How taking a social media sabbath on Sundays changed my life
I used to go on my phone to numb my feelings. Now, I take weekly social media sabbaths to help me rest and reflect. Learn how you can, too.
About a year ago, I realized how much my phone was taking over my life. When grabbing boba with friends, I'd check my phone every few minutes. When studying, I'd suddenly be on Instagram even though I literally just checked it a few minutes before. I'd get anxious if I went out of the house without my phone.
Plus, I discovered my habits with social media — and my phone in general — depleted me spiritually.
Using my phone to escape drained my creativity and dampened my imagination, because I was constantly looking at others' work or finding inspiration solely from pixels on a screen. Instead of truly taking a break to recharge and spend time with God, I would go on my phone to numb feelings of fear, anxiousness or restlessness.
I knew I had to make a change.
Finding a solution
Change came in two parts for me. First, unplug. Then, replace with the good.
Now, I’ve created a weekly rhythm of unplugging from social media and most phone usage on Sundays. This has given me mental space for true rest and reflection.
You may be asking, "If you're not on your phone, then what do you ... do?"
This is where “replace with the good” comes in. Instead, I journal, pen pal and send cute stationery items to friends, take naps, read books I'm actually interested in, FaceTime people, have deep conversations with my little brother — honestly, whatever gives me rest.
Who said a 20 year-old can't have playtime?
And since starting, I now use my phone 40% less than before. That's 2 hours of my day back! Crazy.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Be proactive, not reactive.
Before, whenever a notification dinged, I’d react and pick up my phone. In this sense, my phone owned me. However, by setting up systems like social media sabbath (SMS), you're the one in the driver’s seat instead of being the one driven around.
The world runs without me. I know, that sounds conceited, but hear me out. One of my key worries was that my friends and coworkers would be hurt or frustrated when I didn't give them a text back right away.
Actually, the opposite happened — people remembered I was doing SMS (thanks in part to my intentional Instagram Story reminders the day before) and really respected my boundaries. Some even began trying it for themselves! It was a humbling experience.
Learning to give myself grace. Being off my phone was a really tough habit to break. At first, I failed ... a lot. But I knew if I was serious about this, I had to learn how to not beat myself up over it and give myself the same grace that God gives me every single day.
How you can start
Does this sound like something you want to try? If so, I encourage you to just commit and start small! Here are some tips that helped me begin:
Start with one hour. Then build upon it. Next week, try three hours, The next, six hours. Build up to a full day over time.
Make your phone black and white (check your accessibility settings). When your phone is "boring," you're less likely to stay on for a long time. It also reminds you that you shouldn't be on!
Turn on screen time restrictions an hour before bed and an hour after getting up. This helps me not use my phone to go to bed (really bad for eyes and sleep quality) and completely solves the problem of waking up to a wave of tempting notifications.
I pray these aren't just words on a screen, but a call for you to reflect on your "digital health." Phones and social media can be good, but we need to set healthy habits and boundaries to ensure we get the good and leave out the bad. Let's be culture changers that speak light for His glory.
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Sarah Hartono is a college student at Biola University studying marketing and graphic design. She’s passionate about entrepreneurship, helping students thrive (not just survive) and using social media redemptively. She loves scouring the internet for productivity tips and exploring the newest foodie spot in the Bay or LA. You can follow her and say hi in the DMs @waeffles!