Since February 14, 2018 I made the decision to stop using all my social media platforms all together for 40-days. This meant not having notifications, e-mails, or even any access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. I was not ready nor prepared for the things I learned about my self and those around me. For work and business purposes I kept my e-mail (controlled use) and Youtube for studying and references for school. At the beginning of the year I was choked up with work, school, my private and public life which led me to have several melt downs and burn out feelings. Last year I started practicing daily rituals: sleep at least 7 to 8 hours daily, practice more self-care, meditate, eat mindfully, spend more time with my pets and family and try to be more efficient with my time. However, as much as I thought I was stretching my hours in a typical day, I ended up feeling exhausted, stressed and lost at the end of every day. There came a point where I did not know what I was doing wrong or perhaps not doing in order to escape from those feelings of anxiety. I ended up not being able to write, work or even perform at my best level because I felt tired and not motivated all the damn time. In the process of self-reflection, I came across an interesting video. I usually listen to a lot of motivational audiotapes and videos to try to get my spark back and collect my thoughts back together, however this video said an interesting thing that caught my attention. In fact it summed up a habit I (and we all have) had I think for the longest time since the birth of social media. "Each morning I would turn off my alarm clock at 5 am and I would reach for my phone and start scrolling through unanswered text messages, e-mails and my social media feed." You might be thinking that this too is something you are doing so what could be wrong with that? The answer is pretty simple and yet surprising for almost everyone who is not yet aware of his or her surroundings. When the first decision that you make for that day involves looking what everyone else is doing: who is on vacation, who got married or announces their pregnancy, who is celebrating and who is not, you are really living your first minutes of the day in someone else’s world and not your own. Think of it this way, imagine how ironic it is that before we even set our intentions for that day, you are already busy watching how everyone else is doing and perhaps even feel upset, demotivated because someone is busy living their dream job and posting about it, or perhaps you who is working an 8 to 5 job waiting for the weekend and someone else is on vacation with their family and you just wish how that could be you. "how ironic it is that before we even set our intentions for that day, you are already busy watching how everyone else is doing" Social media is a wonderful platform where we are able to connect and share. But unfortunately because we are so sucked into it, it has become a framework of how we ought to live our lives or how we ought to look like or be like. I remember how stressed I felt because everyone else was doing amazing things while I was stuck in an office working for a salary that could barely help me reach ends meet. So when I made this decision of doing a sabbatical, I wanted to see what would come out of it and most importantly what I would learn. I imagined that the first days would be torture because I was so accustomed of checking my social media feed so much that it felt like it was my paid job to do so. I realized how big of a problem my social media habit became during the first week without it. I would impulsively check my phone for notification knowing that I disabled all my social media platforms from my phone and my laptop. The idea of taking a social media detox could be terrifying but it could also become a self-discovery journey, which will give you some interesting revelations about yourself and those who form part of your social media community.
Here are the reasons
why and how you should consider taking a social media sabbatical:
1. If you are a social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc.) addict perhaps it could be an idea of starting to lower your usage of these social media platforms. Start small if you think this is very difficult (start eliminating one social media platform and then another). 2. Feelings of stress. If you are feeling stressed and you are not taking full advantage of your 24 hours in a day, a social media detox could help increase your productivity. 3. Give yourself a break. Give yourself a break from the social world and become more engaged with the actual world around you i.e family gatherings, date nights, quality time with loved ones. You will be amazed how much more meaningful conversations at a dinner table would be without having your phone buzzing all the time. 4. After a bad break up or experience. Sometimes when you deal with the not so fun experiences of life such as losing a job, spouse, loved one or even after a break up a social media detox could help you move away from the negativity or busy atmosphere and make more room for self-improvement and self-care. 5. If you really want to know who are the ones who would notice your absence. I did not try to do my social media detox with the goal of seeing who would notice or care that I would be gone. However, this gave me an interesting revelation about my relationships and also the conversations I would have with people I considered to be my friend. I did not announce that I would be off social media for a number of weeks. I did not even tell any one that I was not on social media anymore nor did I delete my accounts. I simply ghosted from social media to see how I could lower my social media usage and use my social media platforms with intention and not seeking gratification or approval (a like or thumbs up) from anyone. When I returned to social media, surprisingly my inbox was not as full as I thought it would be after 40 days. My notifications were around 70 notifications on Facebook and a few follower requests on Instagram and Twitter. I did not have anyone realize or comment that I was gone or MIA (missing in action). I wasn’t sure if I was happy with this or yet relieved, but I was certainly surprised how people I expected to realize I was absent to find a way to contact me. My closest friends all have my phone number, and know how to reach me but yet almost none of them made the attempt of doing so or checking if I was even alive. I did not post any photos or was tagged in anything (because I turned off the tagging setting) and nobody noticed. When you get this kind of revelation, you realize that so many of our relationships with people on social media is artificial and unless we are giving each other a thumbs up or like, we are not really interested in what is happening in their lives. Today I am able to use my social media more efficiently and with intention. I am more aware of my relationships and also how I could contribute to healthy and meaningful relationships in the future. Since my social media detox I was able to distinguish between what was is urgent (really urgent), what can wait, and what definitely is not important. Although this seems like a no-brainer it really becomes difficult to escape from the non-stop scrolling on your social media feed (taking away time and productivity), especially when you try to get 8 hours of sleep but find yourself scrolling through Twitter at 3 in the morning. I became more productive in terms of my work, and I have noticed that I experienced fewerif not less migraines, stress and anxiety since my social media sabbatical. They say that it takes at least 21-days to get rid of a habit. I was able to get rid of my constant urge to check up on people who would not even bother to check up on me. Of course since the sabbatical, I have still maintained my social media platforms (I did not delete any of my accounts), however I am now able to choose when I use them and control the time I spend on them instead of letting (them) control me. When you use social media with intention and not out of habit, you are able to cultivate a feeling of being in control and less being controlled by your surroundings (and social media). You'd be amazed to discover how wonderful social media can be, without being tied to an invisible chain of (unhealthy) social media addiction. "Today I am able to use my social media more efficiently and with intention. I am more aware of my relationships and also how I could contribute to healthy and meaningful relationships in the future"
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My name is Keyla and I am a second year university student studying social work. I blog about social media, lifestyle, health, beauty, love, relationships, career and student life-hacks. Leave a comment and give my articles a ❤️ or 👍🏻 and don't forget to share to show your support. 😘, Keyla Publication Dates
March 2018
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