Social Media Detox: How’d It Go?

Two weeks ago I started a social media detox. How did it turn out? I’m not going to lie to you, it was much more difficult and revealing than I expected it would be. What I did learn may be eye-opening to you. I know that it was for me. But it wasn’t quite what I expected I would find out.

First Impressions

So, I started off with great intentions. I was doing great, not using my phone while I was bored, and letting it charge up between uses. I wasn’t clicking and I wasn’t using the dreaded Facebook. And I noticed something almost right away. Not looking at my phone was making me almost more nervous than looking at it. What if I wasn’t there when someone had an emergency? How would I know?

I started off by leaving my phone in the bedroom, and that worked for a time. Then I found myself coming in my bedroom and hanging out there, so just in case someone called, I would be around to know. I was definitely starting to feel the effects of withdrawal. Because I had changed my phone habits, I was more uncomfortable, nervous, and looking for reasons to get on the internet to consume my time.

Major Breakdown

I don’t know if this is related to my social media “fast”, but I really started experiencing feelings of loss, panic, and fear. I know that some of this is related to the situation that we’re in. But I think that because I already felt out of touch with others (I’ve been in my house and have only been leaving for essentials for the past month.), I was getting pretty weird around the edges.

I actually did sit down to write this blog post three separate times last week. But because of all the stress I’ve been putting myself under, I just ended up melting down and isolating even more. I’m not saying this is all because of my social media detox, but I’m sure it was a contributing factor. Dianne and I decided together that maybe a little time off should be in order, if only so I could get myself together. So I took a break and really started to examine what was going on with me.

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

This morning I screwed up resolve to get to writing again. I wasn’t about to let my fears and stressors silence me. I did do a little research, and I found out that heavy internet use has been linked to feelings of inadequacy and depression, Also, Facebook and Instagram themselves have come under fire as a study shows that people who stayed off of these social media platforms for a week were happier, more decisive, and more productive in that week that they did without them.

So why did I feel worse? I really think that I was so wrapped up in my social media addiction (I said it, and I stand by that I may have an actual problem), that I didn’t even realize that I had a problem. I mean, what was it hurting? I’m in quarantine and I don’t have a lot to do. What’s the harm in wasting time online?

The Harm

Like any addiction, it took me hitting a sort of “rock bottom” for me to understand exactly what the harm was. By taking it away, I realized how much I depend and expect things to be immediate. Two day shipping and instant news are great, don’t get me wrong. But when I can’t wait for anything, when I expect all gratification to be immediate, I have serious problems.

It’s not like I didn’t have anything else going on. My life was still happening, I was just using the internet to escape it. And now that I’m aware that I actually have a problem, I needed to figure out what I was going to do about it. I mean long term.

My Solution

I’ve decided that I will adhere to the social media “rules” that I set out for myself two weeks ago for a while now. And if you see me wasting time on the internet, feel free to put me on blast. Because I’ve noticed that I do feel better the less time I spend glued to my phone. It was just getting over the initial withdrawal symptoms that had me on the ropes for a bit.

I encourage you to use social media in a healthy way. It’s a great tool, but like anything else, it can become consuming if you’re someone who has a history of addiction, or an addictive personality. While it’s great to have the world at your fingertips, it’s also overwhelming at times. Sometime we just need to detox and enjoy the life that we’re living at this moment.

Did you try a social media detox? Do you think that it’s something that you would be able to benefit from? Please comment below with your experiences. I look forward to hearing from you! Until next time!