand that it’s all marketing and psychology!

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