Living Simply | Fasting from Social Media

Social media can be a great thing. It's a way to keep in contact with others, to know what's going on in their lives and to share updates in our own. But it can also be a bad thing. Social media acts as a tool for comparison and comparison is a thief of joy. Social media can also remind you of the constant bad things going on the world and can be really depressing. Taking time to "detox" from social media can offer some great benefits.

Signs you spend too much time on social media:

  • You feel anxious when you're away from your phone or computer
  • You only do things so you can share about them (this is a real thing)
  • You feel stressed out by a lack of response to something you post
  • You fail to get things done because you spend so much time scrolling
Things you can do instead of social media:

  • Spend time with God in His word or in His creation, or both
  • Get to know yourself better and discover new hobbies
  • Go for a walk or just be outside
  • Rest
  • Read
  • Write
  • Be creative: paint, draw, take photos
  • Spend time with other people, away from the internet!
How to detox from social media:

  • Use the "do not disturb" feature on your cell phone
  • Turn off all push notifications on your cell phone
  • Sign out of your accounts on your phone, computers, tablets, etc.
  • Charge your phone outside of your bedroom and use an actual alarm clock in place of your phone
  • If you find certain apps excessively addicting, just delete them. Such as games, facebook, instagram, or snapchat (gasp)
If you return to social media:
Be intentional with your posts
Set a limit to how long you will spend online
Let go of the apps and/or accounts you don't miss during the detox

I suggest you start slowly. Commit to one day of social media fasting. Then move onto a week. You will find that you rely on it less and less over time.

And now, enjoy all your free time. 

2 comments

  1. Love this Jessica!! It's so true. I did a social media fast once and was better off without it! I still try to not use it much, except for blog promotion and such. Great post!

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  2. Agree! Social media can be so addicting. I was strangely relieved when I deleted Snapchat and I really haven't missed it. Most of my friends don't post much of anything interesting on Facebook, so it's not a huge deal to me, lolol. BUT, I know I can benefits from a retreat from Instagram for sure.

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