thirty one days - my social media detox

Thirty one days • Trente-et-un jours. 
 
In the month of October, you may have noticed a lack of @sarahlalondee on your Twitter feeds and even the absence of @sarahannelalonde checking your Snapchat and Instagram stories…
 
Well, I was a little busy changing my life… You know, undoing bad habits and being more present in my life. That old chestnut!
 
Matthieu and I completed a social media detox for a month. We made up our own little list of apps we were and were not allowed to visit. After we made this list, we deleted the apps on our phone (because God forbid I would not have enough self-control at the time to not have used them). 

not allowed
❌ facebook
❌ twitter
❌ instagram
❌ pinterest
❌ snapchat

​Initially, the inspiration came from a Youtuber named: Matt D’avella who accomplished a one month detox from all social media. His video goes in depth into the highs and lows he faced throughout his 31 days. 

For me, it was a roller coaster with peaks and valleys as well, so let’s go through the THEN and NOW. ​

then (first couple weeks of Oct):

​I have to admit, at first, I didn’t think I was going to get through.
I had:

• Repeated thoughts about what was happening on Twitter
• A major FOMO (fear of missing out)
• Been constantly re-searching for the apps on my phone
• Pushing away the desire to re-install them, just for a minute
• A fear of rejection (after not answering my tweets / DM’s / snaps!!)

*I even cheated… (Matthieu if you’re reading this: I checked twitter in the bathroom once).

now (mid-Oct onwards):

​I feel as though I have truly tweaked my digital habits:

• breaking the cycle of opening my phone and going directly to Twitter / Snapchat and Instagram
• I no longer have the NEED to be AS present on social media (for example: checking 67 times a day)
• My phone is not glued to my hand
• My phone is not distracting me from life in front of me

I found I was using apps I never went on before (like watching videos on Youtube?? Or opening my photos 600 times a day). 
​

​On Oct 24th, I forgot my phone at home. Yup, left the house without it and didn’t even realize until first period! I truly think that this was the breaking point in my detox. That morning, I used my phone as my alarm, shut it off, walked away and left it there. I didn’t roll over and get lost in a Twitter rabbit hole to start my day. The first thing in the morning, I didn’t see a bunch of “Instagram” perfect shots to make my life feel less perfect… I think you get the point.  Nonetheless, it felt SO GOOD to have left my phone at home, “by accident”. I believe it showed my lack of dependency and freedom from the phone. 

​Then, on November 3rd,  I reached a true sate of JOMO (JOY of missing out) about not being social media addicted or dependent  (which I never thought possible). Once I was able to go back on my apps that I once missed so dearly, I had no desire to now know what each and every person I know (by Snapchat and Instagram). I was seeing all my friends glued to their phones and talking about superficial posts and stories… And, in that moment, I felt in my heart and in peace in my mind that true state of JOMO for missing out on a multitude of irrelevant information. I was proud of the progress I had made and I was happy to be present in the moment. 

FILLING THE BOREDOM VOID

One thing I found the most difficult was the "dead time". For example: waiting in car, in line at the grocery store, waiting for an appointment...). My brain felt like it needed to be entertained. Was I scared to face my thoughts? Why did I need to feel busy? Why couldn't I just sit there waiting and doing nothing? This is something I had to work on. 

I even found one of my top podcasts (The Minimalists) mentioning the fact that humans are scared of being bored. In episode 201, they focus on the idea of Slowing Down. It's quite the dilemma. 

You can check it out here: https://www.theminimalists.com/podcast/ 

SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX - STUDENT version

 I had been sharing my first week struggles with them and one Friday decided to ask if they wanted to do it with me. This small idea I had in my head in September grew into something much bigger and much more powerful. My students and I co-constructed a list of social media apps they thought should be "banned"... Here is the list we came up with:

​This was not a project. It was not graded. It was a simple and fun challenge I wanted to put them through in order for them to grow. 8/11 students decided to cut out all social media from their lives for FIVE FULL DAYS. (Yes, that means no TIK TOKS!) 

At the end of the detox, I rewarded my students with a signed certificat and a key chain with a word they had chosen to represent HOW they felt during the detox. It is a simple reminder to sometimes take the time to be disconnected. Here are some photos! 

​
 During their detox, we spoke a lot about it. I asked them questions so that they would be able to truly reflect on what was going on... ​You can check out my student's blog (reflection) about their detox below ⬇️
And we even made it to the local newspaper!

overall realizations:

• I want to be more intentional with my social media use.
• I have no need for Instagram, as it does not necessarily bring value in my life.
• I still enjoy using Snapchat to communicate the best with some of my friends, but do not allow myself to check the stories.
• I wanted to keep Twitter because of a few reasons: the sense of belonging I feel, the desire to contribute to the space and other educators, seeing Tweets ignite me... but I do need to cut back. 
• I now have the self-control to have these apps on my phone and USE them intentionally.
• I am beginning the book: Digital Minimalist to dive even deeper into this concept!
• Reflecting on the process is KEY 🔑

​

Sarah Lalonde

New Digital Minimalist Apprentice