A Digital Detox During Mars Retrograde

Being online can be really addictive. For a while, I’ve now realized that I spend excessive time on social media and how doing so inspires my distractibility and anxiousness, and reduces my productivity.

And this week, I decided to do something about it...and take a hiatus from Facebook and Twitter (not Instagram because, for now at least, I feel that it adds value, and isn’t as draining).

The online world is a double-edge sword. We have access to incredible amounts of information and can forge stellar community. Yet, researchers are finding that using digital platforms can actually make our minds more distracted, cause feelings of isolation, and ratchet up our anxiety.

I do think, like most things in life, that a balance can be struck: that we can interact with digital platforms in a mediated and mindful way. Yet, I know for myself, at least for now, I’m really interested in this month-long experiment, this digital detox of Facebook and Twitter I’m doing, to see what I may discover, related to my concentration, connections, and creativity.

I must say that I love the astrological timing of my focus on this. After all, Mars Retrograde does give us inspiration to take a different look at how we use our energy. And it's been traversing for weeks now in Aquarius, the sign of technology.

How’s your relationship with social media? Have you ever done a digital detox? I’d love to hear your experiences and reflections.

---