My Diary: 48 Hour Social Media Detox
After a grueling weekend last week, I made a decision Saturday afternoon to do a 48-hour social media detox. Being a blogger and influencer comes with the price of constantly being on social media through posting content on multiple platforms, engaging with followers, and then responding in direct messages. It’s such an incredible way to create a space in the world but sometimes we all need a break. I desperately did. I started feeling a little out of touch with myself. I felt like I had a million things tugging at me and I was struggling with mindfulness. I put a quick plan together and then alerted my boyfriend and kiddo that I would be offline and intermittently checking my phone for the weekend. Here’s what I did in hopes to inspire you to take that much-needed downtime.
Schedule Posts
If you run an online business or corporate account, make sure you schedule a few posts while you are gone. It allows things to continue running while you are off the grid. Really simple but it makes a big difference in keeping the engine going and it actually decreased stress for me knowing things were still operating. You are not trying to get out of responsibilities but trying to get some of your own mental health back.
Plan Activities
Know where you are going to go, what you might want to do, and how you will spend your time. This makes it easier to enjoy the time you have. Focus on being mindful during each activity. Grab a stack of books, paints, a sketchbook, and then map out a few outdoor activities.
Delete the Main Culprits
You can redownload and log back in at a later point in time. It will free up so much temptation. I removed Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. It was easier to have notifications turned off for everything else and then just focus on my main ones being removed completely.
Let Your Household Know What’s Up
Always set expectations with the people you spend time with at work and at home. Make sure you give them ample notice that you won’t be reachable on social. You need some time for yourself. You are not obligated to respond to anything on social media.
Unplug and Detox
Take note of how you feel throughout the process. Did you notice your thoughts would slow down? Do you have less anxiety at the end of the two days. Did you wish you had taken a full week? Notice your time off and what makes it feel different. What boundaries do you need to put in place moving forward?
I’d love to hear about what you think on this topic! Drop me a comment on my latest Instagram post and tell me that you stopped by the blog!
