"Dear Diary, I honestly feel like I can’t do this anymore. This digital detox is killing me, what am I supposed to do—watch the sky now?!"
Nowadays, whether you want it or not, you’re surrounded by social media. Even if you decide to take a break from it, your family and friends probably haven’t made the same decision and will constantly remind you of it by showing videos, memes, and more. So being able to focus is more challenging than ever. But we’re here to help you get into the right state of mind.
Understanding the Why
Often, we skip over the “why,” but it might just be the thing that keeps you going.
Why It’s Important
Constant exposure to curated content can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and even depression. A social media detox allows you to reconnect with your true self and improve your mental health. Take Instagram, for example. You constantly see perfect bodies, idyllic love lives, kids, happy rich people driving luxury cars, traveling, and so on. It’s easy to think, “Hey, I don’t have that. My life is so much worse…” and, well, that’s definitely not helpful.
Social media can also be a major distraction. Reels and YouTube shorts make it impossible not to keep thinking about those funny things you saw last time. That feeling was so great that you naturally want to repeat it—just reach for your phone, and voila!
It’s true that social media often makes us forget how to truly socialize. What kind of “social” platform does that? Ah, yes—the media part! Taking a break from it can improve your real-life relationships by encouraging face-to-face interactions and deepening your connections with friends and family.
Focus is something that needs to be trained. Bombarding yourself with unnecessary, unrelated, albeit funny, and beautiful visuals is distracting, to say the least. Stepping away from social media encourages you to be more present in your daily life, allowing for deeper engagement with your surroundings.
Rediscovering Hobbies
Watching hobbies isn’t the same as doing them. A detox provides the opportunity to explore new interests and hobbies that you may have neglected while scrolling through endless feeds. Watching a painter use a mop to create art might be fun, but trust us, it’s even more fun trying it yourself!
How to Start:
And as always, the never-ending challenge: actually doing it—starting, making that first step. We’ll be honest, the addiction to social media is so sweet it’s hard to give up. The challenge is real. But hey, those who never try… well, they’re boring people.
Determine Your Why
First off, why are you doing this? Do you even know what it’s going to feel like? Whether it’s reducing anxiety, improving focus, or just taking a breather, having clear objectives helps keep you going. Sounds great, right? Now just put your phone away and, I don’t know, stare at a wall or something…
Decide How Long
This part is very important. Decide how long you want your detox to last—maybe a weekend, a week, or even a month. Start with a manageable time frame to ease into it. The feeling after? Like a breath of fresh air, I promise.
Let People Know
Tell your friends and followers that you’re taking a break. This sets the expectation and keeps you accountable. Otherwise, when they notice you’ve gone AWOL, they’ll be trying to drag you back in. If they don’t know, they will come looking.
Remove Temptation
Big help: Remove those apps from your phone, or even deactivate your accounts for a bit. Make it harder to sneak back into that brain-numbing entertainment your mind is craving.
Replace Social Media with Something Fun
Do something else—read, exercise, dive into hobbies you’ve been ignoring. Fill the time you’d normally spend scrolling mindlessly.
Practice Mindfulness
Meditation or journaling can be surprisingly helpful. Start off with something like: “Dear Diary, I honestly feel like I can’t do this anymore. This digital detox is killing me, what am I supposed to do—watch the sky now?!” Don’t be afraid to let out exactly what you feel.
Reflect After the Detox
Once it’s over, think about how you feel. What did you learn? Are you approaching social media differently now? You might actually reconsider going back—or maybe that sky-watching idea doesn’t seem so boring after all.
Mindful Return
If you do go back, do it mindfully. Set boundaries to maintain a healthier relationship with social media. Think back to how you felt before and after your detox—what’s really helpful for you?
So ready or not, it’s a life-changing experience that’ll bring you back to yourself.
