In this day and age, it’s so easy to just get lost scrolling for hours on your phone and watch the time go aimlessly by. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the events going on through social media and feel the need to respond to every DM, every email, every text message. Do you realize that with all the time you spent on social media you could have spent taking a walk outside, doing a workout, or learning to cook something new? Believe me, I am 110% guilty of this too. But, I am here to tell you why I think you need to indulge in a phone detox every now and then.
1. IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
For me, the #1 way my phone affects my mental health is sleep. I, like probably a lot of other people, check my phone for a long time before I sleep. I already feel like I have sleep problems and my phone probably makes it worse. But, in my defense, I really like watching Netflix on my phone before I sleep! I’m trying to get better at it and I’m remembering how much I love reading (more on that later). Sleep is important and if you’re staring at a screen right before you fall asleep, your quality of sleep is probably going to be not so great. Not only that, but what if you’re scrolling on social media and you come across something that makes you anxious which will then make you restless all night? You’re associating stress with your comfy bed and that’s really bad for you. The solution? Try to set your alarms and put your phone to the side about 40min-1hr before you fall asleep! During that time, you could read a book, write in your journal, or plan for the next day.
2. YOU’LL HAVE SO MUCH MORE FREE TIME
Saying Bye Felicia to your phone will mean you will have so much more time to do other things! For example, when I do a phone detox, I take the time to organize my room and do laundry. Basically, I like to get my life in order. I also spend the time talking to my roommates and have an undistracted conversation about our days. It’s also nice to take a walk outside and do a workout like you promised yourself you would do as your New Year’s resolution (guilty). Honestly, the possibilities are endless.
3. YOU’LL BE ABLE TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT
Remember those days when you used to be able to go somewhere and not have to Snapchat it? Yeah, me too! It feels like so long ago because nowadays, it seems like my phone has to eat before I do. When I go to a new restaurant and my food arrives, my first instinct is to get out my phone and take a picture so I can post it somewhere. The fact that taking a picture for social media is my first instinct is already so unhealthy. I’m not saying it’s wrong to do that but I am saying to try to limit it and remember to enjoy the company of the people you’re with. How often do you find yourself eating out with your friends and ALL of you are on your phones? In my case, pretty often. My friends and I started this new rule where all of us have to put our phones in the middle of the table and no one is allowed to touch their phones until the end of the meal. It’s a great way to indulge in great conversation. Seriously, some of the best conversations you have with people are the ones where people are not checking their phones every two seconds. Try it!
4. NO MORE FOMO
Honestly, FOMO is the WORST. I get really bad FOMO when I see people traveling to all these beautiful countries and posting all these amazing pictures. It’s easy to forget that social media, like Instagram, is a highlight reel where people only show the amazing parts of their lives. I can guarantee you, unless that person is Barney Stinson, his or her life is not awesome all the time. But, in this case, if you’re doing a phone detox, you won’t feel it. Great trick, right?
5. RECONNECT WITH THINGS YOU LOVE TO DO
I used to love reading every night before I went to bed, sometimes for hours and hours. Now, I do the same except my book is actually my phone and what I’m reading is social media. With a phone detox, I’m able to reconnect with my love for books and spend my nights reading right before I sleep. With all the time we spend on social media, we could be doing something else. Perhaps something we used to do but don’t do anymore because we believe we don’t have the time. For me, it’s reading but for you, it could be painting or photography or anything else. Rediscover that passion about yourself and do it. Find new passions and pursue them. Social media is just a small part of our lives and I believe we are multi-faceted. We have the capability to literally do anything we want to do. It’s easy to forget sometimes but I’m here to remind you that it’s time to reconnect.
I know it’s difficult to unplug but it’s also a great way to remember to take a mental break and live in the moment. If you try it, tell me how it went for you!
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