Social Media Cleanse

5 min read

01 Nov

01Nov

LETS KIKI REAL QUICK

We are digitally plugged in almost all the time. A large part of that connectivity is via social media. Facebook logged 1 Million unique logins on a single day, that is A LOT of active users… in a SINGLE DAY.

You might be feeling the social media crunch too. I love social for so many reasons, but the struggle is real. It’s a full time job to always be connected! I felt the need to CREATE SPACE and knew it was time for a social media cleanse.

Only you can tell (AKA - admit to yourself) when you know you’re spending too much time on social media. I set an intention to deliberately dial back and create space for MORE and for WHAT’S NEXT.

We're all familiar with the less pleasant side effects of social media...

Distraction. Hard to do anything when you’re always clutching your phone in a death grip for the next update. Lol. Put down the smartphone ma’am.
Time Takeback. Even if you’re not posting content, you can rabbithole and lose a few hours in the BLINK of an eye. All of a sudden, the kids are home!?!? It was like 9:57AM the last time I checked! LOL
Procrastination. Yeahhhh, if you’ve gone down that social rabbithole, you are not getting your TO DO List TO DONE. Putting off actual tasks, can multiply into a mountain, avalanche situation REAL FAST.
Isolation. When you’re plugged into technology, you’re not plugged in and present for real life. It’s just you and your phone. People, real people, they need attention.

So, I did it. I decided to embark on my own social cleanse journey.

Spoiler...

I will tell you, it’s 100% worth it.

There are no actual physical withdrawals from lack of social media (I know, SHOCKER), it’s a simple decision that had surprising results for me. Did I mention I didn’t really want to do this? It was completely unexpected that there were… GAINS. Get the tea below, obvi.

WHY SOCIAL CLEANSE?

Social cleansing is like starting/changing any other habit. Any sort of change, initially, is uncomfortable.

The truth is: there’s never going to be a “good time,” so just bite the bullet and dive in.

WHY I decided to social cleanse...

FOSTER GROWTH + RYT 200 hour Yoga Certification. Foster Growth my 2019 Two Word Story has fueled my mindset continually to check in & ask what I am doing to foster growth for myself, my kids, my business, the Two Word Story community. The practice of yoga has become part of my own personal growth and life journey, so much that I’ve been compelled and on fire to become a certified yoga instructor. Knowing the time, intense dedication, and mental devotion that would be required of me in order to be successful the social cleanse felt like great timing!
GRATITUDE! November is the month of giving thanks and focus to all that we DO have. The best way to show gratitude is to be present. Being present and in the moment with family and friends, all of your loved ones, without any digital distractions allows you to connect and make even better memories.

"Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance." Eckhart Tolle

Last but NOT LEAST… MERCURY RETROGRADE (juicy details on this in the PS at the bottom). Keepin’ it brief, ya wish Iwas kidding. Well, I’m not. Hocus Pocus! It’s not real, blah, blah, blah, does it matter? Cause guess what? Mercury Retrograde messes me up. Errrrrytime. So, I am doing something about it. And coordinating my social cleanse sessions, with the timing of the Mercury Retrogrades. PRO TIP: Add the Retrograde Calendar → located in PS at the bottom of this blog.

So, for me, you could say it really came down to priorities to CREATE SPACE, to reallocate my time. The timing of the Mercury Retrograde made me pull the trigger on booking my ticket at the social spa, for a cleanse LOL.

Do you need a social cleanse?

Get real with these questions...

Do you check your Instagram or Facebook (or any other social media platform) excessively?
Do you find yourself obsessing over how many “likes” you get and become agitated when you don’t get enough?
Do you equate the number of followers or friends on social media to popularity or likability?
Do you feel envious or jealous when you see your friends’ “picture-perfect” lives on social media?
Do you feel like you’re always missing out or being left out of significant events?

If you answered YES, to ANY of these questions jump on the cleanse bandwagon. Refresh, revive, and reinvigorate your life. Your ACTUAL life. Not the one online. You have earned a refresh and reset. Trust. And. Believe.

