Do you find yourself wasting your life away, spending hours on social media and mindlessly scrolling through your phone? Want to prioritize a more healthy and balanced lifestyle?
While using our phones and devices have obvious benefits, bad habits can easily form if we allow ourselves too much flexibility. Ever wanted to quickly check something online and find yourself still scrolling hours later?
If you want to cut down on your phone time without having a full-on social media detox, a great way is to have a list of activities to do when you’re feeling bored. You can always make yourself do something healthy from this list before rewarding yourself with an intentional time slot of screen time!
Here’s a list of 36 Things To Do Instead of Mindless Social Media Scrolling:
Get Outside
Spending time outside being active is a great way to work towards your 10,000 daily steps in and getting some fresh air. According to WebMD, getting outside also helps you get your daily dose of Vitamin D and is great for your mental health.
Some fun ways to get your outdoor time include:
Go For a Hike
Go Camping
Take a Bike Ride
Visit the Beach
Take a Walk around your Neighbourhood
Have an Outdoor Picnic
Visit a Local Park
Walk your Dog (or a friend’s)
Work in your Garden
Do Some Exercise
Get Creative
Putting some effort into learning a new skill or simply allowing your creative juices to flow is a great way to relax. Creative outlets are a known way to reduce anxiety and to exercise different parts of the brain.
Here are a few creative projects that require little resources, so you can start them easily:
Write in your Journal
Draw, Paint or Doodle
Start a Blog or Website
Try Out a New Recipe
Create a Vision Board or Collage
Practice Origami
Work on a DIY Project
Start a Business
Catch Up On Some Self Care
Self care is more than making a healthy green smoothie or getting your nails done. These are activities that promote overall, holistic well-being. Something that social media and the online world often detracts from. Here are 8 areas of your life to nurture with self care, as well as some other activities:
Take a Nap
Read your Favorite Book
Do At-Home Spa Treatments
Meditate
Stretch Your Body
Meal Prep Healthy Food
Declutter and Organize
Organizing your space has a major impact on how it feels to be in your home. A clean, organized space reflects a calm mind. Starting with one area a day or a small section (like your bathroom cabinet) is all that is needed.
Here are some other ideas:
Put away your Clutter
Organize Your Pantry (or any cupboard)
Donate Clothes You Never Wear
Spring Clean Your Home
Check The Condition Of Your Items
Recycle What Your No Longer Use
Spend Time With Friends & Family
Instead of texting your loved ones, why not give them a call or plan a date? Spending quality time together (without phones) is so important for building healthy relationships. According to Highland Springs Clinic, A Cigna study from the American Journal of Health Promotion indicated that excessive social media use is one of the biggest risk factors for loneliness. One-on-one time with people and social activity promotes health and well-being in ways that social media cannot.
Volunteer Your Time
Why not give towards a cause that you truly care about? Help out at a soup kitchen, visit a retirement centre or spend some time with rescue dogs and cats at the local shelter. This not only benefits your own social and emotional well-being, it impacts the lives of others too!
Have any other ideas to add to this list? Perhaps there is something you’ve been wanting to do for a while that you feel like you “just don’t have time for”. Drop it in the comments!
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