Taking a social media detox is one of the best things you can do if you are feeling overwhelmed. I have done it a couple of times, and every time I do it, I feel really good. I think one of my main worries was missing out on what is happening or what my friends are doing, but once you take a break from social media and return, you soon realize you didn’t miss much. 

Today I am going to share five things I have earned during my social media breaks and why I think everyone should experience it, at least once.

Boost in productivity

This benefit I think is the most useful when it comes to getting work done. I knew I lost a lot of time scrolling through social media but it was not till I completely stop using them for a while that I realize how much. Sometimes, social media influences my mood, so during my breaks I find myself in a better mood which helps my productivity.  

I also noticed the boost during my study time. When using social media while studying, I tend to get easily distracted, or if I take study breaks it takes me a lot of time to get focus again. Without social media the experience was completely different for me, I didn’t feel the need to constantly check my phone which helped me concentrate better on what I was doing. Also, during my study break, I would do other things such as preparing myself a cup of tea or cleaning my desk and with this type of activity, it was way easier to get back to studying.

More time outside

I have always wanted to spend more time outside but rarely do. My break from social media was the perfect opportunity to do so and helped me feel more motivated overall. I found myself just sitting in my backyard listening to the birds and the wind which felt soothing and calming. I also took evening walks with my dad, which was an awesome activity. 

Better sleep

This is one of the biggest advantages of taking a social media detox. I check social media especially at night when I’m about to go to sleep and immediately after I wake up, and even though I have read before that it is not the best thing to do, I just couldn’t stop doing it. So during that period when I didn’t have social media, I started reading before going to sleep; and, this improved my sleep so much because I would fall asleep better. And in the mornings it made a huge difference as well as not checking social media to the way I started my day.

Not checking my phone before going to sleep and immediately after waking up were habits that I’ve maintained even after my social media break because of how notorious the difference was in my daily life.

More free time

I’ve already talked a little about this in productivity, but I want to emphasize how I found myself with more time to do other hobbies but previously never seemed to find the space to do them. These hobbies include playing the guitar and reading more. I realize that it is not that I didn’t have the time but that I was prioritizing other things that didn’t make me feel as good as when I practice my hobbies and do my favorite activities. 

If you don’t have any clear hobby you want to dedicate more time for, a social media detox might also help you find one.

Mindfulness

I left this one till the end because it is most important to me. During the period I was disconnected from social media I felt more connected with the real world something hard for me to do back in quarantine. I realized how I had a habit of checking my phone randomly when doing other activities. For example, if I was watching a movie I would check my phone, or if I was talking to someone I would do it as well and through many more random moments during the day. 

During my social media detox, I found myself doing the same daily activities I use to do before but in a more conscious way. For example, if I was watching the movie, I was really watching the movie and not getting distracted by other things, which made me enjoy it more. If I was having a conversation with someone, I would be fully invested in the conversation, and I would found myself being a better listener. What I liked the most was the feeling of being really connected and present to everything I was doing, which was something I hadn’t felt in a while, and that I consider everyone should experience.

In conclusion, I am not saying that you should delete your social media profiles forever, I still have mine and I use them regularly. But what I am saying instead is that taking these small breaks during a year helps you be more grounded and be more mindful in your life. Having a social media detox will also impact the way you use social media once you get back to use it again. And since I have taken these breaks I find myself using it more intentionally. Finally, if you haven’t seen The Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix I really recommend it!

• break
• culture
• social media