By Jodie May

I quit Facebook, and I am much happier.

Sure, social media can be exciting. But it can also create poor habits and grow into your source of dopamine, the “feel-good hormone.” It can become your outlet to find joy, and eventually, it corrupts your idea of what joy means. In light of these facts, we know social media has a dark side. Before detoxing from social media, I was in a dark place in my life. I was dealing with postpartum depression and anxiety, and social media was not helping it. My idea of joy in social media started to cloud over my dreams and goals.

Here are the simple steps I took to detox from social media:

  1. Delete any (and all) time-consuming apps off your phone. For me, Facebook was the one that really needed to go.
  2. For apps you decide to keep, turn off notifications. I repeat: turn off the notifications. Trust me, this will give you hours of your life back.
  3. Do not have your phone next to your bed while you sleep, where it becomes the first and last part of your day. I personally put mine in my bathroom, and when my phone alarm goes off, hitting snooze is no longer an option. (You could also buy a cheap basic alarm clock.)
  4. Give yourself a time frame to accomplish your detox. When it comes to changing a habit, the research says there’s no perfect number of days (like 21 or 30) that works for everyone. So pick a sustainable amount of time that feels doable, and don’t be afraid to detox longer if you need.
  5. Take on new habits. It’s easy to treat social media as a reward, even subconsciously, so choosing a new habit can help redirect how we source our joy. Consider a daily activity for yourself, like 30 minutes of exercise, journaling every morning, or creating a new morning routine.

I detoxed from social media. I am a happier person because of it, and I haven’t fully gone back. I found joy in journaling my own daily gratitudes—versus reading someone else’s. Becoming a happier version of myself has allowed me to take time to follow those who inspired me and unfollow those who didn’t. Time is so valuable, and you deserve to use it the way God wants you to.

I promise, it’s worth it.