Over the past couple of months, I’ve been processing a feeling that’s been building quietly and steadily in the background. I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed, extremely stressed, and trying to work out what to do and how to navigate being a small business owner on the internet.
I realised that I was feeling overwhelmed with social media and burnt out from tech. The digital world has been making me feel really ungrounded and chaotic. I’m in the midst of information overload.
I came up with a little plan to get myself back on track, to help realign with slow mindful living, and it has been working, so I want to share it with you.
The overall aim is to keep life as simple as possible to reduce any avoidable stress and internal noise. And to prioritise being in the real world as opposed to the digital world.
Here are the things that I’ve put into action over the past couple of weeks to help reduce my digital burnout, tech overwhelm, and social media fatigue:
1. Create A List Of ‘Have To Dos’ So You Can Focus On What Matters
When life feels really heavy, you need to take some of the load off. What can you let go of?
I made a list of the things that I need to do as a necessity. For me, this mainly included my work tasks. For you, it might also include parenting and familial responsibilities.
I just needed to get some clarity on what I actually need to do to survive (aka pay bills), while also recognising which tasks I want to do, but aren’t really critical right now.
This really helped me to narrow my focus onto what matters, and rest assured that anything else could get ignored (for now) without my life falling apart.
2. Put Your Phone On Aeroplane Mode
You get to choose what and who has access to you, and where your energy goes.
I’ve made a conscious commitment to avoid tech and social media wherever possible.
Putting my mobile into aeroplane mode is helping me to feel more cut off from the digital space.
And I’ve been avoiding social media altogether and just haven’t been logging in at all.
Life has felt really noisy, so I wanted to enhance my inner silence, and staying off of tech and social media was a really easy way to get this kick-started.
And I’ve also been enjoying leaving my phone at home when I go out, which seems revolutionary these days in a world where we’ve become perpetually connected to the entire universe at all times through our not-so-smart phones.
Both detaching physically from my phone and aeroplane mode have helped a lot.
3. Make A List Of Hobbies That Don’t Involve Tech
What would your days look like without a mobile phone or laptop?
I started making a list of things to do in the ‘real world’ so I could populate my time in the physical realm and off of tech.
My list includes yoga, meditation, gardening, reading paperback fiction books, playing my instruments, singing, and journaling.
Writing a couple of hobby tasks down, just so I can easily see what to do if I’m bored, has been really helpful. It stops me from reaching for my phone as a form of entertainment.
4. You Don’t Need To Be Constantly Learning, Digesting Information, Or Self-Improving
The world has felt really chaotic and noisy to me recently. And I’ve been overconsuming content, not just on social media, but even educational content.
We’re not meant to constantly digest information; your mind also needs time to rest.
I’ve made a conscious effort to increase my internal silence by reducing external stimulus. This has meant avoiding listening to podcasts, not watching YouTube videos, avoiding TV, and not even listening to recorded music.
Anything that creates unnecessary mental noise is out. In essence, this is a form of pratyahara, sense withdrawal.
I’m trying to spend more time just ‘being’, as opposed to constantly ‘doing’ things where I’m either consuming content or processing information and learning something new.
I’ve noticed I’m in a space where I need to just ‘be’ until I have the space to take on more information.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore listening to recorded music and learning new things, but there’s a time and a place, and right now, I need less mental stimulus, not more.
5. Unfollow Accounts That Create Stress
Content marketing is a game of winning attention, but that also means it’s become really common for creators to use tactics that create stress. The digital sphere feels like a circus these days, with everyone performing like clowns for the algorithm.
I’ve been unfollowing creators that feel like they’re shouting at me, talking really quickly or creating a sense of urgency that doesn’t need to exist. I’m also unfollowing accounts that are making me feel like I need to do more, even if this is self-development.
(Which I know is hypocritical as a self-development coach—but even I’m not immune to this habit of endless self-development, which can become exhausting).
I’ve also been unfollowing any accounts that feel like they’re constantly complaining.
Constructive criticism is important, so I don’t want to demonise voicing grievances or dissatisfaction, but I often feel like my entire feed is filled with people poking holes in anything and everything, and it’s making me feel mentally drained and emotionally exhausted.
Right now, I need to create a protective bubble of bliss to nurture my mental health—and there’s no shame in that.
6. Audit Your Nutrition
What we consume, both food and drink, plays a huge role in how we feel. Certain ingredients can help to induce states of calm and a sense of groundedness, and others can trigger feelings of nervousness and mimic physical states of anxiety.
Spend a week tracking your food and drink and auditing what you’re consuming. Take a special note of any items that might cause you to feel anxious or overwhelmed.
In general, caffeine, refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, smoking, and ultra-processed junk foods are known to be common triggers for anxiety and stress.
Journal your mood and feelings alongside your intake of food and beverages to spot any trends and correlations in what you consume and how you feel.
7. Drop Into The Body (And Out Of Your Head)
Overwhelm and anxiety can be a sign that you’re leaning too far into the mental body and that you need to come back to your physical body.
Any practices which help you to process and feel the world through your body as opposed to your mind are going to help ground and balance you.
Things like dancing, yoga, walking in nature, swimming in the ocean, working with clay in pottery, and getting your hands dirty in the garden will help to tune you out of the busyness of your mind and back into the rhythm of your body and the earth.
Conclusion
Ultimately, reducing digital burnout isn’t about rejecting technology completely—it’s just about becoming more intentional with how, when, and why you’re engaging with it.
Putting boundaries in place with tech and social media is about making empowered and conscious choices to enhance your holistic wellness.
We live in a modern capitalist world that seems to constantly demand our attention. There’s an endless thread of comparison. And we’re pushed to consume more information than our minds were ever designed to process in such short spaces of time.
But you’re allowed to step back. You’re allowed to slow down. And you’re allowed to protect your peace, prioritise your wellbeing, and create more space for stillness and real-world experiences.
Sometimes the most healing and progressive thing we can do is disconnect from the digital noise long enough to reconnect with our true selves and the blissful silence within.
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