It’s really more important now than ever to take time off from social media and get away from things. These days we’re all stuck at home, and the only way to connect with people is to go virtual.
I’m lucky to live with my family so I’m not alone. And with a baby that demands your attention every minute while she’s awake, it’s really hard to get anything else done when she’s around.
So this past weekend, being the long weekend break we all needed, I took the chance to just be away from everything and be with the things – or people – that matter.
I spent almost every waking hour just being with Aurélie and Xav. I can’t say for sure that there was a “thing” that we did, because looking back now, it doesn’t seem like there was any one thing that was “truly significant”.
But I can tell you these:
We got to see our daughter do happy dances, and sang and danced along with her. We went through our first experience of a baby falling off the bed in a split second where nobody expected anything to happen (seriously, they are faster than a Ferrari accelerating from rest!).
We got special home deliveries from friends who made food at home – and we, of course, savoured them all (and gave them home baked bread in return). We enjoyed one another’s company, and Xav and I were kept busy with Aurélie’s schedule throughout the day. We prepared her meals for the coming week as well, and watched out for her while she explored all corners of our home.
We played “chase” and hide-and-seek around the house. We taught her new skills. We got to see her do new things with her hands. We blew raspberries together. We snuggled, cuddled and chilled in bed. We stacked silicone blocks and knocked them down. We took evening walks at the park.
We also napped. You know how all parents need that beauty rest? Oh yeah, we got some. I also managed to squeeze in a session of Pilates and worked a little on Trouvée.Co. Big win on all rounds!
I only checked my phone a little here and there throughout the day, just to make sure I wasn’t missing out on important texts or calls from my family. I posted one post on each of my personal and work Instagram pages and didn’t even browse to check what others had been up to. Also, because I was just switched off from social media, I basically didn’t care where I put my phone and spent more time trying to look for it (which wasn’t a lot to begin with) than actually using it.
So I guess that would be my best tip on getting a social media detox – placing your phone where you’d forget, and then getting distracted every few minutes while you search for it.
Getting off social media is one of the best ways to recharge mentally and emotionally. Getting away from these has been so good:
- “If you’re not achieving anything during this pandemic, you’re just not disciplined enough and you’re a loser.”
- “Make full use of this time at home to learn a new skill for work.”
- “Make use of this time at home to earn more money with a new side hustle.”
- tweets about racist Karens, natural disasters and random videos about mothers killing their own autistic children
- tweets and FB shares about deaths related to Covid-19
So it’s now Tuesday morning and I’m finally back. And while I’m waiting patiently for our new (and sold out best-selling) jewellery designs to arrive, I find myself yet again with an empty pocket of time. In the past, I’d always try to fill my schedule with work and got so stressed when I had some time in which there was nothing planned and nothing to do.
But now, I see the value in just being and recharging. And you know what? It’s perfectly OK to not be doing anything. It’s OK. As long as you come out of that funk – if that’s what you’re in – a more efficient, motivated and inspired person, then all that doing nothing was actually helping you to do something.
I didn’t know I needed that detox until I had it. If you find yourself feeling weirdly down, maybe you need that weekend social media detox too.