I Fasted Social Media for 30 Days and This is What Happened
The title says it all really. So many mental health experts lately have been preaching that social media has been destroying our mental health, that I finally decided to put that theory to practice. So I decided to do a simple experiment where I forewent any social media for thirty days to see what effects it would have on my emotional, spiritual, and mental health.
And boy do I have shocking news for you.
But before I tell you my results, you need to know a few things. First, I did not just stop using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, or Reddit. I also stopped watching the news completely. World War Three could have broken out, and I never would have known. Secondly, I replaced social media with “positive” habits, like listening to sermons, reading my Bible, meditating, or writing for fun. And thirdly, during this time I made the conscious choice to try to exercise 30 minutes a day and eat much healthier foods, like more fruits and vegetables, and no fast food.
And here are my shocking, or not so shocking, results:
- My Anxiety Levels Went Down.
Yeah, this doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. Who would have thought, that refusing to constantly read Doom-and-Gloom news headlines would make you less anxious? Sarcasm aside, my anxiety levels really did go drastically down. I have struggled with anxiety for a decade, and by the end of the month, my anxiety levels went from a level 6 to a 3. If I could quantify my anxiety by numbers, I would say I cut my anxiety in half.
2. My Depression Levels Went Down.
Though I am not currently dealing with chronic depression, and do not consider myself to be medically depressed, I could still tell that this fast helped clear up leftover residue of past chronic depression. I have been severely depressed in the past, and though I have been doing much better these past two years, I can confidently say that this month of fasting has been the best month so far in my depression healing journey. During my fasting, I had higher levels of joy, hopefulness, peace and tranquility than I had for the past two years. My happiness levels were up and my depression levels went down, without a shadow of a doubt.
3. My Energy Levels Went Up.
After two weeks of fasting media, eating healthier food, and exercising 30 minutes a day, my energy levels both physical and mental noticeably increased in large amounts. Once again, if I could quantify energy levels by number, I would say my energy levels went from a 6 to an 8 or 9. Now, that may not sound like much, but on paper, thats going from a D grade to an A grade. All the science points to eating fruits and vegetables giving you more energy, and studies have shown walking just 30 minutes a day can improve mood, health, and energy levels, and I am here to tell you in person this is true. Yeah, I know, no one wants to exercise or eat veggies. I dont care, it felt amazing, and you should try it too. I legit went from feeling like ‘Eeyore’ from “Winnie the Pooh” to feeling like ‘Tigger’, thats how big a difference it made.
4. I Accomplished More.
In the short month period of my fasting, once I got rid of all that time I had been wasting on social media, I ended up making a LOT more progress on my writing, and reading than I had before. Previously, when I was addicted to social media, I only wrote for about 20 minutes a day blogging. But while I was fasting, I wrote on average 1 hour or even 2 hours a day, a massive difference in time wastage and usage. I spent much more time listing to educational podcasts, reading books and focusing on my career than I previously had. I learned a lot about abortion, philosophy and meditation that I previously did not know during this time period. It turns out ( shocker ) less Facebook equals more time for hobbies, pursing interests and dream careers.
5. My Spiritual Life Drastically Improved.
During my fast, I replaced the time I had spent in front of a computer screen on developing myself spiritually as well. I listened to a sermon a day, tried to read the Bible every day, spent more time in prayer, listened to worship music more and spent more time meditating. By the end of the fast, I had read several books of the New Testament, and had a much closer relationship with Christ. In fact, I had a spiritual breakthrough, and actually ended up having a pretty intense encounter with God during this time period. Though many readers may not be religious, I do encourage if you decide to try this fast, to spend time developing yourself spiritually as well, or even trying to seek a spiritual encounter with God as I did. Life is a spiritual journey, and you never know what treasures you may find along the way.
6. My Beliefs Changed.
During this month of no media, I had a LOT more time to think, question my beliefs, and really look for what I wanted in life. Because I had more room to really deeply think about my life, what I wanted for my future, and what beliefs I really held about myself by the end of this fast, I ended up changing my beliefs about the world. During this time period, I decided my career was not as important as I thought it was, and decided finding love was more important. I decided that I would seriously consider pursing a career as a Minister or Pastor and decided I would seriously consider getting my Masters in Divinity after graduating. I asked myself serious questions, like “Do I really want to be a mother?” and “Do I really want to be dating the person I am dating?” and “Do I even want to get married in the first place?”. This time was wonderful for personal development, and I recommend it full heartedly.
Conclusion: Spending less time on social media, and replacing social media with positive habits had an incredibly positive effect on my mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
I could simply not recommend this fast enough. In fact, as I write this, I am about to enter a second attempt at this fast, except this time I want to try no social media for two months. My experience has been nothing but positive, and I have nothing but good things to say. Good luck, and may your fast be as rewarding as mine has been!
