Benefits of Social Media Fast: A Must Try!: Social media fasts have been the thing for a considerable period of time now. These fasts require you to abstain from all sources of media at once. And it can have a direct positive impact on your mental, emotional, and physical health in numerous possible ways.
Though, this is not as easy as it sounds to be at all. We have taken social media for granted and we do not realize our reliance on it unless and until we have completely abstained from it.
Not Netflix-ing is also part of a social media fast, in case you were wondering. You will have to cut down all your impulses regarding media.
No television, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and any other app that you tend to use during your day have to be eradicated.
The duration of this fast can change from person to person. For some people, a week of social media fasting can be effective in regulating their mental and physical well-being.
Yet other people can take as long as a month, to regulate their mental and physical health. Hence the duration of this fast is relative and will depend on your emotional capacity and state.
If you have something absolutely necessary such as checking your inbox or email, a specific and limited time out of 24 hours can be dedicated to it.
This is a much-needed detox for almost everyone. Be it a drained teenager or a workaholic bachelor, an exhausted mother, or a 7-year-old boy. It can have a healthy outcome for all.
This article is comprised of the benefits of social media fast along with its details. If you are planning to start a social media fast, grab your notebook and reading glasses.
Make sure you also read our post on Social Media, Bitter or Better?
Table of Content
7 Amazing benefits of social media fast:
The benefits of social media fast are rather definite and obvious.
We all know that we are unwillingly being consummated by the media rather than consuming the media. This is where the toxicity regarding social media begins.
Taking a short break and reflecting on your behavior and life is a very good way to detox as well as to improve our mental capacities and health on the whole.
The benefits of a social media fast are directly associated with our physical health as well as our mental health therefore it is a totally safe bet to play.
The currently ongoing modernization has severely affected our mental health as well as our physical health hence a social media detox in these crucial times can act as a game-changer.
Below mentioned are benefits of a social media fast:
Read them, get impressed and motivated, and start your media fast for a healthier mind and lifestyle.
More time in life:
We do not realize the time we are left with after doing the basic chores until we start a social media fast.
As much as we try to deny, social media consumes a huge part of our day. We are heavily reliant on it.
With all these food ordering apps, I do not even remember walking up to a pizza shop, getting it packed and coming home. The comfort is undeniable yet we have forgotten some basic things.
Social media fast can definitely help us retrieve more time for ourselves. It will be far way more than you think because we do not realize the reliance on something unless it is taken away.
The time you get out of it can be used for multiple things. You can use it to boost your emotional and physical health as well as clearing up chores and just relaxing.
You can go for a jog in the nearby park as well as start mindfulness yoga. You can start baking or cooking or even learn how to paint,
You can grab a book with a huge mug of coffee and start with the spree.
You can spend that time on self-care. Make DIY masks and crafts to spend a good time doing something productive. You can clean your messy book shelf or learn mandarin maybe.
With this cleanse, you can finally do things you thought you do not get time for. It will help you feel better about yourself as well as give you a serotonin boost for being productive.
Better Relationships:
Social media fast can also be a time for you to reflect on your relationships with other people.
I do not remember having a good deep conversation with my best friend without using Instagram since a long time now. I do not remember taking my mother out for a day in the park.
Social media has forced us to believe that our lives are complicated and busy; whilst in reality, they are not. It is our phones and laptops that have tied us with our internet connections.
A detox like this can regulate our relationships with other people. This fast can give you time to spend with your parents or grandparents.
You can mend things with your best friend you haven’t talked to in a while. You can surprise her with daisies and have a conversation free of notifications and tweets.
You can also try bonding with your siblings who you normally tend to ignore for days. You will have a lot of time to reflect on it and make amendments.
This detox will also give you the chance to realize your mistakes and reliance on virtual things that you ignored people close to you. It will be a great reality check and lesson for the coming future.
Ever wondered where did your real friends go? We have bundles of friends but sadly they are “virtual friends”. You can use this social media cleanse to build stronger relationships with people that matter.
Experiencing the moment:
I still remember when I was on a vacation with my best friend; we were seeing the Eiffel for the first time and she was concerned about her Snapchat streak since her phone turned off…
This incident made me question our priorities. What is a Snapchat streak? It’s nothing, but a number that appears with your contact. Yet this generation is concerned about it.
When you will not have access to social media, you will realize that this world is far more worthwhile than a streak or feed. You will learn to live in the current moment rather than living virtual life.
Moreover, this period will help you mesmerize the current moment. You will not have to worry about Instagram stories, you can enjoy the time being with no mental pressure and competition.
This can also help you experience the moment in the present. You will not have to rely on pictures to relive the memory when you have experienced it fully at the moment.
It is a beautiful yet rare sight of seeing the world and observing the moment. A world without social media would be observance and peace, no offense.
Utilizing time and moments with a fully present mind without any beeps and TikTok of notifications seems like a dream, to be honest.
Social media has distracted us in more ways than you can imagine. “XYZ replied to your story” pops right in the middle of a dinner or a meaningful conversation. It takes away the focus in minutes.
Clearer and Focused Mind:
Believe it or not, with constant usage of social media; our mind is blurry and foggy at its peak. There are a lot of reasons for this. The adverse effects of social media being one of the reasons.
With social media fast, our minds can get a much-needed break and detox.
It will not have to process why Sarah was with her boyfriend even after their breakup. It will not have to worry about the matters we tend to worry for no reason.
It is no lie that our phones have caused a major distraction in our lives.
We tend to be more interested in what our friends and family are doing than what our own life has to offer. It is sad yet true that this happens majorly across society.
