UPDATED 02/21/2025
It’s a new year. Are you feeling refreshed? I know I am! And it’s because I took a social media break over the holidays.
Most of us live in a world where we check our phones, never mind our social media, every day. These little devices are incredibly helpful but also so addicting. We find ourselves grabbing our phone every time we have a notification go off. But when you take a break from social media, something happens internally that’s spectacular. Right now, you’re probably thinking it isn’t possible to take a break. I challenge you to reconsider that opinion. Yes, social media is everywhere, but that doesn’t mean you need to.
Around the holidays, most of us are super busy with events, family stuff, shopping for presents, and cooking. That busy lifestyle that takes over and makes us really tired at the end of the day. Planning on unplugging for a bit each day during this time can be very beneficial. You may think I’m crazy by even suggesting this. With lots of emails, text messages from clients and business partners, and social media notifications coming in, it can be hard. But disassociating yourself from the phone IS possible and it feels so darn good.
Wondering how to even take a social media break? Keep reading…
First, you want to schedule the time you’ll be disconnecting. Pick the day, the hours, and if it’s helpful, try it first on a weekend. You’ll most likely be busy shopping and running around anyway. Now you won’t have to be disconnected all day. When you first get up, check on the important stuff, like emails and text messages. Then, shut off the sound on the phone or shut off the notifications.
Go about your day and when you get home, plug your phone into the charger and leave it there. Keep yourself busy with wrapping gifts, cleaning the house, or watching a movie. When you stay busy, you won’t even think about the notifications.
At the end of the day, you’ll most likely not even remember where you left your phone. Go to bed without it next to you and you’ll have the best night’s sleep. Trust me! When you wake, you might want to reach for your phone immediately. But keep repeating this practice and eventually, you won’t even reach for your phone in the mornings.
Doing this will help you realize just how attached we are to our electronics and what’s going on in the world. I’d like to believe that we are attached to our phones because we want to connect. But another part of me thinks something darker. Either way, the result is the same-we’re addicted. I encourage you to unplug regularly.
