Disconnected to reconnect – a 15 days social media detox

Photo by Andrew Guan on Unsplash.

On September 14th, 2020 I posted on Instagram that I’m taking 15 days off my phone and social media to reconnect with myself and my art.

Here’s what I’m doing:

• I uninstalled WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest from my phone.
• The phone is shutdown and hidden until Friday 18th (Day 4). After that I’ll be only checking Telegram to receive the homework from a course I’m taking.
• I’m using an extension (StayFocusd) on my computer browser to block Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Youtube.

I updated this blog post along the way every other day, to see if I had any realization.

2 days before

2 days before embarking on this little journey I told my family, and friends about it, so they didn’t worry about me disappearing or unanswering their messages. Most reactions were good wishes. My mom and a close friend were deeply worried about me and reassure me I could count on them if I needed something. Another friend said she admires me for doing such a thing. Another simply doesn’t understand this. Different people have different opinions🤷‍♀️.

1 Day Before

I planned my days to go as follow:

• Mornings (8:00-14:30 hrs) : Wake Up —>Make breakfast —>Eat —>Shower & Wash Up —>Mental Workout (Journalling+Gratitute+Affirmations) —>Read —>Draw
• Afternoon (14:30-20:00 hrs): Cook Lunch —>Eat —>Wash Dishes —>Take a short walk every other day —>Work on Commissions/Update Shop —>Yoga —>Meditation
• Dinner (20:00-00:00 hrs): Make Dinner —>Eat —>2 hours to do whatever I wanted —>Wash Up —>Read —>Sleep

Day 1

• So far so good. I stopped using my smartphone the night before at 9:30 PM, and went to bed around 11 PM, and slept like a baby. I guess it’s true what is said about the blue light before bedtime messing with your sleep.
• I started reading “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” by Joe Dispenza🤯.
• I had an anxiety crisis at noon😟, normally that would have me procrastinating on my phone, but I was on my computer so I spend almost an hour reading about orcas on Wikipedia… this was not thaaat random though, I’m introspecting on my childhood and the things I used to love, and I just remembered when I was 8 and orcas were my obsession.
• In the afternoon I randomly thought “I wonder what comments I have on my latest post”, and I unconsciously reached for my phone (that wasn’t there) when I felt like going to the bathroom 🙃🚽 things went fast.

Besides that, the day went pretty well. I haven’t missed the phone as much as I thought.

Days 7-11

• My sleep schedule is surprisingly better. I get sleepy around the same time and wake up naturally around half an hour before or after my alarm is set.
• Sometimes I try to use my finger to change pages on my 3rd generation kindle which doesn’t have a touch screen 😂 talk about body memory.
• Days feel longer. I get things done and I’ve been able to honor the free time I set for movies/videogames each day.
• I have had some rough days (bad news, difficult decisions to make, fears to confront), and I was so glad I didn’t have my phone to numb myself. I had to sit with my emotions, process them and what would normally turn into a bad day or week, was just some uncomfortable hours.
• In the beginning, I had a lot of FOMO, but halfway through I feel like nothing has really happened.
• It is getting clear to me who and what I truly miss.
• I white-listed Youtube on my computer on day 10 😬 I realized I wasn’t using it that much for procrastination, but mostly to watch tutorials and music.
• On day 11 I started doing a guided meditation based on Joe Dispensa’s work.

Day 15

• My sleep schedule had a hiccup, I got anxious to get back to the insta-reality.
• I finished reading “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I liked it, but sometimes it felt like I was re-reading his blog posts. Nonetheless, it is an easy-to-read book and is full of practical ways to build new habits. I’m using the knowledge from the book to follow through the Inktober challenge: Making it obvious, easy, attractive, and satisfying.

Day 16 – First Day Back

• By the time I finished installing the apps on my phone I was already diving into it, ignoring my breakfast. It is easy to relapse once everything is available again 🙃.
• I confirmed the world didn’t end, I only missed the events I would have physically missed anyway, and the pics were still there.
• In the late afternoon, I decided to only see my phone as much as I do yoga: 30 mins. Why should I spend more time ruining my mind than moving my body?

Overall Conclusions

• I do feel better, much calmer.
• I realized whom I honestly wanted to speak to.
• Going to the bathroom is quicker 💩 . And probably more hygienic, it is not a good idea to take the phone with us to the bathroom in the first place.
• I had more time in my hands overall.
• I basically removed all unwanted interruptions, so I got into “the zone” and got momentum quicker. AKA things were getting done.
• I re-fell in love with my art. I could create without thinking about posting. Now I know what I genuinely love creating😍✨.
• I re-discovered I TRULY enjoy reading.
• Those who care about me were still there. If you’re wondering how this affected my Instagram account: I gained more followers than what I lost.