How to avoid digital load | Digital detox | Social media detox

People around me were using an app and by then I didn’t really know what it was being used for. Out of curiosity I also started using Snapchat to send snaps of some part of my life and maintained snap streaks too. Friends and I started to see our lives through it. By the time I reached around snapstreak 380 , roughly a year of using it, one day I sat silent in my room putting all my thoughts together a silent voice echoed in my mind out of nowhere, saying…

A silent voice in my mind 

“ Is this how you people are getting to know each others lives? What will you get by knowing what people are doing constantly in their lives? Had people forgotten the real conversations? Was it fair to check on others everytime while you can seize that moment? Is this really bringing peace? etc…” I decided to delete my account and I did it’s been 1.5 year I am not in knowing others lives through snapchat. I started to make calls and do text to my friends and it actually made difference to know what’s happening in my friends lives. The same happens with Instagram, watching endless reels of others, seeing what celebrities doing in their life and their stories. Ugh! But what we need at the end of the day?It’s peace, love, gratitude in our lives. But it's wrong saying it's all bad sides, using it intentionally by keeping the parts that truly serve you like art, knowledge and to cut out the part that drain you (comparison, the noise and doomscrolling)

Replacing noise with peace

I started noticing little things in my life like the breeze ,people in public places, patterns in clouds, someone’s smile, comfort of my cup of coffee and everything around me. Later I stopped constant scrolling of instant dopamine in every platform( Instagram, Youtube, Netflix). I finally made peace within me by replacing them with embracing boredom, making art, journaling, reading books, gain skills. I finally had time to create rather than just ‘consume’. My sleep, health, relationships with family and friends got improved overtime. The world is buzzing with notifications, short duration videos, reels. It’s how algorithms are designed to hook you and make you addicted. It might not happen overnight to cut the noise but through small steps I believe it’s possible for everyone. Sit at a serene place, take out a paper and pen, write all possible thoughts you come across in your mind. Once your thoughts are on paper, clarity will follow 🌱

While reading Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, I realized that many of us don’t need more apps or more noise ,we need fewer distractions to think clearly.

“Noise will always exist. The power lies in choosing which sounds deserve your attention. This week, try cutting out just one kind of noise and notice the clarity that returns…”