I know- the FOMO is so real. Also, so terrifying. I mean, why is living in the present so hard? Why do thoughts of what happened or might happen without us fill our mental health with such anxiety that we can’t live in the moment we’re in right now? Like, what if a friend goes somewhere or what if your fave tweets what they’re doing, wearing, thinking, etc.? What if you can’t spy on an ex or you can’t post that fine-ass selfie with the perfect lighting the second after it was taken (and heavily filtered)? These are real fears for recent generations that are accustomed to all of this access at their fingertips.
Taking a social media break really appealed to me when I was feeling detrimentally overwhelmed with choices and decisions. I needed to focus on me, but there was so much outside noise, that I didn’t know how to do that. I’d waste time scrolling (as we all do) to avoid facing the next steps I needed to take. However, I wasn’t confident that I could break away. I didn’t want to miss anything happening to the people I checked in with daily. Not to mention, I’d be too tempted. I also completely own the concept of scrolling to tap out of the present as a crutch for my anxiety.
When I really put the thought into it, I realized that I had nothing to lose, but something to possibly gain. So, I decided to do it with a “no expectations” and a “just try my best” attitude. Right away, I accepted the addiction, and, for a whole seven days, I was made aware of my habits every time I mindlessly reached for my phone. To be honest, it got easier and wasn’t nearly as difficult as I feared.
Guess what? It didn’t take me long to do it again. The second round lasted three to four days, and I realized I was already going through a shorter time of what I claim to be a “detox” period- that first day or so where you’re adjusting to being more present.
Just yesterday, I decided to put the phone down for the day. I left it in my room since I didn’t have to leave the house and wasn’t waiting on anything that urgently needed my attention. It was in the initial moment that I made the decision to go social media free yesterday, that I decided to share these tips with you. Now, I’ve done these “detoxes” all on my own and, along the way, I’ve developed these tips and tricks that work best for me:
Turn off notifications. Preferably, it would be easier (mentally) to just delete the apps temporarily, but there’s the whole remembering your log-ins issue.
Move apps to the last home screen. Out of sight, a little more out of mind. This also helps prevent opening the apps mindlessly.
Leave the phone in another room, or give it to someone else.
Make new habits for every time there’s an urge to check the phone. Journal, get some steps in, read, meditate, etc. Those few minutes were going to be spent scrolling anyway, so not having the time isn’t an excuse.
Keep hands busy. Hold a pen or pencil. Invest in the numerous adult fidget toys on the market. Amazon has several!
Turn off WiFi and cell data for all social apps.
Lastly, to get the most benefit from this experience, if you’d call it that, stay aware. Why are you unlocking your phone to check your feeds? Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing? What are you feeling? What are you looking for? It might be helpful to keep notes for a few days if you’re really about using this experience to change your habits and your mental health. If you’re just trying this out, that’s ok, too.
Maybe you don’t feel like giving up social media is possible for you. Maybe you don’t see the need to take a break from checking your feeds. Or, maybe you don’t want to confirm and face how out of control your need for your feed(s) has become. I encourage you to give it a go. When you block out all of the noise from everyone else’s lives and all of the drama that’s affecting you (whether you directly allow it in or not), you can get more out of your own life.
So, maybe you don’t have a problem, but how do you know if you don’t explore what you might be missing?
trainliketaylor@gmail.com
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