Digital Detox: 10 Transformative Benefits I Experienced When Cutting Back on Social Media and Streaming
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Research from the American Heart Association found that adults who watch TV three hours or more per day may be twice as likely to die prematurely than those who watch an hour or less. Facebook’s internal research revealed that Instagram makes body image issues worse for teen girls. The National College Health Assessment found a significant link between the presence of Facebook and the deterioration in mental health among college students.
With such sobering news, I decided it was for me to step back from social media and streaming / TV watching to see how my overall health would be impacted.
What did I do specifically?
Cut my Netflix subscription (No more Netflix and Chill for me. )
Stopped checking my personal Facebook page (No reading of other people’s posts, no looking at folk’s photos, no reading of people’s comments)
Stopped checking my personal Instagram page (No more comment reading, no more Instagram scrolling, no looking at anyone’s content)
Cut my days of streaming or watching TV to 1 day a week with a maximum of 1 hour (No more couch surfing)
Reduce my Tik Tok video watching to a few videos a month (No more hours of learning or becoming exhausted on Tik Tok)
Did my life change significantly when I conducted my digital detox?
Absolutely and here’s how:
Started Reading More Books - Reading has always been a love of mine. Since I was no longer binge watching Netflix, I resumed my fascination with reading. I’ve fallen in love with new characters, new authors and have felt more optimistic as a writer.
Got Up Earlier - By not wasting time on social media or watching TV or streaming, I woke up in the morning with revitalized energy. I felt ready to seize the day.
Journaled Earlier - When I started telling myself, “Do not check your phone first thing in the morning,” it cleared my mind to get right to journaling. Journaling helps with mental clarity and focus. So, I started my day off in a more productive way.
Made more time for exercise - Instead of mindlessly scrolling, I reclaimed that time and turned 30 minute workouts into 65 minute workouts. This helped my heart and my waistline.
Kept My Space More Organized - When my mind wasn’t distracted by social media, I’d declutter, clean up the kitchen, make up my bed, and take more effort to organize my space. This reduced my stress.
Became More Creative - I’ve written more books / articles and created more products for my businesses. I also started growing a whole tomato plant. My brain is less distracted which is opening the door to more creativity. Being more creative gave me such a boost of hope and optimism which reduces stress, depression and anxiety.
Took Better Care of My Health - I relocated shortly after my digital detox started. The mental clarity allowed me to focus on my health and getting new doctors. I’m up to date on my dentist, physicals, women’s health, physical therapy, massages, etc.
Meditated More - With no TV distracting me, I found myself pulling out my yoga mat or going outside to sit on the balcony to meditate more often. This reduced my stress levels.
Slept better - Research has reported that the blue light that comes from laptops, phone screens, and tablets affect our circadian rhythm. By not allowing blue light in my bedroom when it was time to go to bed, I fell asleep faster and stayed asleep longer.
Experienced More Joy - Focusing on myself allowed me to focus on what made me happy. Whether it was going on an evening stroll, coloring, sketching, working on a vision board, growing a tomato plant–by not being on social media looking at what other people were doing, I started to focus on what I wanted to do. This change of focus brought more happiness to my life.
When I decided to detox digitally, I’d read about the damaging impacts of social media, streaming, and TV watching. I knew this was a decision for my overall health - mental, physical and emotional.
My Netflix has been gone for nearly a year, I haven’t checked my personal social media page in over 6 months, and my reduction of scrolling social media as I’ve listed above is also at the 6 months or more mark.
Digital detox is now a way of life for me. And, I know I am better for it.
I believe there are healthy ways to use social media and I gotta write a whole article about that. I believe how I use social media today is much healthier. Stay tuned.
Have you ever done a digital detox? Let us know.
