Digital Detox

I took my annual “digital detox” this spring. A month away from social media and screens for the most part. This is a yearly practice I commit to and probably one of the best things I do for my mental health each year. I choose whatever month works with my work & life schedule. This spring my digital detox helped me return to moving my body on a daily basis and catching up on my journals to our kids. I was able to spend some quality time with my kids, my husband and my dear friends. This time away from the nonstop phone dinging and news alerts and social media scrolling also helped me to receive some clear guidance on what comes next – for us as a family and for our business.

My intention in March was no social media and to spend less time “connected” and near screens overall. Habits are hard to break. I can’t tell you how many times I picked up my phone for no apparent reason other than to scroll thru my IG feed. Deleting social media off my phone was necessary AND hard. In the evenings it was hard not picking up my phone and just “checking in.” But awareness is the first step towards making any positive, intentional change. Because re-learning to use my time intentionally takes effort. I don’t want to look back regretting how time escaped me or passed me by.

But I did it. But I’ll be honest – our business may have suffered while on my self imposed break. Certainly the algorithm doesn’t agree with time off of posting and our sales were down. But my body & mind sure appreciated the break. Overall I find myself in a 100x better place than before – in a much more peaceful state of mind and so much more engaged with my family and SO inspired to make time for what matters most and make the most of each day. And I had so much more time for card games and books, yoga and daily walks and cooking. I felt like it honestly freed up HOURS a day to play, create, rest & connect. I must admit the first few days of my digital detox are always the hardest but I couldn’t get over the feeling of how good it felt not to be shackled to my phone. 30 days provided the perfect reset and motivation to add healthy habits back into my regular routine and have better social media boundaries moving forward (note to self – set & adhere to screentime limits on iphone).

But the question remains is how do I, creator of a brand that is reliant on online sales & sharing step away more often or even permanently? Can I? Is it finally time to turn over my feed to someone else to manage? Can I share a few inspirations, updates and behind the scenes content via IG & FB a few times a week – will that be enough?

Moving forward I plan on taking at least one weekend away from screens a month #scrollfreeweekend.

Bottom line- I can tell you that you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by unplugging temporarily. #getbusylivin #digitaldetox