Ways to schedule a social media detox & questions to consciously consume content
Taking a social media detox has become a regular habit for me.
For the final few days of 2020 and first ten days of 2021 I logged off completely and it felt good!
I knew I wanted to make this a more regular habit this year and so I’ve been off Instagram for the last week. I thought this would be a great time to share a little more about how and why I feel that it is important to consume social media more mindfully.
Social media, has become such a huge part of our daily lives and just like every other area of our life, things are usually best in moderation. Which is why a detox from what has become quite literally an addiction can be so crucial to our overall wellbeing.
Some great ways to take a quick social detox are:
- Schedule dates, aim for a minimum one week if you can.
- Temporarily disable your account.
- Delete the app off your phone during this time.
- Be intentional with the time you are taking off and think of other ways you can fill it!
For example, is there a book you’ve been wanting to read or a project you’ve been putting off? Now is a great time to enjoy those things. - If you use social media for work and aren’t able to completely disable/ delete, have your content organized and scheduled so you don’t need to spend much time in the platform.
photo via @elizabethchw pinterest
Reactivating Your Account
If I’m being honest social media, mostly Tik Tok and Instagram have a way of making me feel like shit.
Don’t get me wrong it isn’t all terrible, I love connecting with amazing people like you :) but reactivating my accounts is always the hardest part.
That's why I have created some guidelines and questions for myself that help me make sure I am consuming content more consciously:
- Set a time limit - turn on an alarm or app reminder.
- Turn off notifications
- Do not look at social first thing in the morning or last thing at night
- No scrolling - What I can be doing in this moment instead?
- Being present- Why did I open the app?
- Creating a more curated follow list - who am I following? Why am I following them? What am I gaining from their account?
- Being conscious and aware of how I feel when closing the app - how do I feel and why?
- Consciously reminding myself not to compare - if I am comparing, why is this triggering me?
- Not posting in the moment - can I post this later? I do like to capture moments with a photo/video but saving it to my phone and posting at a later time allows me to be more present especially when I’m with friends or family.
- Not putting pressure on myself to create content or have an aesthetic feed - am I enjoying this? Why am I posting this? for me personally this one is huge, social is supposed to be fun and this truly sucks all the joy out for me.
What are some guidelines you set for yourself to make sure you're consuming content more mindfully? Share your tips in the comments xx