The Minimalism Experiment W7: Social Media Hiatus
Week 7 of my Minimalist Challenge involved a huge change in my day to day life since today marks the final day of my Social Media Hiatus. I was inspired to take on this challenge after listening to The Minimalists podcast addressing social media use. In this podcast, they addressed a lot of different issues that surround social media, including where to draw the line as a minimalist and if staying off social media for an extended period can help you to find a newfound value or lack of value for the various platforms. While I do use social media for Studio Blue and my Etsy shop, I chose to focus more on my personal use during this week-long social media hiatus.
For this week-long experiment, I decided to do a few different things to ensure success.
Stay off social media as much as possible
Turn off all forms of social media notifications
Move all social media apps to the second page of my iPhone’s desktop
Fight urges throughout the day to check up on it
After doing these simple things to ensure my success, I embarked on my week-long journey where I learned a ton about myself, my lifestyle, and most importantly, what makes me happy.
SO much more time!
While working my way through this week, I started to notice how much more time I had, and how much more focused and aware that I became in the process. By simply doing things like not spending an hour on my phone before going to bed, I was able to read. By not being on social media as a reward or break between tasks I was able to simply just keep working and accomplish a lot more.
2. Less stress & overwhelm
Sometimes, when I am aimlessly switching between apps, looking for new content for hours on end I get mad at myself. The cycle of switching between the same three apps looking at useless content can cause a kind of build-up that I find very stressful. I also realized throughout the week that by not doing this, I felt a lot freer and liberated by staying off of social media. It is most definitely an addiction that you feel freedom from once you quit. Not only does freedom from it help you to focus on getting important tasks completed more efficiently and alleviate stress, but it also helps you focus without feeling overwhelmed.
3. I promise...you’re not missing much
When I did choose to take a peek at social media during this week, I spent almost no time on it because I quickly realized that there was nothing truly interesting that I was missing. This was a really important realization for me, and it made this week a lot easier then I thought it was going to be.
4. Happiness
By the middle of this week, I felt a lot happier for a variety of different reasons. I felt more accomplished because I had gotten through a lot of tasks quickly. I felt more connected to myself and those around me. I felt happier because I was able to delve into some of my favourite activities without distraction. Finally, I felt free of the comparison that often comes with endlessly scrolling through social media.
Overall, I would recommend this kind of detox to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or unhappy. It is such a good way to take care of your mental health and focus on the things in your life that truly mean something to you. The experience was freeing, and even though I don’t plan on getting rid of my social media, I no longer feel the kind of attachment to it that I used to. I am now in a place where I feel like I have autonomy over my choice to use it, and that it isn’t calling my name 24/7.
If you're interested in learning more about social media from a Minimalist perspective take a look at this podcast by The Minimalists! https://www.theminimalists.com/p120/
