What I Learned From a Digital Detox

I chose to stay off all social media from Friday at 6 pm until Monday morning, after sunrise. It was a great experience and I'll be doing it again. As I lean into Day 9 of the 30 Day Whole Body Detox program I'm grateful for all the ways we get to detox this month, should we choose to.

1. I can do lots of other things I enjoy by removing social media for a time. I read a full novel by Sophie Kinsella on Saturday and spent time in the tent!
2. I'm less distracted and more focused on my family and surroundings. And I noticed how much the rest of my family was on their devices. I know that usually I'm on my device at the same time but it was a big notice when I wasn't on my phone and they were. I asked my husband why he needed to check his phone notifications while we were hiking. Maybe I would have been doing the same had I not been on airplane mode.
3. I can still take photos and not share them immediately (if at all). It brings me a lot of joy to share my photos and tell stories. It was ok to take a break.
4. My businesses do rely on me posting and interacting on social media. When I choose to use social media as a connection tool and business building platform, it's worth my time. Like so many people, I haven't been able to avoid the mindless scrolling so I need a break.
5. I rely on several different messaging apps to communicate and being on airplane mode most of the day made it challenging. I missed a few important messages. And ironically we all missed a lot of important messages yesterday when Rogers was down!
6. I enjoyed the break and will do it more often. Even if it affects the algorithm. Maybe not always a full weekend but a bit of a Sabbath as my Jewish friends would call it. Years ago I used to follow this example and not use my phone from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. This may be worth exploring again.

Have you done a digital detox lately?