About our 30 Day No Social media challenge
This 30 Day No Social media challenge is designed to help you detox from social media.
Giving up social media for 30 days may seem very difficult and completely impossible at the moment.
We will make this challenge easier for you. For the first two weeks, you will gradually unplug from social media. Each week you will gain a little more discipline and willpower and eventually, you will be required to go on a complete social media detox.
We will provide you with tips and tricks that will help you survive the next 30 days. Furthermore, we will walk you through why a social media detox is necessary.
Why do a social media detox?
Technology has become a driving force in our society. We are constantly chained to our phones, using them for hours every day.
Ask yourself which apps on your phone do you find using the most.
If you find yourself saying that you use social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, etc, you are no different than the common man.
According to research social media apps are the most commonly used applications on smartphones.
If you find yourself addicted to social media it is time you take a break and the reasons are quite obvious.
Social media is causing mental health issues
One of the most disturbing aspects of social media is that it is causing mental health issues.
Research suggests that Instagram is a cause for anxiety and depression in teenage girls.
The more hours an individual used the device correlated with risk in one suicide factor because social media presents harmful content and encourages comparison between people
Social Media apps are Making Us Lazy and less productive
Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Titktok are designed to constantly distract their audiences with something else. This leaves less time for other items on our to-do list which can contribute to lethargy.
While social media appears to promote productivity among its users, it actually does the opposite in many ways.
For one thing, there is always something new popping up on our screens, whether it is a notification from Facebook or a new post on Instagram. This makes it hard to be productive and can lead to a decrease in productivity levels over time.
Social Media is causing loneliness
For the most part, social media is a very lonely place.
Posts consist of pictures where people look their happiest and best which leaves many feeling insecure in their own posts.
Furthermore, social sites have created a space for negative behavior to take place such as cyberbullying and trolling. Meanwhile, people with social anxiety do not feel at ease participating in social situations that require real-time contact.
It’s Ruining Our Sleep Cycle
The blue light from screens disrupts melatonin production which makes us feel groggy throughout the day. It can also lead to insomnia because it tricks the brain into thinking it is still daytime.
It’s Encouraging Negativity and Online Disinhibition
Social media encourages people to think badly of others which can lead to the phrase “FB Status Effect”.
When we take a break from social media, we tend to feel better about ourselves because we are not constantly engaging in activities that bring out the worst in us. This can cause people to lash out at one another which leads to online disinhibition.
Social Media is Making Us a Nation of Narcissists
The idea behind social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter was to connect people, but it has done the opposite.
People now care more about their appearance and how many likes they have on a photo. Furthermore, social media is set up to idolize people who have achieved fame or success in some way due to the number of followers they have. These individuals are constantly being put under a microscope which encourages narcissism among those who use these sites.
The Solution? Take a Social media break
All this means is that you sign out of your social media accounts and make a conscious effort not to visit them.
This way, you will have more time for family and friends.
Once you realize how much extra time you have by not using these apps, it will become easier to stay off social media.
You will be able to focus on what is really important in your life, which is yourself, your family, and your friends.
Social media does not have to be the only thing you do with your free time. You can actually accomplish much more by taking a break from these apps because your mind will not be cluttered with social media.
While social media sites can seem fun at first, they are designed to keep you coming back for more which is why it’s important to take a break every once in a while.
After using these apps for years, it can be hard to imagine life without them! However, if you are willing to delete them from your phone and just forget about them, you will be able to stay off social media for good.
Overall, the same amount of time that we spend on these apps can have a much greater impact if it’s spent doing something more productive such as exercise or spending quality time with family and friends.
The 30-day challenge will help you to see how much extra time you have on your hands when you are not constantly engaging with social media.
Things you can do instead of scrolling on social media
The best way to stay off social media is to delete the app from your phone and not visit it at all. There are so many more fun things you can do instead of scrolling on social media. You can:
Go for a walk and get fresh air
Walking is a great way to clear your mind, get some fresh air, and socialize with other people! There are so many benefits to taking walks.
Go out and explore your city
Every time we do this, we learn more about our city and make fun memories with family and friends.
Spend time with family and friends
Spending time with family and friends is much more fun than scrolling through your newsfeed. There are so many benefits to spending quality time with the people that love you!
Do something active
There are countless ways to get active. You can go for a walk or run, play sports, shoot some hoops at the courts, etc. Not only will you get some exercise, but you’ll have fun at the same time!
Read books about things that interest you (such as travel, food, spirituality)
Reading is important for so many reasons. It has been proven to help us retain more details and information about what we read.
It is also proven to improve our vocabulary and grammar, and it promotes empathy and critical thinking.
Reading improves memory and also stimulates creativity, understanding, and imagination which ultimately leads to a stronger capacity to solve problems.
Reading has always been looked at as a means of self-improvement- something that we can do on our own time in order to better ourselves.
Take up a hobby
Hobbies stimulate our creativity and imagination which ultimately leads to a stronger capacity to solve problems.
It is important for all of us to find something that we truly enjoy doing in order to stay happy and self-motivated.
Becoming passionate about what you do will allow you to reach your full potential and become the best version of yourself.
Start a new project
Starting a new project is an excellent way to stay motivated and excited about life. Take up something that you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time for (such as painting, event planning, and cooking).
Maybe it’s something you can do with your family or friends!
It could even be something that you can turn into a business. Whatever it is, it’s always fun to do something innovative and exciting like this!
