Social media detox?

“I'm going to run a 6 week Social Media detox Free and as insane as it may sound here on Facebook. Who wants in?”

This question was how my social media day started today.

After a day of using Facebook a little more than I am comfortable with this week as I started my day today I was reflecting on this.

Reflecting on this and some recent exploring into my shadow and inner child a few things around social media came to me while I was meditating.

I have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Facebook for many years. In my handmade business I spent hours and hours most using groups to network my Etsy shop, my beautiful handmade knitwear and my skills as a teacher. Yet I received very little back aside from the admittedly lovely comments from other networkers.

As I switched into my holistic therapy services firstly I didn’t know how I’d reach people on Facebook with something that wasn’t a craft (I shouldn’t have worried. There’s also plenty of holistic and healing network groups). Then I also didn’t want to spend even close to that amount of time sharing my services for no return.

The other side of the Facebook story is the whole drama side of it. If I’m honest too, this is where I end up falling down more time holes than is really supportive of me.

Last year, between not wanting to keep so much of my content on Meta’s servers and give so much of my intellectual property and insight to them, I decided I would no longer use it as my primary means of marketing. I had already closed my Facebook group and my business page, but I didn’t know where to holld events like the Self Care Love Fest or any others I wished to.

Last year I decided to make the switch to Discord for these things after joining a Human Design mastermind on there and loving the set up. I ran the Self Care Love Fest over there last September and while it didn’t get nearly the attention that my events on Facebook did, it felt good to be somewhere else.

I didn’t quite manage to never step foot on Facebook again, because, well people! I do love my connections there and I also love sharing my content on Instagram. I love Insta Stories and I love interacting. I also find being able to support people in home education groups and natural health groups a great opportunity to share my knowledge.

It is so easy to fall into unhelpful habits though. This is what I found myself doing this year, and so I deactivated Facebook. Yet this was not helpful in the long run. Prior to this I’d already created some healthy boundaries with it using practices I talk about in Nurture Yourself and do speak briefly on in the Self Care Love Fest and other areas.

After discussing various things during the recent days of Reiki training I was on, I realised I need to firm up my boundaries with Social Media and return to my intent of taking discussions to Discord and keeping myself out of Facebook drama energy.

I know this is possible while still using social media to connect to people, support people and keep updated on world events.

So what is my intention with this Social Media Detox?

The intention will be to hold it in a Facebook group. While it may seem counter-intuitive, to host a social media detox on social media, the aim is to gain a healthy relationship with the platform/s we feel addicted or unhealthily attached to. From here we can be able to maintain boundaries, only use it in a way that nurtures and energises, or leave it altogether.

I've been playing with aspects of this for a couple of years now as part of my own journey, and while I don't pretend to have it all perfect all the time I have some neat tips and tricks to help begin the journey.

I've found staying 'On' social media as opposed to restricting it or deactivating it has enabled me to be more aware of where I get sucked into an unhealthy pattern and what triggers it.

Also as mentioned in one reply here I suspect if you're a woman there maybe a cyclical connection to how the codependency to it takes over and the unhealthy patterns form. This may also turn out to be the case for men too.

I am looking to start early to mid June and will update anyone who has commented here or messaged me, as well as anyone who comments on any future posts in the coming days.

What if you run a business or need social media for your livelihood?

Again this whole process is going to be about developing a healthy relationship with social media, releasing the addictive nature and being able to have energetic boundaries with it

It's about using it mindfully not coming off it altogether. Hence why I'm going to run it on Facebook, the biggest culprit to most people's ‘addiction’ to social media.

Yes, as I mentioned in my opening this is also going to be a free six week event.

Since the principles will be about reducing time on it, taking time to be conscious about it’s use. I will be demonstrating that in a big way by how I show up in the group and interact with those I am offering this support to.

This will show both how to be a presence on there with people you’re supporting, while not falling into the pitfalls that may have pulled me in before. Showing up

for a small bit every day to offer support, encouragement and listen to what people are struggling with will be the key to seeing how it’s possible to be both there and not caught in the trap.

This will be a powerful experience for those who commit to it. It will be about radical self responsibility for the time you as an individual spend on it, with some support and accountability when it feels like a struggle day. The content will then become a Free process available for people to join in with.

It will begin sometime in June 2023 and run for 6 weeks. It takes around 6 weeks for new thought patterns to form, for old habits to fall away and new ones to become healthy practices.

So if you’d like to join in fill in the contact me form and I will add you to the mail list when I get everything set up.