Digital Detox - A Reflection

A month without social media—a blessing in disguise?

A note: This post was supposed to go out last Wednesday! But I haven’t touched my laptop in weeks (thanks to my new digital minimalism habits) and just got around to typing up my thoughts yesterday. I guess I was just too busy reading books to get around to writing!

On April 30th, I found Ruth Gaskovski’s post on Digital Minimalism and was instantly intrigued by the idea of a “digital detox” for the month of May. I’d been feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by my phone’s constant presence in my life for a while, so this challenge was a perfectly timed answer to my need. I excitedly planned out what things I would allow myself to do on my phone, and what I would cut out. May 1st came, and I was SO ready. I deleted all my social media, set my phone to Do Not Disturb, and headed out the door.

Unfortunately, my life wasn’t quite prepared to let me quit my phone, no matter how eager I was personally. Family members and friends texting and calling at all times of the day soon dragged me out of Do Not Disturb, much to my dismay.

Though I am disappointed that my phone is in my life more than I initially intended, I have seen great successes so far in this challenge, and I have learned things about myself and my phone that I never expected.

The first and biggest benefit I’ve seen has come from deleting social media. Instagram was the main cause of frustration and stress for me before starting this challenge and was my main motivator for making the jump into the month. Instagram reels had taken over my brain and I could tell I was getting addicted, scrolling for hours each day. So I deleted it! And I immediately felt so much better. I also deleted Pinterest, which I hadn’t thought of as one of my “problem” social media apps, but I realized that it actually was. Pinterest (as well as Instagram) show me all the great things that I don’t have and cause me to not realize the good things I do have in my life. Getting away from those apps removes the cloud of comparison and allows my mind to see all the good and beautiful things in my life (and also gives me the time and mental energy to work on what needs fixing!)

Finally, and most painfully, I deleted Twitter. I have always viewed Twitter’s role in my life as a net positive (unlike most Twitter users). It’s where I’ve found so many kindred spirits who share my interests and values, whom I never would have met without the help of the World Wide Web. I’m also very good at using the mute and block buttons, which makes the site a whole lot less toxic of an experience. I’m very happy with the Catholic Twitter bubble I’ve found myself in. But I am seeing the benefits of cutting out Twitter from my life, even while missing chatting with the friends I’ve made there. Keeping up with the thousands of conversations and topics and “current things” online is exhausting sometimes. It distracts from what is happening right here in real life. It’s refreshing to not be keeping up with the newest online discourse and hot topics. I’ve noticed I’ve been able to slow down and relax mentally without Twitter’s constant stream of information, and it feels great!

Other than my changes regarding social media, I’ve been more intentional about leaving my phone behind when going out for activities meant for relaxation. When I go for a walk or stop in at my favorite Panera for a coffee, I leave my phone behind and just focus on enjoying the moment. I just let my mind wander as I enjoy the environment around me, taking in every little detail. This is such a nice habit I’ve started, and I will continue it even after this month.

As the end of May draws closer, I am starting to think about what I will do when this challenge is over. I know I don’t want to go back to what I was doing before, with unfettered social media use on my phone and all the frustrations that came with it. But I don’t want to completely cut out everything (yet). Going forward, I will definitely be keeping Instagram and Pinterest off of my phone. I may even go as far as deleting my Pinterest account completely—I’ll give that some more thought in the next few weeks. For Instagram, I think I will keep my account, but only allow myself to access it on my computer, not my phone. Instagram causes me a lot of frustration, and I want it out of my face, which I can accomplish by keeping it off my phone. But I do want to keep it around to keep in touch with friends from school. When I first started using Instagram, this was my purpose. I’d like to cut down on the accounts I follow so I only see people I know and care about. For Twitter, I haven’t decided yet whether to redownload it on my phone or not. I may just use it on my computer as well. That’s another thing to consider in the coming weeks before June. I also want to focus more on building on my friendships from Twitter, going from online-only to real-life friends.

I’ve found so much joy and life in this challenge so far, despite it not going exactly as I planned. Living life intentionally and taking every moment to appreciate what God has given me is something that social media has taken from my life, and this month has taught me that I can have that fullness in my life again! I’m so thankful that God showed me this challenge at a time when I really needed it.