No Social Media and Diet Improvement Challenge
I challenge you…not to use any form of social media for at least a week. And also avoid coffee, alcohol, sugar and meat. Have you ever tried any of that?
I did last week. I only kept using LinkedIn, since I don’t ever feel distracted by it as much as by Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Also I quit eating sugar and meat, drinking coffee and alcohol and meditated for 3–4 times a day. There were several reasons for me to try this experiment at this time, including to feel emotionally more stable and simple desire to get out of my comfort zone and grow personally. I kept a daily diary to monitor my thoughts and emotions during this experiment.
A few highlights:
- Not using social media was a bit weird in the first couple of days but felt very good by the end of the week. I literally removed these apps from my phone and reinstalled them on the 8th day, so in the beginning my thumb was automatically trying to click on the app where my Instagram or Facebook app used to be and I opened either “Pocket” app or Notes instead, both were placed there strategically. The only thing I truly missed was being on top of what my closest friends were up to, so I had to message them instead and simply asked how they were.. :) It did feel a bit lonely and disconnected at first but not even in a bad way. It was actually liberating!! I didn’t need to think about what to share on my Insta Stories, which pictures to post, which articles to share on Facebook or Twitter. I had a wonderful, active weekend without sharing a moment of it with the world. Also the best thing was not worrying about what other people do and just focus on myself and be present every moment I had that crave to check new posts. It felt very strong and independent by the day 7. However the biggest surprise for me was that not using social media didn’t at all contribute to any increase in productivity and focus — believe me, apparently it’s so easy to find ways to procrastinate, even it doesn’t involve checking Insta or Facebook. I decided to keep using social media going forward, but much more mindfully and less often. This way I can set an intention every time I open those apps, practice non-judgment and be aware of the stories my mind makes up while checking other people’s posts. I’m excited to see how this experiment will go on.
- I don’t actually need to drink coffee at all. I did switch to green tea, which was my only source of caffeine that week. So looks like it’s all in our head. I still miss the taste of coffee with soy milk a lot. Will switch to drinking coffee to every other day, no more than one cup a day.
- Sugar was much harder to avoid, since it’s basically everywhere. I avoided candy, cakes, ice cream — anything that has pure form of sugar. Still had my fruits and granola bars. I didn’t miss sugar at all. Absolutely will continue avoiding sugar and hopefully this will turn into a habit.
- Not eating meat was easiest for me — I’ve been experimenting with vegetarianism before. Didn’t notice any difference in the way I feel but will definitely continue to avoid meat, since I’m not a huge meat lover anyways. I know I will feel the difference in a long run.
- Not drinking alcohol was also super easy, since it’s just a matter of choice: not ordering it at a restaurant and choosing water instead + saving $$$. Even though I think people may have felt uncomfortable having one beer after another while I was sipping water all night long. Going forward I will minimize my alcohol intake to 1–2 glasses per week and just drink on dates and special occasions. :)
- Meditating more often definitely helped me stay more emotionally balanced and stable, creative, kind, adventurous and bold with my decisions. It helps me feel what I really need and stay true to myself no matter what. I will write about meditation more in the future as I feel how it’s changing my life, but it’s too early to speak on that.
Overall I cannot recommend enough to try replacing your old habits with new and healthy ones. At least for a week. And then you’ll see how much you’d want to keep up with that new lifestyle after the experiment. It just feels so right it’s weird to come back to the old, weak self. Encourage you to try at least one or two of the above and share your thoughts with me!!
