Social media is delicious. It is mind-numbing enjoyment that’s almost as great as eating pizza. It’s beautiful, inspirational, funny — it’s everything you want it to be.
And that’s exactly what scares me.
The new Netflix documentary-drama The Social Dilemma reveals just how acutely social media platforms are designed to suck us in and keep us there, taking hours, days, weeks of our time away from us. And for what? Intelligent algorithms and engineers curate our feeds so that we see what we want to see in addition to what paying companies want us to see — like infinite ways to spend our money.
While I’ll be the first to admit I love Instagram (I really do, I wish I didn’t), I can also say that there are many things I’d rather do than scroll through it. The problem is, I’m so accustomed to opening up my app that I do it almost without thinking. I need to retrain my brain so I don’t default to Instagram every time I have a free minute, as I’d rather use those minutes doing something productive and that adds value to my life. Like Marie Forleo suggests: create before you consume. I am behind this fully, I just need a nudge quite often.
The best way I know how to retrain my brain is to make a list of all the things I can do instead of social media and have it handy every time I catch myself searching for that quick fix (because let’s be honest, social media is a drug).
So, here are 10 things that will make you feel way better about yourself than social media will:
Go on a walk
I can’t think of a time I’ve felt worse after taking a walk. The combination of fresh air, nature if you’re lucky enough to live near it, and moving your body makes for a great refresh. While walking, you can either leave your phone at home so you can observe what’s around you and spend some quiet time thinking and reflecting, or listen to a podcast or music so you can learn or be inspired.
Write a gratitude list
Writing out what you are grateful for is beneficial for myriad reasons: it helps you identify what’s important to you, puts a positive spin on your life, lowers stress levels, and so much more. Next time you find yourself reaching for your phone to hop on social media, consider taking inventory of what you’re grateful for instead. Just be sure to write it down so you can revisit it later, as that’s half the benefit.
Better yet, start a gratitude text chain with some friends. As we led up to a really hard month for my best friend, a few of us had a text chain where every day we each listed three things we were grateful for. So not only were we thinking about our own gratitude, but we got to see this kind of generative positivity from our closest friends. It was powerful.
Read a book
Any book! Read a biography, a children’s book, a novel —it doesn’t matter what kind of book you read, just that you pick one up (preferably a physical book, as we’re trying to break the habit of reaching for our phones. I realize my gratitude text chain suggestion is contradictory to that, but just go with me here!) Books open the mind up to more than pretty curated pictures; they take us on experiences so much farther than social media can.
Write a letter
You know that feeling of doing something nice for someone? Capture that feeling by hand writing a letter and putting it in the mail. Everybody likes mail that isn’t a bill. The fact that you thought of this person and took the time to handwrite something to them will make them feel warm and fuzzy, which will make you feel the same.
Print photos
Do you have thousands of photos on your phone that you rarely look at? Me too. 16,642 to be exact. How many of those photos are printed and hung on my walls? Fewer than 10. Send some of your digital photos to a printer so you can hang, frame, or even fill a photo album with them so you can flip through it when you’re feeling bored. Physical photos are nostalgic and beautiful, and they are a simple way to bring more joy to your home or office.
Do yoga
Or CrossFit. Or the Peleton. Just do the form of exercise that you love. Imagine if every time we wasted 15 minutes reading strangers’ tweets, we spent that time exercising instead. Our bodies and minds would be in a lot better shape.Write out your top three goals
To state the least inspired but most truthful statement: we aren’t getting any younger. Those big dreams of ours aren’t going to happen by accident. We need to work toward them, and in order to do that, we first must know what they are. If you don’t know your top three goals, write them down, then revisit them whenever you find yourself opening up a new social media app. That action alone will benefit you so much more than seeing what a Kardashian is up to this minute.
Meditate
As someone who has suffered from anxiety, I know how important mindfulness is. Focusing on the present moment rather than analyzing what happened in the past or worrying about will happen in the future helps reduce anxiety and create a sense of calm. And we could all do with a little more calm right now.
Make a Goodwill pile
Or a Salvation Army, Poshmark, or garage sale pile. Decluttering creates space in the home and the mind, as it is essentially an act of letting go. Free yourself of old clothes, books, dishes, or anything else that takes up unnecessary space.
Rearrange a room
It could be as simple as swapping a candle for a plant, or as big as moving furniture around. But any time I rearrange, the room takes on a new, fresh energy. It’s like putting a new wallpaper background on your phone — it just feels good!
If none of the ideas above speak to you, here are 10 more:
Try a new recipe
Do a puzzle
Color, draw, or paint
Study a new language
Cuddle with an animal
Call someone special just to say hello
Turn on a song and dance
Make an origami crane
Play a card game (or learn a card trick!)
Journal
These are not novel ideas. The concept of doing something more worthwhile than social media is not a novel idea, either. But having a list in front of you that you can refer to when needed will help you when you find yourself wasting more time on social media. You have to want it though, otherwise this is just another list!
I admittedly could be much better at limiting my social media use, which is why going a day without social media is one of the habits I consistently track.
If breaking your social media habit is something you’re trying to do, I’d love to hear what’s working for you!
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