As someone who relies mainly on social media to run my fairly new self operated business, I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of “unplugging”.

Normally I’d be here when I’m not doing yoga.

On my laptop or on my phone. Doing some sort of scrolling, posting, planning, social media stuff. Not the last 5 days.

Last week, I had a session with Meg, owner of Arcadia Lightworking, and she provided so much clarity on several topics/situations/etc that have been off balance and weighing heavy on me.

She recommended a 5-day detox from social media.

My instant response was something along the lines of, “Well I can’t just disappear from online, I run my business that way…”, to which she replied, “Well you could….”

She wasn’t wrong. The entire point of owning my own business is so I can do what I want (duh - lol). So to my silly surprise, this little conversation was that “ah-ha moment” that I needed in that moment.

I needed to unplug 1)to find some balance between work and not-work, and 2)to seriously step away from social media.

Time to unplug from online.

Time to plug into the Earth, get grounded, feel centered, feel balanced.

I knew it was going to be tough.. but man. I struggled. I won’t lie.

There were about 7 times that I hopped on and did a mini scroll, just a wee peek at notifications, a browse through local events on Facebook, and a message to someone who’s number I do not have.

I am okay with that. You know why? Because I’m human.

Of course, I wasn’t planning for a cold, rainy, dreary weekend; I didn’t plan for every park and campground to be booked months in advance; I didn’t expect the change in plans.

I plan a lot. Some might say I plan too much. This detox helped me let go of the need for planning a little more.

My ideal 5-day digital detox looked like camping the entire weekend, hiking, exploring rivers and trails, soaking up the sun, and getting market stuff done. I may not have had my glorious camping trip, or even gotten in a long walk near home, but it was still a wonderful weekend.

Slow Down

We tend to always be go-go-go. Living in a fast-paced world with ever changing and growing technology at our fingertips, it seems almost impossible to truly slow down sometimes. We wait and wait for those vacation days and weekends to keep us pushing through. Signing off of social media really helped me slow down. I noticed why. I so often would be scrolling mindlessly. Just scrolling for what feels like 10 minutes, and next thing you know, it’s been an hour and now you have to rush out the door to make it to your appointment on time. Instead, try to slow down. Ask yourself, “Am I being mindful with my social media interactions?”

Less Comparison = More confidence

As we scroll, we compare. It happens whether we plan for it to or not. Just like our friends, family, neighbors, and peers influence us, social media influences us too. I think, on some level, sub consciously, we compare ourselves to others. Almost like this natural instinct to compete and prove your power kicks in; we start comparing.

Time away from social media seriously boosted my confidence and motivation. Instead of worrying about what trends to keep up with, what likes and comments I get, or how many views I got on a Reel; I was living more in the moment. Instead of scrolling, wondering how those girls make such great posts, I was enjoying my day, trying new beauty routines, feeling comfortable and confident in what I was wearing, what music I was dancing to, and what my hair looked like. I stopped caring about what everyone else is doing and just lived in the moment I was in.

Time disconnected = more time connected with loved ones

I hate how often we have our phones attached to our bodies. In our hand, in our pocket, or always somewhere nearby. As I logged off of social media, I found myself putting my phone down more, leaving it in other rooms, and leaving it alone for hours at a time. I never did that before this detox. How did I do it? How did I leave my phone for hours without the constant beep and buzz of notifications swirling around in my head? I cheated.

With the instantaneousness of technology, it can be hard to truly disconnect without throwing your phone out of a window. There is a way! Go to your settings and turn off notifications for applications. This was probably the only way I was going to be able to do this. It helped. Instead of the little notifications that would constantly bug me throughout the day, I felt like nobody needed me. It was quiet and calm. Disconnecting from online helped me enjoy true quality time with my loved ones. Time to laugh, be silly, and be in each moment together. There is a big difference between time with someone and QUALITY time with someone. Make your time count, make it quality time.

Un-training the Brain

Since technology and social media are so second nature, it almost feels unnatural when we don’t use it; which is funny, because it is more natural and instinctual and primal to not use any technology. Anyways, in a way, our brains are trained. Like any other muscle memory or habit, when we reach for our phone first thing and start scrolling, we begin to train our brains to do this. Next thing you know, you’re grabbing your phone every single morning and starting your day scrolling through other’s lives before really starting your own.

Un-train the brain. Train it into a new habit, a better habit. Start each morning with movement, meditation, a hot drink, or a walk outside. Choose something that is unplugged to start your day. The little things we do to change our habits can start simply with social media habits.

There are no freaking rules

I mean, obviously there are rules in place for some situations, but when it comes to life - there are no freaking rules. When it comes to life, we are supposed to just be living it. That’s what we are all doing; just doing our best to live a life of happiness, right? So screw the rules! Maybe you don’t try the new trend, you forgot to send out that email, the dog pooped in the house, the tantrums are being thrown, the car broke down, the chores are over piling, and some shit just doesn’t get done. That’s okay. There are no rules on when or how often to use social media or how to live your life. What works for you may not work for someone else. That’s okay. There are no freaking rules - live your life everyday - fully.

How to do a Social Media Detox:

Make a plan - set the number of hours or days you plan to detox. I think having a set time frame for your goal can help you not only keep track of how well you’re doing, but how much further is left to go. Like a little motivational countdown.
Trust - Go into the detox trusting that it’s a good decision. Go into it with the belief it could be helpful and trust it will be okay. The emails, texts, likes, comments, notifications, and everything else will still be there when you log back in.
Turn it OFF - I find it much easier to detox and unplug when we help ourselves out. Turn off notifications in your settings, so you aren’t drawn to open the app and take a peek.
Let go - Let go of expectations of what this will do for you. I promise you’ll notice some sort of benefit, but you have to trust and let go. Let go of the worry or panic, let go of the fear, let go. It will be okay and you can return online when you’re ready.
Prepare - You can prepare for this. If you’re like me, you worry about the business aspect of operating an online presence. If you’re worried about just disappearing offline, make a plan to prepare. Tell your friends, family, clients, or customers that you are planning to do this. This way, anyone who cares that you’ll be offline, will at least have a little warning. Who knows, they may even be inspired to join you! (I had a few clients tell me they were joining in!)
Boundaries - set yourself boundaries. Maybe you check email and texts, but don’t go on social media. Maybe you shut the phone off entirely. Create whatever boundaries work for you!
Get outside - A big point of disconnecting from technology is to get more connected with ourselves. Get grounded, get outside, soak up the sun, walk around barefoot, tune into your primal side. Embrace the natural healing we receive from being outside. Put down the phone and put on the sunscreen, and get outside!
Have fun - This is meant to be fun and helpful, so enjoy it! Remember, there are no freaking rules -just live life.

So there you have it. My little tips and tricks to what my detox did for me and how you could try your very own. If you try your own digital detox, tell me what you think afterwards! I found mine eye-opening and I’m hoping I take the things I learned to help me re-frame and re-set how I am using technology in my life. Here’s to more mindfulness, more time to detox from the digital world, and more time to just live life.

Thank you everyone for being patient with me while I explored time away from the digital world. Happy scrolling!

What a social media detox did for me