Starting tomorrow, February 1st, I’ll be taking a social media hiatus. (The two apps I use are Facebook and Instagram.)
I’m not going to lie: I’ll miss the buzz I get from seeing everyone’s posts—and I’ll miss posting—but yesterday, I had a “tipping point moment.”
It was dreary and cold in Indiana, so I bundled up and shot out the back door before I could change my mind.
Earlier in the day, someone had posted a link to a podcast interview with Dr. Nicholas Kardaras—a psychologist and one of the country’s leading addiction and mental health experts. He’s also the author of GLOW KIDS (2016) and DIGITAL MADNESS (2022).
The interview piqued my interest, so I listened.
That 4-mile walk in the dismal weather changed my life!
It was the impetus for what I’ve known to be true for quite some time--my digital scrolling habits were taking over my optimal brain function--sucking the life out of my cognitive and creative abilities. Not to mention, robbing me of physical movement, in person social connection, and quality of life.
I had watched THE SOCIAL DILEMMA documentary, and THE CIRCLE (starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson) on Netflix.
I had listened to many episodes about brain health on The HUBERMAN LAB and RICH ROLL podcasts.
But it took the eye-opening realization of what iPhones and iPads have been doing to the developing brains of children/teens to shock me out of complacency.
If adults don’t change, we, as a society, will continue to sink further into the dark abyss of the digital world.
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Gandhi
It’s the cognitive decline of future generations who will pay the greatest price for our digital carelessness today.
[I had the same visceral feeling that inspired THE TRANSFORMATION ART EXHIBIT more than fifteen years ago. For years leading up to the summer of 2008, I knew the way I’d been eating had become increasingly detrimental to my health. I also realized my eating habits were adversely affecting my children’s health and well-being. Yet, I continued to be complacent. . . until one day, my blood pressure read 154/97. Seeing those numbers was my impetus for change.]
And just like that art exhibit, I’ll be documenting any noticeable changes and/or personal insights/discoveries along the way.
If the changes or discoveries are significant, I may publish a blog post or two about them as well.
But I will definitely publish the outcome of this experiment on my blog and Facebook/Instagram—the good and the bad—on February 1, 2025.
And just as I had random questions at the beginning of THE TRANSFORMATION ART EXHIBIT, I also have questions for this adventure:
Will my posture improve?
Will my artistic skills blossom?
Will my attention span improve?
Will I see more sunsets and sunrises?
Will I become more physically active?
Will I become more socially engaged?
Will my husband Kurt notice any changes?
Will I spend more meditative time with Jesus?
Will it affect my health biomarkers and mental well-being?
Will any positive changes inspire others to make changes as well?
After my own recovery from food addiction—and helping thousands of others recover from it—I know detoxing from social media won’t be fun for the first week or two. (Dr. Kardaras discussed the challenges of the withdrawal phase in one of his interviews.)
But if I want the various intricacies of my brain to heal; if I want the dopamine hits to subside; if I want to have a better quality of life. . .I have no choice but to allow the ugly symptoms of withdrawal to run their course.
So, here’s to the adventure ahead!
Emily Boller, artist, mother, and author of Starved to Obesity, lost 100 pounds more than fifteen years ago by eating an abundance of high-nutrient, plant-rich foods. Today, she’s certified in whole plant nutrition from the Nutritarian Education Institute. She’s on a mission to combine practical, no-nonsense and cost-effective tips—with easy to understand science—in order to help anyone escape the addictive grip of the Standard American Diet. And now, she’s on a mission to bring awareness to the suffocating and potentially deadly trap of eating disorders as well.