A different kind of detox
On a coaching call last week I committed to doing a 10 day social media detox.
I knew I wanted to take some time offline during my upcoming trip to Mexico but for some reason on the call I decided that my 5 day trip wasn't long enough.
So I committed to doing a 10 day detox and now I'm inviting you to join me as well.
Hold on a minute: WHAT is a social media detox and WHY on earth would I need to do one?
Let's start with the WHY. Why would I (or you) need to do a social media detox?
Depending on how old you are, your friends and your work, social media can play a greatly different role in your life. For me, social media (and by that I mean mainly Instagram and Facebook, although Twitter, Snapchat and any other social connection platforms count) is a huge part of my business and my life.
Social media is AMAZING because it's connected me with so many incredible humans (many of which are dear friends now!), led clients and students to me and ultimately been a great platform for me to express myself creatively.
It's not unusual for me to spend 2-4 hours each day on some sort of online social platform.
Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing - like I mentioned above, social media is an incredible tool for connection, inspiration and information. However, scrolling through Instagram or Facebook can also be a way that we distract ourselves from what really needs to be done (work, a difficult conversation, getting to the gym, feeling our feelings, etc!).
On top of that, social media is mostly a "highlights reel" meaning it's all the GOOD stuff, and can easily lead us into a compare and despair cycle wondering why we don't have the things we see on other people's feeds.
There's a saying "Comparison is the thief of all joy."
Lately I've found myself spending more time scrolling and comparing myself to people with more followers, more money, more whatever than me. I am grateful for what I have, but sometimes (especially when presented with endless beautiful photos of what I think other people have) I forget that.
Which is why I'm taking a break from social media for 10 days.
What does a social media detox entail?
This simply means that I won't be on Instagram or Facebook for 10 days. I won't be posting, or logging in and scrolling.
If I'm bored, I'll read a book or listen to a podcast.
If I want to find out what a friend is up to, I'll call, text or FaceTime her.
If I'm feeling lonely or sad or happy or inspired, I'll journal about it.
I did a 7 day social media detox in the fall and it was incredible - it opened up much more time in my day AND I felt way more present and content.
I know 10 days will be a challenge, so I'm glad I'll have some ladies from the Rockstar Coaching Collective joining me for added accountability and support.
Social media may not be an issue for you - it isn't for everyone, but if you resonated with what I shared in this post, I invite you to consider this kind of detox.
If you've found yourself mindlessly scrolling through Facebook at night, if your Instagram feed isn't making you feel as inspired as it once was, if you simply want a break from all the noise of everyone else's lives to focus on your own, this is your chance to reset.
Whether you do a detox or not, I encourage you to observe your habits around social media and how it makes you feeL. If it's inspiring and energizing you, great! That's the point :) If not, consider spending less time on it, and more time connecting with people in real life.