Digital Detox:
Why Deleting Your Social Media Could Be A Good Thing
There’s no denying that social media plays a dominant role in many people’s lives. Billions of folks worldwide use social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram daily, some throughout much of their days and evenings.
Social media is undeniably a valuable communications medium that helps people stay connected with their family members and friends and learn of the latest developments in the world.
But, some people end up using social media more than they should, and it can affect their mental health and physical wellbeing. One radical solution to such situations is eradicating social media from their lives permanently.
Here’s why deleting your social media could be a good thing:
You’ll Spend More Time With People Offline
One advantage of deleting your social media is that you’ll spend more time with people offline. The problem with using social media constantly is that you miss out on what’s happening around you in the offline world.
There will likely be one-off events or chance encounters you could miss or opportunities to form bonds and build relationships with others.
Whether you delete or deactivate Instagram, Facebook, and other social networks, you’ll rediscover how the people physically nearest to you will inspire you and pique your interest more than the constant scrolling of your social feeds.
You’ll Sleep Better
Sleep is something that everyone needs an abundance of each night. With sleep deprivation, your body doesn’t function like a well-oiled machine, and your mind will struggle to perform even the most basic mental functions.
One of the downsides of being a regular social media user is how you can end up “hooked” on it and keep reading through your social feeds at all times of the day and night.
You may not realize it, but social media could be keeping you awake at night to the point where you start having double vision and end up dozing off.
Deleting your social media will mean that you can do other activities in your evenings, such as reading or simply relaxing, and you’ll end up having many a restful night’s sleep.
You’ll Feel Less On Edge
Another problem with continually using social media each day is that you’ll feel on edge and perhaps overloaded with information. There aren’t many practical ways of filtering the type of content filling up your feeds. This could result in you feeling on edge quite often.
As you can appreciate, social media isn’t a good idea if you don’t want to keep getting bombarded with information. This is especially true if much of it is negative.
You’ll Have More Time To Do Other Things
Lastly, you’ll discover that you have more time to do other things. For example, you could rekindle forgotten passions and hobbies. Perhaps you will reconnect with old friends. Basically, you will have more time to do the things you love.
Conclusion
Social media is undoubtedly a valuable way of receiving new information. However, there is also a great deal of negative out there. If social media is getting you down, a digital detox may be exactly what the doctor ordered.
28 thoughts on “A Digital Detox May Be Just What You Need”
I have tried having some social media detox. I just deleted it on my phone for some time. It really a great experience going back to more physical activities than just sitting the whole day lurking on social media
It gives a very different perspective on how we use our time.
My answer is “yes” , it’s always time for a digital detox. It’s never a bad idea to take one. ever!
You are a smart lady. SM grows and changes quickly. It is important to stay on top of it.
It is so important to detox from devices. I see this in so many people, including my kids. It is good to step away!
I think it’s something that we all could really benefit from. A reminder of life without electronics can be quite helpful.
I’ve been contemplating this idea for some time now but never had the guts to actually do it. One time it was forced upon me when I went on vacation to this remote hotel that had no wifi and at first, it was very difficult and gave me anxiety but by the end of the week, I felt better, healthier, and happier. Since then I’ve gone back to my old habits of checking social media daily…so much wasted time. I wish I could maintain a healthy balance but it’s hard.
It is extremely hard to maintain a healthy balance with social media. This is especially true for people like you and I who make our living online.
As a Genz , a digital detox is the most difficult thing for me ever, but i surely know i must take digital detox once in a while. Anyways, loved this article. Thanks for sharing!
Your honesty is fantastic. Realistically even if we were to detox from social media for a few hours it would make a difference.
Hihi….when it comes to this, “You’ll Have More Time To Do Other Things”, I am guilty as charged! My time spent on social media is quite a lot and not just because it’s my workplace but also, I use it to deflect from so many moments of inter-personal connection with other people.
You have actually taken a deep dive into looking at your true catalyst in spending time on social media. With this in mind, I wonder if you are ready for steps to change.
So many good points this blog. We need to balance social media in our daily lives.
That balance can save us from feeling quite overwhelm.
A digital detox is a challenge for everyone but it`s a way to reduce stress. I like to have more freedom n other things, such as my hobbies and blogging
It is indeed a challenge for everyone. As well when we are bloggers, writers, and similar it makes it that much more difficult to detox from social media.
A digital detox can definitely improve our physical and mental health, increase our attention span, and develop our problem-solving skills.
Indeed it can. Allowing time for differentiating experiences allows us to develop different muscles.
I’ve been contemplating a digital detox for at least a month. Social media has been a major distraction from work. and I wanna spend more time offline with my family.
More time with family and more concentration on the other avenues of fulfillment sound as if it would be very useful.
I can completely agree with this. I usually take a detox for a week when I know its not a crazy week ahead. I think I should do it more often.
This is such a healthy practice that you take. Enjoy your next one and thank you for sharing.
DIGITAL DETOX! I love that phrase. I stepped away from social media a year ago and am much better for it.
Funny, you talk about missing out on what’s going on around you in the offline (i.e. REAL) world, but people seem more afraid of missing out on what’s going on in the ONline world. It’s so ridiculous. That FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) manifests in everyone differently.
As for losing sleep, I read that it’s not only the psychological affects that keep us up and disrupt our sleep, but also the light from our phone and computer screens that has a biological affect on us. Is that true?
Scott, that is actually true. These lights an extra stimulation all interfere with our ability to get a good nights rest.
If it were up to me I would really use social media as little as possible, indeed I would not use them at all. Do we have to start learning to detach, on the other hand as we did when they didn’t exist? We lived better!
Social media has offered many, many advances. However, it is also taking away some truly valuable things that we were better off having.
I always try my best to balance when to use my digital devices and when not to. I even sometimes leave my phones in the car, have a cup of coffee and simply watch what’s going on around me.
KAT, I love that. Leaving your phone in the car and just stepping away from it can offer a mini Detox that can have huge benefits.