Y’all might remember that a month or so ago, I went to Austin with #mysteryboy and went off social media for an ENTIRE weekend. I already shared a little about the experience here, but basically, I forgot about social media – it wasn’t necessarily intentional. We were just really busy and having so much freaking fun that social media and my phone in general weren’t a priority. It helped that #mysteryboy isn’t really into social media or his phone and we were active for most of the weekend, too. It might sound crazy to some, but I literally hadn’t spent more than a day away from my phone in maybe years?? So this was BIG for me.
Social media is part of my job, but I know I could be removing myself from it more often. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but I also feel like a slacker if I’m not doing stories or shooting on the weekend. And because I’m a perfectionist that way, I’d never let myself have a break from it – until it accidentally happened.
Because this was such a #major moment for me, and because I know so many of y’all are also equally depending on your phone/social media, I wanted to share what I noticed when I took a social media break.
Nothing
The world didn’t end, my business didn’t suffer, y’all were still there to interact with on Monday (yay!), and my life went on. For some reason, we all feel like we HAVE to be attached to our phones and social (at least me). Like it’s something that we can’t leave the house without, let alone not check for a weekend. Obviously a lot of this is habit and our short attention spans, but I’d never really stopped to think what exactly WOULDN’T happen if I took a break. It was incredibly refreshing to know that life went on…obviously.
I slept really well
Maybe it was because we were so active, but I think a part of the reason I slept better than I had in what felt like months that weekend was because I wasn’t on my phone. I wasn’t staring at fake light (remember the blue light?!), I wasn’t scrolling past my bedtime, and I wasn’t consumed by outside information or people. I was just livin’ my life! Experts say tech in general is making us sleep worse and I 100% agree.
I enjoyed things more
I’m a blogger and need to document my life more than others, so I know not everyone orders something off the menu because it’ll be pretty for an Instagram. But that’s my life when I’m working. There’s SO much internal pressure to look cute or put something together for you guys or to shoot something pretty when I see it – it’s my job! And I really enjoy it most of the time. But sometimes (aka a lot), it’s A LOT. It’s constant, and I’m bad at turning off and just living. Without being consumed by my phone, I looked like a hot mess most of the weekend, didn’t wear makeup (not that that stops me from being on Stories but you know what I mean), ordered food without thinking about shooting it, and so on. I was present and happy!
I was a better partner
I’m literally the WORST at this, I’ll admit it, but I’m constantly side-tracked by my phone. My family calls me out on this all the time, and I know it’s a thing, and I hate it. Instead of being with whoever I’m with, I’m also multi-tasking on my phone, usually figuring out what to post on Instagram or aimlessly scrolling. Without being on it so much, I felt like #mysteryboy and I connected on a deeper level, I was a better listener, and I just enjoyed being around people more! It sounds embarrassing saying it, but it’s true.
I felt equally as relaxed and stressed Monday morning
OK so for the one negative of the social media break, I’d have to say it was Monday morning. Because I isolated myself from work all weekend (which NEVER happens), I felt out of the loop and stressed Monday. But at the same time, I felt SO refreshed and excited to jump back into work. I’ve decided that I just need to do a little planning/debrief with my team on Fridays to alleviate this Monday morning anxiety if I’m off social – which can definitely be done. It just hadn’t been that week. If you’re wanting to go off social but feel like you’ll suffer come Monday, plan for it the week before.
It made me want more
One of the biggest lessons of all of this was that I needed A SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX. Without knowing it, I needed it SO badly. I learned that it’s possible and it’s something I want to start incorporating more of into my life ASAP. Since then, I’ve been taking breaks on weekends, especially on Sundays or when I’m with friends, family, the boy, etc. It might sound dumb to some that this was some huge wake-up moment for me, but it’s really changed things for me.
I hope that if you find yourself needing a detox (see if you do right here!), this post motivates you even more. If you’ve taken a break (or do it consistently), how was your experience? Did you survive?
