On Saturday 5th September, I took part in #DigitalDetoxDay and switched off for full 24 hours of phone-free day and just had the whole day to reconnect in real life and re-evaluate my relationship with social media. I heard this amazing campaign coming from one of my favourite Youtuber of all time, Zoe Sugg, where she, I Am Whole and Lush Cosmetics helped to raise awareness of the negative impact of our digital devices can have on our mental health.
The reason why I wanted this day to happen is that I don’t think I’ve ever taken a full 24 hours offline since getting a phone or since setting up my social media pages which is just UNREAL! I really think that I needed this as I spend an unhealthy amount of time sitting on my phone pointlessly scrolling, clicking and checking what others do ‒ not minding what to do next and before I know it UGH! I’ve wasted an hour scrolling while everybody starting on their day and I haven’t started mine.
I admit that it’s the first thing I check when I wake up and the last thing before I go to sleep. I love sharing my life and documenting with snapshots of moments to look back on in the future. I do get invested in special moments but also aware that 90% of the time it’s only been the best bits, AKA highlights reel. A self-reminder that behind Instagram there’s much more going on in people’s lives and people may seem that they have a perfect life ‒ she may seem to have a great time seeping cocktail in the Maldives but she might not talk about the fact that she had the worst travel sickness of her life or she and her boyfriend had a fight taking that perfect picture. There’s so much more going on behind the photos you see on social media and I always try to remember that.
I can say I did prepare for Digital Detox Day. Few days before, I’ve set healthy boundaries on how I will approach #DDD without feeling awkward and not just put myself ON THE SPOT. So day by day I’ve managed to turn off my notifications on my social media platforms, set app limits and downtime, mastered not to reach for my phone first thing when I wake up, wrote list of activities on how I’ll be spending my #DDD and on Friday evening, I left my phone in the drawer (full day) so I wasn’t tempted to look at it on my bedside table in the morning, and it worked!
I spent Saturday AM easing myself into the weekend by heading out on our balcony to meditate and tried to be grounded and mindful of how I was going to spend my time. I went inside after a quick stretch and cooked breakfast for my family which I usually don’t do, as I would still be on my phone scrolling endlessly. Followed by a quick read through my book and started the day off having a long walk around the park with Jasper (my boyfriend) and how he always told me that day that he had been waiting for this moment to come, which again would normally involve a scroll through Insta while we’re walking or I will be taking pictures of stuff around LOL. Also popped into a resto of his choice for late lunch. The rest of the evening was spent watching movies at home without phone interruption and ended the night with relaxing skincare.
It just became obvious to me that I use my phone as a filler in my day. I noticed that I had so much free time and taking away that extra time spent on social media is extra time that I can focus on doing something else I love.
Having a phone-free day is so refreshing but also felt weird at the same time not seeing what everyone else was doing but just living in the moment, having a deep and meaningful conversation, not constantly reaching for my phone ‒ just being present overall was GREAT!
I will totally incorporate having a digital detox day into my life, my head LOVED the peace! I’m so happy I was able to do it! I feel properly rested and I know it’s best for my mental health.
Would you try doing a Digital Detox?