Hey, my lovely friends! Today I have a very special post for you. . . written by my very own sister, Betsy. She’s here to talk a little but about her experience with a social media break, and tips for doing your own. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Hello friends!
Did you know the average teenager spends about 8 hours a day on their screens? That’s nearly a full-time job of scrolling, swiping, and tapping on various sizes of screens. Social media can help us feel connected to others, but too much can take a toll on mental health, productivity, and even sleep. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, distracted, or just plain burnt out, this is a nudge to do a social media fast. Here’s some ideas and guidelines to get you started!
Getting Started
The first step is to commit to a fast. No backing out once you’ve decided though! It is way too easy to think, “I’ll just work on my screen problem next week, or maybe after Christmas.” There’s no time like the present.
Start with at least a 24 hour fast. You want to break the bad habits of doom-scrolling, then rebuild a healthier time on social media. If you feel more is more, commit to a week or month. The longer, the better the results; if you only fast for a day, you won’t have too much time to fill. But if you fast for a month, then you will have to find things to replace your screen addiction. You will rely on it less, because you’ve gone for awhile without it.
You can set your own rules: will you watch TV? What about texting friends? Figure out what you need to cut out.
Tips for replacing screens:
- Go outside. Ideally, you should be outside for at least 20 minutes a day. You could go on a walk, plant flowers, or go to a park and read.
- Spend time with friends and family. Family is important! You could meet someone at a coffee shop, or a local walking trail, or do something fun together like a community art class.
- Organize. Does your room need a good deep clean? What about your closet? Do you have clothes or old toys that could be donated to a thrift store?
- Pick a new hobby. There are lots of easy, and relatively cheap hobbies you could do. Get into crafting and make some cool things for Christmas. Like these stars!
- Read a book. You could go to a library and pick new books, browse a bookstore, read books you already have, just no e-books during digital fasts!
- Have a spa day. Get a fun face mask, give yourself a mani-pedi, or try a egg-and-avocado hair mask.
After Your Fast:
Yay! You did it. Now, lets keep that progress going. Don’t jump right back into doom scrolling! Here are some things you can do to keep those habits in check.
Tips for managing your digital intake:
- Set limits on apps and websites, and schedule downtimes. In your phone’s settings, you can set limits for apps, which can be helpful if you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram for hours- set it so you can’t spend more than two hours a day using certain apps that are distracting to you. You can also schedule downtimes, like from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
- Unfollow! You won’t be offending anyone by unfollowing. It can be overwhelming and distracting to have too many people on your feed. For example, if you followed that clothing company for a giveaway 2 years ago, you probably don’t still need to follow them. Go through and unfollow (or mute) companies and influencers- they’ll be fine, and so will you. Probably don’t unfollow people you know in real life though!
- Delete apps. If you’re only fasting from certain apps, like Instagram, delete the app and log out on all your devices so you won’t be as tempted to use it.
- Keep your phone out of certain areas. You might decide to keep it out of your bedroom, so you won’t be tempted to mindlessly be on your phone all night. Or, you could avoid using your phone in family areas, or during family times like movie night.
That’s it for today’s post, but let me know if you have tried digital fasts. How did it go? What did you do when you were bored? I’d love to chat in the comments!
