What a mini social media detox did for me
I am attending the Integrative Institute for Nutrition and this year for winter solstice they encouraged the community to “go dark on the darkest day of the year”. Meaning, to take the day completely away from all social media. I want to share about my experience but before I do, I’m going to share a little information about this day overall.
Winter Solstice marks the official beginning of Winter and the days will begin to get longer again. That means that the shortest day of the year was 12/21/21 and the reasoning behind “darkest day of the year” is from the limited time of daylight. It was even cloudy in Arizona and I felt the most Christmas vibes I’ve had this year! Needless to say, my winter solstice was really cozy and comforting, yet eye opening.
I am so glad that I decided to participate in this mini detox because to be honest with you, I have never taken a day off of a social media platform, especially Instagram. I mean, when I was in nursing school I may have deleted the apps a few times because I needed to study, but recently I haven’t really had any reason to disconnect or detox from it. One thing I’ve learned though, is that this will be a once a month occurrence. Something that I think everyone should do and schedule into their life. I was able to be with my own thoughts and I felt less distracted. My day felt slowed down and calm, it was an overall refreshing feeling.
I noticed that at some points throughout the day though, I would instantly grab my phone and unlock it to mindlessly open a social media app. It was programmed into my subconscious and I hated that, it really encouraged me to reflect.
I shared recently that I wanted to find a word to lean on throughout 2022. I think I am going to go with BALANCE, but I’m not 100% sure yet. Fitting that I thought of this prior to doing the mini winter solstice detox. More balance in many aspects of my life but specifically with my screen time and social media. Finding a balance between screen time for business and screen time for pleasure because I haven’t done a good job at keeping the two distinguished and with set boundaries. I don’t want the act of opening a social media app to become a subconscious motion or habit. That’s embarrassing for me because I believe there is more to life than staring at screens.
During my time going “dark” I set limits on my iphone to make sure that if I did click on the app there would be a screen that reminded me of my limit! I am going to continue to utiltize this iphone feature moving forward. I used this time away to refresh my mind before the holiday and the New Year. I took a look at my routines, habits, and schedules and reflected on where I can make some adjustments moving forward!
Aside from the feelings I made note of above, I want to mention a few other satisfying benefits from this detox. My screen time was so below my average that I actually got excited and felt immediate satisfaction. I was able to have more time to incorporate yoga, three meditations, a journal session, a podcast, and a little extra reading into my day. I had less anxiety overall and I used my essential oils more than I usually do. I remembered to drink a lot of water. And again, I felt this overwhelming sensation of calmness. It was as if I was just a little bit more clear.
I’ve learned a lot from just one day of staying off social media, moving forward I am picking one to two days a month to step away. I’m excited to find balance with this and eventually move to doing one day a week! What are some benefits of decreasing your social media time? Do you already implement mini social media breaks? If you’re joining me, let me know!! I’d love to connect with you.