HOW TO SOCIAL CLEANSE

Two Word Story 3 Step Social Cleanse

HOW LONG...
- There’s no right or wrong period of time. It might be 24 hours or 30+ days. It’s different for us all.
- You’re not locked into a contract. If you want to extend or shorten the period of time you’ve decided on, that’s cool man. Heck I had to post Halloween pics, I just could not latergram that LOL
WHEN...
- During family vacations and holidays. Connect in person, not online! Esp. since you’re in the same room.
- You need to commit all your attention to someone/something. For instance, RYT 200 hour Yoga Certification.
- It’s Mercury Retrograde. No, I’m still not joking. Coordinating with Retrograde is so money for me. Find your own groove or borrow mine.
WHICH NETWORKS...
- Again, no right or wrong here. You can pick and choose or break from all. Do what’s right for you. Insta, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In

Now, you’re ready to commence your social cleanse. Go ahead and press the launch button. Ahhhh… but I have tips for you.

Cleanse tips, for making this all easier...

Log Out. You don’t even know your password LOL. You’re not going to be logging back in unless you hit forgot password.
Silence Notifications. Out of sight, out of mind.
Do Real Life. Seriously, hobbies are actually fun and you will get obsessed with it.
Latergram Album. Create a Cleanse Album in your photo library. Keep taking pictures and video during the cleanse (I will never stop taking photos!) then add your favorites to the album. Post away those Latergrams!!

THE BENEFITS

While on a social cleanse, I created space in my busy mind to think, reflect, realize WHAT’S NEXT! It allows me to nourish other beautiful parts of my life.

Actual benefits that I noticed...

Better Sleep!!!!!! YES. IT’S TRUE.
Less anxiety and decreased feelings of FOMO.
More focus for things you love offline.
Encouraged to talk live to people. Pick up the phone & call!
Increased productivity to accomplish more things… in real life.

Once you take the plunge, get into your cleanse, you’ll CREATE SPACE and feel the refresh. Those creative juices will be flowing and you will be surprised how amped up and ready to GO after it’s over. Digitally disengage, be even more present and live your life without social media for a while, I dare you.

CLEANSE CONCLUSION

I can understand why it may sound daunting or even unnecessary to do a cleanse for those of us who spend a lot of time on these platforms. I am still on my cleanse journey and I am literally shook by how much better I feel, thus far LOL Oh and hello social media create a notification button when an account is on cleanse time. Promote healthy breakaways.

Moral Of The Story: It is possible. It’s not horrible. You end up enjoying it. I’ve found that periodic breaks are what work best for me, even if it’s only a short period of time. Give it a go. Set a goal for yourself, start small. I’d love to hear what your cleanse does for you!

Has anyone else out there had a successful social cleanse experience? Please post up comments, tips, questions, like, share, cleanse!

xoxo,

alia.

THE CHALLENGE

P.S. SECTION

→ an elaboration on WHY I choose the Retrograde of Mercury for cleanse time...

When Mercury (the planet of communication) goes retrograde it is moving backwards, east to west rather than west to east, creating miscommunication, to technological bugs, botched business deals, canceled flights, a mechanical issue with your car or even a cellphone issues. I found it interesting, MICHELE DEBCZAK shares, Mercury Retrograde was being written about in astrology circles as far back as the mid-18th century. The event was noted in British agricultural almanacs of the time, which farmers would read to sync their planting schedules to the patterns of the stars. During the spiritualism craze of the Victorian era, interest in astrology boomed, with many believing that the stars affected the Earth in a variety of (often inconvenient) ways. There is zero evidence this could be a thing, but I believe in Magic, don’t you too? Pay close attention to the challenges that pop into your life during a retrograde you may see a pattern. In 2019, I tuned in and was shocked at the timing of challenging occurrences (big and small) to the retrograde period. So I am including the dates for the upcoming retrogrades for you all. You may want to consider a Social Cleanse at these times too. We can do it together!!!!

CREATE SPACE SPONSORED BY A SOCIAL CLEANSE