If you’ve been following along with my articles, you’ve been working really hard to de-stress your life. In the past few months, you’ve
- Practiced using mindfulness to reduce anxiety
- Purchased a weighted blanket
- Started silencing your inner critic
- Developed a night-time self-care routine
- Created a gratitude journal habit, and
- Picked up some new stress-relief activities
Now, you’re ready for another challenge. Time to detox from social media. Today, let’s dive into why you need a social media detox, why it’s so hard to do, and how to do it.
Why You Need a Social Media Detox
A lot (a lot) of my clients admit they feel more stressed when they log into their social media accounts — especially with misinformation, uneducated opinions, and general negativity being so pervasive. They log in when they’re feeling bored or stressed or tired or … well, really, anything. We don’t like feelings, so our brains motivate us to ignore them with easy things — like social media.
So we log in to avoid feelings. The problem is that we end up picking up even more bad feelings once we’re logged in. Logging into social media isn’t just neutral for our mental health — it’s actually negative. Logging in makes us feel more stressed, more insecure, more fatigued. There are nearly an infinite number of things we could do instead that would make us feel better…or at least not make us feel worse.
Why It’s Hard to Detox from Social Media
Logging in to our social media accounts has become so habitual that it’s hard to stop. Like I mentioned, we’re motivated to avoid feelings, so our brains feel rewarded when we’re feeling bored and then we get on social media and have some stimulation. They also feel rewarded when we’re feeling stressed and then we get on social media and have some distraction. It’s hard to detox because detoxing means we have to confront our feelings more directly.
How to Detox from Social Media
A while back, I wrote an article about how to break bad habits. That’s the first step in your social media detox, so dive in here:
Next, plan a replacement activity. You’ll need something to do during the time you’d normally grab your phone…otherwise, you’ll just mindlessly end up back on your phone. Here are some ideas.
What to Do During Your Social Media Detox
1. Learn a new language
Sometimes it’s easiest to change just one thing at a time. So maybe your social media detox still involves a lot of time on your phone…just not on social media. Replace that time with something more constructive on your phone. Download an app to learn a language on your phone (I’m learning Spanish on Duolingo!).
2. Read a book
Old school, I know. But if you’re anything like most of the people I know, there are a thousand books you’d love to be reading. Replace your social media time with a book. Install the Kindle app (or something similar) on your phone so you can read during on-the-go moments when you’d normally scroll Instagram.
3. Meditate
Install a meditation app (like Calm, Headspace, Insight Timer, etc.). Whenever you feel the urge to get on social media, do a 3- or 5-minute meditation instead. I bet you come out the other side of that meditation with less of an urge to get on social media (plus all the other benefits of meditating!!).
4. Call someone
Like, on the phone. Like it’s the ’90s. Look through your Contacts list…how many of those people have you spoken to in the last 3 months? I’m guessing like 10%. Contact one of them. And if calling weirds you out, then at least text them…but for goodness’s sake don’t DM them.
5. Research something
Research something…like your next vacation, a new job, a new apartment, a topic you’ve been wanting to learn more about. Use your social media time to learn something or move your life in a positive direction.
6. Work on your gratitude journal
Each time you find yourself reaching for social media, redirect yourself to your gratitude journal. Remind yourself why you’re grateful for the opportunity to be able to detox.
Reflect on Your Social Media Detox
Detox for a day, a week, or a month if you can and notice what changes in your life. Do you feel any different? Did anything change? Did you miss out on anything? Consider what your observations tell you about the role social media should be taking in your life. If you’re trying to manage your mental health naturally, this is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make a major contribution. For other ideas about how to manage anxiety naturally, grab my 9 ways to manage anxiety without medication:
Up Next
Coming up next, we’re circling back around to imposter syndrome. In a previous article, you learned all about imposter syndrome — what it is, how it relates to self-criticism, and 5 signs of imposter syndrome. Up next, we’ll start tackling it with strategies to actually combat imposter syndrome. Don’t miss it.
Talk to you soon,
Dr. Finch
P.S. Remember, this is education, not treatment. Always consult with a psychologist or therapist about your mental health to determine what information and interventions are best for you. See the disclaimer for more details.
