For anyone who follows me on social media, you’ll know I recently decided to do a 10 day stint of ‘no phone’. No Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, no work emails (no emails of any kind in fact). No WhatsApp, no FaceTime and no texting. I wanted to do an experiment to monitor just how much it affects my mental health in general.

therapy.

I wanted to see what taking a digital break could be like. As Einstein put it, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same results”. Makes sense doesn’t it?

mental health.

I was so reluctant to address mental health on the blog because it’s such a sensitive topic with so much stigma unfortunately still attached to it.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”

– ALBERT EINSTEIN

In the last few months I’ve really had to rethink my life. It fills me with such pride to confidently say I’m on the right path and thankfully I’m almost completely rid of the ‘low mood’ that used to cloud over me. It’s been a long road but I’m reaching the end. Sadly many people aren’t fortunate to be in the same position. With people experiencing varying degrees of depression, for some it can be a huge struggle. Many of us know someone who has taken their own life which is why it’s so important (especially in the age of social media) to discuss it. It doesn’t have to be taboo.

So that brings us to the last 10 days.

the digital detox.

When I talk about incorrect use of social media, I mean using it to create psychological distress. It’s a tricky one to understand because sometimes we do it without realising. So having awareness of the duration you spend online is key, as it what you’re looking at. Consider this… our brain is adept at creating ‘habits’, the things we do without realising. Like reversing off your drive, stopping at traffic lights, looking left and right when crossing a road. But the brain is also powerful enough to create habits out of things we’ve forced ourselves to do, things that aren’t necessarily great for the mind… like checking your phone every 5 seconds. I’ve read so many interesting books on neuroscience and could talk all day about this! Anyway, the brain is wired and the great news is that it’s possible to just as easily rewire it. It’s why I gave myself 10 days… 10 days to form the new habit (not checking phone) and really get to see a difference. No more fear of missing out, no more unbalanced views, no more synthetic filters, no more feeding my brain unrealistic images under the pretence that it’s casual and so normal.

what I wanted to achieve.

Rid myself of the addiction/habit of constantly checking my phone

Get a better night’s sleep

See reality

See if I could take time off work

Stop obsessing

what I got.

Information Overload

The results were so great that half way through the detox I knew it was something I’m going to do more often. The second I logged back on to Instagram 10 days later, within seconds I could see there were some accounts I could unfollow and not miss. Next, stepping outside phone-less felt so liberating. I never had that over-active mind experienced when you’re aimlessly flicking through. It felt great to just take everything in!

I had so much more time to do things. If you have the new iPhone software, go check your settings and click on screen time to see how much time in a week you spend on social media. It’s shocking. I actually felt a bit embarrassed when I saw mine. I used my time to declutter, organise, clean, socialise, go for walks, read, go out more, visit more places and all in all get everything done so much quicker. It’s amazing how little time mundane chores take to get done when you’re not on your phone the whole time.

Reality & Purpose

I got a sense of life and purpose again. It really did feel old school to not be glued to a phone. Of course there was the odd occasion where I couldn’t not take a call (my family live in Wales and it was often impossible to make plans without being in touch) but it was such an incredible feeling knowing that I could be my own person again without that guilty feeling of not responding to messages or worrying if my texts could be misinterpreted etc.

All in all I believe social media can be great when used in moderation and the right way. Evidence shows that we should only be spending around 30 minutes a day maximum online so it’s definitely food for thought. It’s something I’ll be doing much more often and something that I’ll definitely be more conscious of in the future. The internet is terrific for communication and connecting people together but it’s important to bear in mind responsible usage and never underestimate the importance of real life emotional relationships. It’s what us humans are designed for – not to be lazy and consume the entire time.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from depression, you can find more information, help & support at mind.org.uk.

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