Preparing and cooking your own meals
There are countless reasons why preparing and cooking your own meals is better than eating out. Cooking for yourself allows you to control exactly how much sugar, salt, or fat goes into your food.
Not to mention, it allows you to save some money which you can use for other things!
Cooking with family and friends is a great way to bond over something that you all enjoy doing together. It also helps promote an active lifestyle by preparing meals in the kitchen with others.
My experience with the 30 Day No Social Media Challenge
Why I decided it was important to quit social media
I’ve always been addicted to my phone and find myself using it for several hours non-stop. I was feeling extremely frustrated one day and I randomly decided to check my screen time.
I was shocked it was anywhere between 8-10 hours a day. When I looked into the data more and realized I was spending an average of 4-5 hours on social media apps.
It struck me that these were 8 precious hours of my day which could be utilized doing something more productive. I then decided to see if a 30-day social media break would have any benefit at all, so I decided to take part in the experiment.
My Experience of No Social Media
The 30-day quitting social media challenge, I had initially decided to follow was asking me to delete all my apps on the 1st day.
From my own personal experience, I wouldn’t recommend going cold turkey on the first day, especially for those who are addicted to social media as much as I was.
As I had made a commitment, the first day did go by without me not touching my social media for the whole day.
Day 1 of Social Media Detox
If you want me to be completely honest, I felt as if I had lost touch with the world.
I was constantly in fear that if I didn’t look or post on these apps, I would miss out on something or something horrible would happen.
The day was extremely boring without having social media to scroll through. As the evening arrived the frustration started to build. I wanted to check if any of my friends had put a status update or any Instagram stories.
I felt so disconnected that I found myself getting angry.
One difference I noticed was that I ended up in bed an hour earlier. i hoped and prayed the next day would be better.
Day 2 of Social Media Detox
The morning started off well, but by the afternoon I had no self-control anymore.
I found myself redownloading all social media apps on my phone. There gone was another 4-5 hours of my day scrolling through feeds.
I felt even more frustrated than before as I was not able to live up to my promise of not using social media for the next 30 days.
After all, it was just 30 days was I that obsessed, that I couldn’t go two days without it. I tried to search up more tips and this time found a challenge that gradually detoxed me from social media.
The next few days
The next few days were easier. This challenge required me to stay away from social media at certain times of the day.
Personally for me, slowly giving up social media every day proved to be more effective. As I could slowly I just reduce my time spent on these apps and make slight improvements every day.
The next week, still remained difficult for me and I did find myself breaking the rules here and there. However, I had found other hobbies to keep myself busy in those hours.
As week 3 came by, I was back to having to go on a complete social media detox once again.
Last few weeks
I must admit these last two weeks were much easier. I had become used to the idea of not being on Facebook all day.
My mind wasn’t constantly searching for something new to post on my profile so that I didn’t disappoint my friends and followers. It was freeing to not have that pressure on me.
This period of no social media also helped me think about what I really wanted to do with my life instead of wasting time scrolling through feeds.
When you’re not caught up in the world of social media, it becomes easier to focus on goals and aspirations.
It felt good to spend some time with my family and friends without the constant distraction of social media-this helped me remember how profound conversations can be.
I managed to successfully complete the 30-day Social media detox challenge. I must admit that I didn’t follow through every day and some days were harder than others.
However, I am perfectly happy with the progress I made. I felt a sense of accomplishment for being able to reduce my time spent on these social media platforms.
How the 30 Day No Social media Challenge changed my life
I often used to feel demotivated and lethargic in life and I realized that the use of social media platforms was adding to my procrastination.
As soon as I reduced the amount of time I spent checking Facebook. I found myself involved in more interesting activities.
I started doing things I had never even thought of trying earlier. For me I had always struggled to find my passion and not wasting time on social media guided me.
The biggest benefit I believe was that I felt more positive about myself. All the negative feelings I used to have prior slowly faded away.
It struck me that social media has a huge impact on our mental health and how we feel about ourselves.
My constant scrolling through my Facebook account had really caused me to develop self-esteem issues and I didn’t think I was capable and worthy of doing anything. The break from social media changed my life and I discovered a new me.
Social Media Detox Conclusion
This Challenge has been designed after my own personal experience and doing other research. The goal is to get people to realize that there is so much more to life than spending hours on Twitter and Facebook.
This challenge is recommended for those who are constantly are through social media websites or are continuously getting upset if they don’t get likes on any of their pictures.
However, if you’re new to this type of challenge it may not be easy at first and I would definitely advise you to set some guidelines for yourself.
However, if you want to do this challenge in the best way possible I would really recommend staying away from your phone and social media for at least a day.
If I can make it through the 30 days of no social media then so can you!
It was easy and I realized how much time we waste scrolling on our phones every day.
Social media detox really was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I urge all of you who are reading this article to try out this 30-day challenge yourself.
Important Tips before you get started.
- Make a schedule and try to follow through every day, even if it’s just for 30 minutes.
- Turn off all push notifications on your phone and turn them back on when you complete this challenge.
- Start by trying to spend less time on the app you use the most and slowly work your way down to not spending any time on social media.
- Monitor your progress and stay motivated along the way!
- Remember it is okay if you mess up a couple of times, try again the next day.
- Inform all your friends and family members that you will be taking a break for the next month and your usage will be limited.
See our other 30 Day Challenges
