How a Social Media Detox can Elevate your Life!

Social media is such an integral part of all our lives, honestly, it’s hard to imagine our lives without it. That is what worries me. Which is why I decided to do a social media detox. Now, this was a while ago, but I can say from experience it was the best thing I ever did. 

I was inspired to do the detox by a Youtuber Matt D’Avella, who did a youtube video about his 30-day social media detox and how that changed his life. You can watch that video here: “I quit social media for 30 days“

So you’re probably wondering, what exactly is a social media detox and how is it going to be helpful for YOU?

What is a Social Media Detox?

A social media detox is when you are completely off the grid on all social media apps for a certain period of time. This can vary from a week, to 30 days, to forever. That’s up to you!

Social media apps include:

1. Instagram (my personal weakness) 
2. Facebook 
3. Twitter
4. Youtube (you know you’ve been on youtube for hours! It’s a social media platform FYI) 
5. WhatsApp (In a detox you would only use WhatsApp when absolutely necessary! But the less you’re on it the better)

One point I want to stress before I get into the reasons why a social media detox can enhance your life is that – EVERYBODY WILL BE THERE WHEN YOU’RE BACK. To be honest, 99% of people won’t even notice you’re gone!

Before we start, I want you to note down your screen time on social media. You’ll be shocked with how much time a day you might be spending on social media. For me, I was on Instagram for almost 2 hours/day! That’s A LOT. 

I recommend deleting the apps from your phone during the detox so you’re not tempted, and also blocking the social media websites on your computer. 

Now comes the good part. 

5 Ways a Social Media Detox can Elevate your Life

1) You get more TIME

This is the biggest one. When you quit social media, it’s like you have 6 extra hours in a day. You’ll actually be surprised.

During my first week of the detox, I was shocked at how much time I had on my hands to get things done.

You have all this extra time, and instinctively you might tap on your phone where your Instagram icon used to be, but this will only make you realize that you were so dependent on these apps. 

Now that you have all this time on your hands, you’ll be able to get more things done; like go to the gym, or read a book, you know normal things. 

You will have to find other ways to keep yourself engaged and 99% of the time those are more productive than watching cat videos on Facebook.

However, don’t use this time binge-watching a Netflix show. Do something you’ve been pushing to the side for a while. Read that book that has been on your bedside table forever. 

Be mindful of how you spend this time. Use it to reflect on why you were so dependant on social media.

2) Allows you to hone in on YOUR creativity 

The social media world is just FULL of so much content, and so much inspiration!

But, if you’re an artist or a content creator you might find that getting off social media for a while might help you reclaim your creativity. 

Even if you don’t fall into the above categories you may find your creativity in other forms/activities. 

You’ll 100% be more creative because you have more time, and you’re not distracted and overwhelmed by what everyone else is doing.

Sometimes having access to TOO MUCH CONTENT can actually hurt your creativity. You might feel the need to copy or model what other people on Instagram are doing and lose your identity in the mix. Trust me when you’re back you’ll be more confident and you will be able to create content that other people actually value. 

So take the social media detox as a challenge to reclaim your creativity so that you can come back even better. 

3)You’re more productive 

This is one of the other great benefits of a social media detox. You’re 1000x more productive. 

If you are someone who is feeling like you’re in a RUT, this may be the key to getting out of that rut. 

You are more productive not only because you have more time, but because of the realization that you were wasting a lot of time on social media. 

This realization will push you to make better use of the time you have. So, you won’t want to waste time watching TV but actually doing something that will help further your career or elevate your life in some way. 

Another interesting fact you may not know: THE ABSENCE OF BLUE LIGHT FROM YOUR PHONE/COMPUTER MAKES YOU FUNCTION BETTER. 

A positive side effect of the detox is that you’re exposed to less blue light in general because you’re spending less time on your phone.

During my detox, I started researching how I could help people in any small way. I came across blogging and I started my blog. 

I have learnt so much and been able to create a full website during my detox. Isn’t that something?

So I encourage you to separate yourself from your phone and plug into LIFE instead. 

You will be more productive, I promise you that. 

4)You re-learn communication 

When you’re on the detox you’ll be forced to communicate as you did in the old days. You will have to text or call your friends to get updates on their life. It’s not going to be as simple as double-tapping and liking someone’s picture.

But this is actually great! You will find that you value this communication more. 

Yes, I agree that social media is a great way to stay connected. BUT only if you don’t completely rely on social media for all communication. 

Take some time to think about this more, you’ll understand it better when you’re actually on the detox. 

Re-learn your basics of communication and build better and more genuine relationships to elevate your life.

5) You learn more about yourself/ You value yourself more

For most people, social media leads to comparison. To other people’s lives to celebrities or even to brands. This is because there is so much out there, and also because people usually post the happiest moments of their lives. 

I truly believe a social media detox will help you learn so much about yourself. You will be able to pick up on what triggers you and have time to reflect on your social media habits and what it adds to your life. 

The whole idea is that when you do come back to social media you use it more mindfully. 

When my detox ended I was apprehensive to come back on, but when I did I cleaned out my feed and followed people who motivated me and used it to consume information that will help me in the long run. 

I no longer fall into the black hole of youtube videos, but watch what I need to and close the window. For Instagram, I use it to get informed about the latest self-care trends and grow my knowledge so I can improve this blog.

I hope this post helps you start your own social media detox! 

Sound off in the comments to let me know if you try it and how it helps you elevate your life!

If you enjoyed this post you might also like my post on – How to manage Negative Thoughts and build Self Confidence!

Here’s to the start of your self care journey, 

Cheers, 

Disha