Social media and us, we are like two peas in a pod now, inseparable and always together! We are like sucked into it to the point that it is the first thing we check when we open our eyes in the morning. Check our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter feed while whipping up breakfast, while chomping food and even before we shut down for the day. I mean what’s up with us, really?
By and by we are losing our human touch and connection, wasting valuable productive time and the little joys around us. No, just introspect a bit, is this not what we are doing every single day? I’ll be very honest with you guys, just before I sat down to write this, I was checking my Insta feed and did not realize I had spent almost 25 minutes just looking at vacations that known unknown people had taken, how well a few have re-decorated their living room and what have some people cooked off late!
It’s seriously, is time to think about moving a bit away from the “Distracting 3” and try to get a bit mindful of our own lives. It’s time we take control of our lives and consume less of the social media dopamine, if possible!
What would you do instead when suddenly you realize you have nothing to do during the usual ‘social media break’ time? Trust me, there are so many options that you would have to decide which one to do first! I am trying this Social Media Detox with you, so we are in this together! But before we do the detox, make sure you know the apps you use the most, try setting a timer for daily usage, and try doing the detox with a friend {just makes it a tad easier you see}.
How about learning a new language or a skill
I would try to be absolutely honest, I have the Duolingo app on my iPad for quite some time now. And it has been sending me reminders to complete my Spanish language lessons, but I snooze it every time and ‘use’ my time to quickly scan through my Twitter feed.
Point to note here, I am mostly not creating a post {content} but glancing through the feed {always at the consumption end of the spectrum}, so no real practical use of time here! How about using this time to learn a new language like Spanish or French. Apps like Duolingo or Memrise helps us to learn a new language with small doable lessons.
How much time did you spend on the Insta feed? Like 20 minutes, you could learn 5-6 new Spanish words in that time, now decide for yourself!
People, you might also use this 20-minute in-between breaks to quickly learn yarn sewing, do a Udemy course, learn a few easy dance moves, take your pick, you guys!
Get out of the house
Put on the sneakers and get out of the house and feel the fresh air kissing your face. I told you that I’ll be honest, apart from draining a lot of time on my phone, sometimes I just put on earphones, listen to my playlist, and walk down the trail.
It’s so rejuvenating that I get amazed how much I have walked away from home! Not just walking, you could go biking alone or with your group, go for a picnic, just sit with a cup of coffee on the lake park or lie down on the grass. Or even better, have friends who do canoeing, join them on their next outing!
Read a book, please!
True for most of us, we keep putting off our reading habits. The reason mostly is social media for instant gratification that it offers and let’s admit it, we love looking at what others are doing!!
Bunk it please, and I am saying this to myself as well! Love bestsellers, take your pick from the New York Times Best Sellers list.
The ‘Namaste’ way of life
Ok, I know that yoga needs the right frame of mind and should possibly be done at the right time. So may be not at mid-noon but when you reach for your phone after you wake up, open up the yoga app instead. And to bypass the excuse of ‘now what yoga app and where to find it’, Good Housekeeping has the list of yoga apps, choose anyone you like!! We promise to get up and give our body a nice downward dog pose stretch from tomorrow!
Care to do a plank?
A friend shared this 30 Day Plank Challenge with me and we are doing it together now {find the plank postures on Shape}. During the course of the day, whenever we find it suitable we try and finish off the posture slated for the day.
It’s a productive use of that little bit of extra time which would have otherwise gone in scrolling up and down random Instagram pages! Try squatting, try meditating, try push-ups, the list goes on!
This one’s interesting, how about learning to make a bit of extra cash!
I am all in for this with all my heart. Did you ever try stock market investing? It’s not rocket science, it’s about observation and a little bit of time. Ok to be clear I am not talking about investing a big deal here. Start by looking at tutorials like Stock Market Investing for Beginners on Udemy which explain the process and get to know a few free-of-fee stock trading apps like Robinhood or SoFi.
Try keeping some money in these apps and instead of reaching for the Twitter app open the Robinhood app and see the changes in the performance of maybe Google or Apple or Amazon stocks and buy a share or two. If the price goes up the next day, sell it off and make some extra cash! What say, where would you put your 25 minutes now?
Listen to podcasts, hear an audiobook
Have an earphone, put in on, and listen to a podcast on NPR. It’s like getting to know more things, more perspectives, and intelligent discussions all while chopping leeks for the dinner soup! We can choose to spend the 20 minutes wisely, can’t we!
Meal prepping is not a bad idea after all
Yes, it’s not a bad idea and you would thank no other than yourself when you meal prep on Sunday evening for the next five weekday lunches. Now don’t say you didn’t have time to plan lunches, all the 20-minute breaks went to the ‘social media confederation!’
Have a chat with someone close to you
How about using the ‘social media breaks’ to call a friend up? Sounds like a plan, right! When I did this the last time, I did not know that I would enjoy this so much. It was way better, way more touching than ogling at somebody’s vacation pictures on Facebook!
Or even better, play with your child, your nephew, niece or a neighbor’s child. That could be the best detox you could ask for. Run around with them, pretend to play a tea-party or hunt a dragon and do silly laughs with them till the time their incessant questions tire you out!
Need more ideas on what to do instead of social media? Dancing to your favorite tune, learning a new recipe, redecorating the living room, organizing the closet, visiting your favorite cafe, and sitting quietly. Need we say more, nay!
One of my favorites is meal prepping, it cuts out so much of the ‘what to eat tomorrow’ stress. You choose your liking!! There are immediate benefits you see, you are no longer looking down into your phone, rather looking up and reconnecting with people around you, social media competitiveness ease-out hence more positivity and a bit more free time. A winning strategy for sure!!