How would your life change if you took a 30-day social media detox? For 30 days, I gave up all forms of social media and found that my life was fuller without it.
This blog post discusses the benefits of taking time off from social media and how to plan out your detox so that you can enjoy the experience fully.
30-day Social media detox benefits
Is your social media feed getting a little too negative? Do you find yourself scrolling through posts of people’s lives, feeling jealous and inadequate?
Taking some time away from the negativity can do wonders for your mental health, but other benefits come with taking this break.
Increased Mood
Social media can be a great way to stay connected with friends and family, but it’s also filled with many distractions.
When you take time off from social media, your mind can focus more on the task at hand and not get distracted by other people’s posts.
Increased Productivity
Social media detox allows you to assess what tasks you need to accomplish to be productive each day.
Whether it’s planning out your meals for the week, working on a project at work, or finishing up an assignment that is due soon, you will find yourself completing tasks faster when you’re not distracted by social media.
Increased Creativity
When I was taking my social media detox challenge, I found myself more engaged in creative activities.
Whether playing the guitar or reading a new book, my mind became focused on other things besides social media as I took time off from the platform.
Increased awareness
Taking a break from social media allows you to see the world around you in more detail.
When we are constantly checking our feeds, it is easy to be looking down at our phones, missing out on the beauty of nature and other things happening around us.
Increased focus
When we aren’t scrolling through endless posts about what others are doing, we can focus more on the things we are doing.
Whether it is getting work done, studying or spending time with our loved ones, focusing on one task at a time can make all the difference!
Decreased stress levels
Social media increases anxiety and depression in young adults. By taking a break from this, you can reduce your stress levels and enjoy life more!
Increased self-awareness
Social media can be a way for people to put up an image of their life that isn’t real.
Taking a break from this allows you the opportunity to focus on who you are and what matters most in your life.
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Decreased feelings of envy
Scrolling through our feeds, we often see people doing things we wish we were doing ourselves or having fun experiences with those closest to them.
This causes us to feel envious at times, but taking a break gives us time away from these emotions as well!
More free time
When we aren’t spending so much time online, especially if we take it upon ourselves not to check social media until later during the day, there is more free time on other things.
Spend more time with friends and family, go for a walk or run outside, enjoy some alone time- the possibilities are endless!
Increased self-esteem
By taking this break from social media, you will be able to feel better about yourself and those around you.
Spending less time online allows us to focus on the closest people to us, feeling more fulfilled in our relationships with others.
Decreased anxiety
Social media is known for causing increased levels of stress and anxiety in its users.
Taking a break can decrease these feelings to help you feel better about yourself and your life!
30 days of social media detox plan
To enjoy your social media cleanse, follow these steps
Delete all social media apps
Uninstall all forms of social media from your phone and computers so that you cannot access them.
If you have a hard time staying off the apps over several days at a time, delete your usernames entirely to make it harder for you to access them.
Make a list of replacement habits
This can include reading a book, going for a walk in nature or calling one of your close friends. Make the list realistic and achievable so that you can follow through with it.
Set a start date and time
When choosing the date for your social media detox, make sure that you choose a time when NOTHING is happening in your personal or professional life.
This means that no significant events, holidays or parties are taking place. This way, you can focus entirely on your social media detox and allow yourself space to feel the detox effects.
Commit
Place a block on yourself for the duration of the detox (no access to any social media accounts)
Commit yourself that you will not go back on this block until the end of your detox
Commit to the detox, and do not go back on your decision. It can be helpful to tell a friend about this commitment to make you accountable.
Social media detoxes are more manageable if you delete all social media apps on your phone and computer.
Be aware
Track how you feel throughout the detox by taking note of your energy levels, moods and the quality of your interactions with others.
Take note of how you feel throughout the process of your social media detox. Notice how your interactions with others change and how you think.
Get a reward
Reward yourself for sticking to the detox (optional). If you complete a full 30 days, reward yourself with a new book or going on a walk alone.
This way, you know that you have completed the detox and can feel great about yourself.
Start slow
When the detox is over, slowly add social media back into your life. Start small with one or two platforms.
This helps you re-adjust to social media and prevents it from taking over your life again.
Reflect on your social media use
After you’ve completed your one month of not using social media, sit down and reflect on what your life was like before you started.
Did you feel more present at the moment? What did you do with the time that you previously spent scrolling through social media?
By taking this step, you can gain more insight into healthily using social media.
Create new boundaries
After the 30 days of detoxing from using all forms of social media for an entire month is over, it’s essential to create new boundaries around using social media to make sure you don’t go back into old patterns.
For example, set a rule that when you are with your family or friends, the phone must be put away and out of sight until everyone is finished eating their meal together.
Or, if someone asks for your phone number at an event, give them verbal permission to call or text you. This way, you remain in control of what information is shared about yourself and how it’s given to others.
Create rules for future use
After the detox month ends, set up new boundaries that work well with your lifestyle to make sure that you continue using social media responsibly and mindfully.
For example, only allow yourself to use social media from a specific time of day until another. Or limit your scrolling through your newsfeed to 30 minutes twice a day and then set up designated times throughout the week that you will check in on any critical updates or messages.
You can find balance with how much social media is used in your daily life by doing this.
Reclaim your time
One of the most significant benefits of taking a break from social media was getting back hours each day to do other things with my time.
Having extra time can help you spend more quality moments with friends and family. You can also take up new hobbies or find ways to make additional income for yourself.
Conclusion
It is essential to take breaks from social media every once in a while. You also have to be mindful when using it not to get too consumed by what people are posting online.
If you want to detox for one month, follow these steps so that you can have fun while enjoying being off of all forms of social media!
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