How a social media detox boost my health

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As 2022 kicks in, most of us set our new intentions for the year and aim for a healthier, new version. Believe it or not, having more clarity in my life has been one of those major intentions. And as such, I decided to take a social media detox and come back strong in 2022. Not that anything was going chaotic in my life, but I just felt like I needed to unplug for a while from the digital world. Why I did it? Well, there were many reasons in which I felt it was necessary for my mental and physical wellbeing. To my surprise, the results of doing a social media detox were powerful! So, today, I want to share with you how a social media detox made my life better towards the new year and why I strongly recommend you do it too.

Why a social media detox?

First things off, a social media detox is a period of time in which you decide to stay away from social media. You decide how much time to be off. It could be a week, a month or even a year. There are even social media detox challenges out on the internet. Sounds crazy right? Some people call it to “unplug”, others go as far as deleting their social media apps. But, what’s truly behind this behavior? Is it harmful to spend time on social media?

The truth about social media

Think of it this way: how many hours a day do you spend on social media? Do you find yourself checking your IG feed first thing in the morning? Does your app open every time a notification pops in on your phone? Do you fear missing out on the news or other people’s lives? These and other not-so-healthy behaviors can make social media addictive… Yes, as crazy as it sounds, a study found that young adults, especially millennials and even teenagers can spend an average of 3 or more hours per day on social media. Something as simple as just scrolling through the apps, can have serious effects on your mental health.

Besides the amount of time spent on social media apps, that feeling that you need to check your phone, you need to upload a selfie on your IG feed or need to check out what others are doing can be very distracting, to say the least. Another study found that too much social media use can be tied to negative mental health outcomes, such as loneliness, anxiety, less empathy and even suicidal thoughts. Believe it or not, living on social media can give you some unrealistic expectations about life, make you become miserable by comparing yourself to others’ “filtered” lives and cause you to lose time and focus.

Facts 100%

Anyway, I’m not here to discourage you from using social media, rather to let you know some real facts about the excessive use of it and how to make better informed decisions. I can tell you that since I’ve done this social media detox, I’ve gained so much more physically and mentally. As a matter of fact, many mental health experts recommend unplugging from social media once in a while, especially if you feel like it’s taking over your time, your energy, your wellbeing and your focus.

How social media detox became a win-win situation

It may sound very simple, but actually staying away from social media for an extended period of time can be dauntful. As a wellness blogger, and someone who uses social media to share content on a regular basis, it wasn’t easy to unplug all together. Believe it or not, I didn’t even think about doing a social media detox. It’s just that I had so much going on at the time that it happened naturally.

Let’s face it: social media has actually become an important part of our lives. We stay in touch with friends, family, colleagues and others through social media. We also find valuable information. Social media as well is another source of staying up-to-date on the latest trends. However, it can be overwhelming if you see that it’s taking up a big chunk of your time, you get anxious, depressed or become less productive. So, here, I’m sharing some of the things I gained by doing a social media detox, some of these benefits may surprise you!

Doing a social media detox made me gain more clarity

This was the number one win I achieved. I found that by staying away from social media for a while helped me to repurpose my thoughts and my intentions. When I was logging in on IG, that distracted me from what I needed to think about first thing in the morning. Sometimes it was like a chore being there. Besides that, I was losing focus on my own needs and what I wanted for my life overall. Therefore, if you want to have more clarity, put your thoughts together and connect with your inner self, do a self-check and consider your social media use.

It helped me become more productive

When I disconnected from social media, things definitely started to change for the better in terms of productivity. I was able to focus on my tasks efficiently, both for my blog and for my job/career. I had more energy and dedicated more to my daily tasks. As well, I felt like I was finally being productive, not just busy. If you didn’t realize it, you can be busy throughout the day doing a bunch of things and still not be productive. Thank goodness that was a huge gain during the detox.

I had time for the things that matter

This was also a big win for me! I took some time to really connect with the ones I love. I had more time to be on the phone. This may sound like obvious, but sometimes, spending so much time on social media and not connecting with the ones you love is pretty common and wrong. You should have time and energy not only for yourself, but also, your friends and loved ones. Being away from social media certainly made me be present and enjoy the moments.

Social media detox was a way to help me focus on myself

There was a point in which I felt that I needed to shift the focus back to myself in life. There were days in which I was just “going through the flow”. I was doing daily tasks, posting but also impulsively scrolling through social media. I could easily lose more than an hour just going through my social media feeds, answering to comments or liking other people’s posts. Apart from that, I started falling into the vicious cycle of comparing my journey to other people’s lives.

Let’s not forget something: what you see on social media 90% of the time isn’t real! People only share their best moments, their happiness, but nobody shares their struggles or heartaches. Added to that, people post perfect pictures on their feeds, full of filters and enhancers. So, next time you feel bad about yourself while looking at others’ posts, shift the focus back to yourself and be grateful.

My creativity boosted during the social media detox

During the time I wasn’t active on social media, I made more use of my creativity. I came up with new ideas for this blog, but as well, with things I wanted to achieve in life. It made me focus on my projects and some new actions that can get me closer to my goals. Never underestimate the power of your brain! You’ll be shocked to see how you can come up with fresh ideas all the time.

I had less anxiety

Shockingly, spending too much time on social media was making me become more anxious. I realized I needed to slow down, organize my time, my thoughts, my energy and focus. You may be wondering how social media can cause anxiety. Well, one of the things is just a constant desire to stand out from the crowd. As I said before, being an online content creator is not easy, especially when there are other competitors taking up space. However, it took me some mindfulness to understand that I have a unique voice and message to share. It also took some mental growth to not be tempted to compare myself to others personal lives. I’m a very private person, and I must say, that helped to take the anxiety away.

Social media detox helped me master time-management

I can’t say I’m an expert at time management, but actually avoiding social media for a while made me have more time for the essentials. I was able to organize my time better, give priority to things that truly mattered and helped me use time wisely. Because I wasn’t logging in and spending hours on IG, I could distribute my time better between my job, my blog, errands and me-time.

Unplugging from social media helped me sleep better!

Guess what? People rarely talk about getting quality sleep. But, believe it or not, sleeping well is one of the major key components of wellness. Just unplugging for a few hours a day, and not reading your toxic friend’s feed on social media, can do wonders with your sleep. You only have to spend less time on social media and lock your phone at night. You’ll notice how you’ll have better quality of sleep and less anxiety in the morning. Trust me, you’ll thank me later!

I was more satisfied with my life journey in general

Even if it sounds exaggerated, doing a social media detox has done wonders for my mental and physical wellbeing overall. It helped me to stay grounded and focus on my own fitness journey. I was able to keep up with a demanding schedule. I could also organize myself better, simply meditate and be grateful for what I have. If you’re feeling stuck in life or that you lack purpose because you keep comparing yourself to what you see on social media, step back and see what you’ve achieved so far.

A last word,

Doing a social media detox can certainly have many health benefits. Even when social media is important, it’s good to focus on other important things. This will make us more productive and get us closer to our goals. I highly recommend that you take some time for yourself, spend quality time with the ones you love and clear your mind. Not only your brain and soul will thank you, but also your body overall. Have you considered unplugging from social media? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.