In my prior post, I wrote about being disciplined and what that did for me (didn’t get a chance to read it? Here you can). Now let’s get to the more serious stuff drumroll — social media. Social media is a different kind of beast that has many people today in a chokehold. Occasionally, I’m one of them.
I did a social media detox for a week in June (no socials for an entire week), and I would like to congratulate myself first because it was kind of hard when it’s become so ingrained in my daily routine. You know: wake up, tweet, scroll through Instagram, check TikTok, and I do that through those three apps about three more times before rolling out of bed. I really hate even admitting this.
It sounds ridiculous, but I’m being truthful and talking about it. Many people do not want to acknowledge their destructive behaviors, but that is for them to either deal with or it eventually ends up dealing with them (and usually in the worst way). I prefer preventive measures because that will likely grant me an outcome that I’m at least a little more prepared for (because I have done what I could do before it became a major problem).
This is not to say I’m completely over social media and that we should all abandon it, because social media has provided many people with a plethora of opportunities that may not have been otherwise possible. Social media has endless opportunities when used correctly; however, many people are not using these tools correctly. Many use these tools to disassociate from life and whatever emotions they’re feeling, circumstances they are experiencing, and to think how people tell them to think.
But what if we abandoned those tools and began to clear our minds from the thousands of narratives being pushed on us daily? What if we abandoned those tools and freed our time to create meaningful conversations, connections, and cultures? What if we abandoned those tools and began to fill ourselves up with things that make us feel good: like creating art, learning new trades and skills, exploring new places, creating new memories, and meeting new people? Our lives can be much more than the thoughts, opinions, and lifestyles of others.
Not only did my social media detox reinforce my discipline is sexy mantra, but it also:
- Freed my brain to think for itself (I mean, I already do think for myself — my thinking became even more critical).
- Gave me my time back (and I can do the things I like again, like these blog posts, new designs, reading so many books, etc.).
- Gave me time to just sit still… with my own thoughts, with my own learnings, with my own energy.
Now, I know that completely abandoning social media may be hard for some (damn near impossible for some people based on their careers), but starting with acknowledging that you need to be better is a great place to begin.
Then, slowly move to more mindful practices like:
- Not getting on your phone first thing in the morning.
- Turning off notifications for all apps other than the critical ones (i.e., phone, messages, email, Uber Eats, etc.).
- Using the ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature (this is by far my favorite feature because I’m not trying to hear my phone make a peep sometimes).
- Deleting apps off your phone and only using them on desktop.
I’m aware of how difficult this can seem for some; however, it’s not impossible. Be gentle with yourself. If you’re able to make it three days without checking your social media obsessively, next time try five, and keep going. Before you know it, a month will have passed, and you won’t have thought a thing about social media (hopefully). The key is to replace your old habits with new, better ones, and the transition can be easier.
You don’t have to completely kill social media, but maybe we can mindfully use it a little better. Who’s to say if I’ll be on social media forever, but I know that something has to change right now.