This fast can enable our minds to be clear and abstained from all unnecessary gossip and information. It can process the spiritual and lighter things about life. It can take that effort to improve our perspective and mental process.
Moreover, we will be focused on what we do. Be it an exam preparation, a season, or work; we will give all our attention and focus on what we are doing.
Having a clear and focused mind at the same time is a treat for our emotional health.
It can also help us honor ourselves and consume our mind and mental health for mindfulness. It can be a much-required push for you to start taking care of your mind and its health.
Improved physical health:
This benefit is also obvious and absolute. We are blindfolded by social media that we totally neglect the fact that it has been a monster for our physical health.
Starting with eyes; more than half of our population has started wearing glasses’ in the past couple of years. We cannot blame anything but the extensive usage of social media.
Binge-watching seasons all night and scrolling through Instagram all day long will do nothing but damage our eyesight and cause latter complications.
Not only this, but it can also cause certain body aches. Sitting in the same posture in front of a laptop all day long can cause neck strains and backache for sure. These body aches can be hurdles for our normal functioning as well.
Doing social media fast can surely improve our physical health. We will not feel lethargic and tired as a result of sitting in front of the television all day long.
We will not be victims of certain body pains and problems like nausea because of extensive screen time. If you are reading this and not finding it significant, it is because we have forgotten what life was before this emulsion of social media.
This will make us more productive and we will be able to reflect our physical well-being. We can join the Gym or spend time eating healthy and doing yoga.
This will eradicate medical complications and help us attain a healthier and productive lifestyle.
Less Stress:
Not using social media for a few days also means that no excessive stress for a few days. If you watch television frequently, you will have to unsubscribe your presence, unfortunately.
You will not be hearing news on political situations, you will not be following up on celebrities and their dramas on Instagram, and you will not be subscribed to a talk show on YouTube.
It is definite that the stress levels of your body will decrease.
Not having an increased amount of stress can be good. I know it is rare, but it is priceless.
Social media forces our brain to process information that is completely unnecessary. This overpowers our brain and it’s time to rest and chill.
Moreover, lesser stress also means that you will see a happier version of yourself. You will see yourself watering plants, baking cookies, sleeping healthy, and so on. It will give your body all the dopamine it needs.
With little or no access to the toxic culture of media, we can regulate our sense of spirituality and the self. Lesser stress with improvements in our mental health is exactly our key towards happiness and contentment.
Mostly problems that we indulge in are irrelevant to our energy and present time hence abstaining from their sources can be pleasurable and beneficial for us in multiple ways.
Energetic Behavior:
Social media and overly using it can be a cause for lethargic and lazy mood all day long. It makes sense as well since what is productive in scrolling down feeds of people you do not even properly know?
Social media fast can be healthy as it will target a more productive and useful lifestyle. You will incorporate better things to do as a replacement for excessive internet scrolling.
Moreover, having a productive day gives a sense of contentment and pleasure. This increase in dopamine can be a direct reason for being in a more energetic mood.
This positive energy can be used for multiple things. It can help you do well for others as well as for yourself.
The fact that social media will no longer be a necessary part of your day, you will be able to use the energy reserved for it previously on other significant things.
The benefits and uses are endless; it depends on our usage and utilization of the golden chances we get during social media fast.
Better and Improved Sleep:
With little and no usage of social media, we can finally fulfill our dream of a long and uninterrupted sleep.
There will be no tweets, Instagram notifications, and WhatsApp beeps to disturb you and your precious sleep. You can use all your sleep to dream about that hot bartender.
You can complete a good sleep cycle of 8 hours comfortably since you will not have the excuse of, “Just one more episode” to not sleep on time.
Moreover, this is a benefit since having a fully completed sleep cycle has a direct effect on our mood. It makes us feel contented and happy. Sleep has the power to change our mood in seconds, you will agree too.
Improved sleep cycles will also eradicate the chances of physical health complications. There are lesser chances of migraine and headaches if you have had a complete sleep cycle without disruptions.
Sleeping on time and waking up on time is the best thing you can do with yourself and your lifestyle.
This social media fast and the benefits of it make every compromise worth it, for sure. If you are having difficulties in sleeping peacefully, a social media fast might be the Alp to your problems.
You will not have to spend your night in replying to comments or ensuring if this girl is dating that guy. You might want to use that time for sleeping since that is what it is meant for anyway.
Conclusion:
Social media fasts are extremely beneficial if analyzed and conducted accurately without any cheating and sneaking.
It is been a long time since we have spared time for ourselves and our mental health. The idea originally was to consume social media but the opposite has been happening for a few years now.
Social media is consuming us and our productiveness. We are no longer the consumers but the prey. We have included it in our personal lives to the extent that we do not see a life without it.
Social media fast might be difficult for the first couple of days, but later on, it will be easier and fun. Once you get the hang of it, you will want it to happen again and again.
Moreover, there is absolutely no room for cheating during this fast. You cannot sneakily scroll down Instagram since that is not a necessity. If you do so, you will yourself decrease the effectiveness of it.
Bare necessities like inbox and emails can be allowed for a specific time.
The idea is to give the individual with all the time to reflect their personal lives and behavior, to find the loopholes, and exert effort in fixing them.
The impact of this fast on your mental health and physical health will make every second worth it.
Ignore what is missing instead appreciate what you are blessed with. Spend time in discovering your blessings and be thankful for them. This is something all of us haven’t done in a long time.
Social media fasts are nothing but a measure to regulate our own well-being and behavior. You must try it and get a firsthand experience of the benefits and effects of it.