It’s no secret that social media can take a serious toll on mental health. When we’re used to impulsively scrolling through our feeds every time we have a spare 30 seconds, it can spark an endless spiral of comparison — and in turn, feeling less stellar than we could.
I’m a victim to the perils of social media on a daily basis. Some days, it’s relaxing to scroll through my feed and get inspiration for different makeup and fashion and other things I love from my favorite influencers; but others, it takes me down a rabbit hole of comparison and inefficiency. Social media needs to be a part of my life — I work in a field where having social media can be as important as having a jam-packed resume — but sometimes, I need a break from the pesky reminder that I’m all caught up on posts within the last two days.
Social media needs to be a part of my life — I work in a field where having social media can be as important as having a jam-packed resume — but sometimes, I need a break from the pesky reminder that I’m all caught up on posts within the last two days.
I’ve toyed with the idea of doing a complete social-media cleanse for months — where I’d stay off completely for a few weeks, hopefully being left totally refreshed. Every time I’ve tried, it’s resulted in a few days of cleansing and then hopping back on and pretending it never happened. Plus, if I were to do a cold-turkey cleanse, once I was done, I felt like I’d be right back to the same place I started.
I decided I was going to try out a different alternative: staying completely off of social media one day a week. At The Everygirl, we work from home twice a week, and those are the days I tend to scroll the most. I decided on my work-from-home day, I was going to forbid myself from going through any of my feeds — and I can’t believe how much of a difference it’s made in my life.
On Monday nights, I log off of all of my accounts, so that on Tuesday I can wake up and not be tempted to do my usual just-woke-up, 10-minute scroll. The first day I attempted it, it was way harder than I expected; it made me realize how impulsive my social media usage is — which was alarming, to say the least. Every time I tried and realized I was logged off, I spent my time doing other things — reading an article I’ve had saved on my to-read list for weeks, going through e-mails I’d been procrastinating responding to, petting my dog — that I enjoyed doing even more.
Every time I tried and realized I was logged off, I spent my time doing other things — reading an article I’ve had saved on my to-read list for weeks, going through e-mails I’d been procrastinating responding to, petting my dog — that I enjoyed doing even more.
At the end of the day, I feel completely refreshed, both because I had a more productive day and because I wasn’t constantly being surrounded by social media that I didn’t need in my day to feel my best. It isn’t something that I feel that I can do every day, but in the future, I’d consider adding my other work-from-home day to my social media cleanse.
My one day a week has given me a once-a-week recharge that I didn’t realize I needed. If you’re considering doing a social media cleanse but are dreading taking the plunge, I couldn’t recommend the once-day-a-week technique enough — and who knows, it could turn into more.
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