The word “detox” gets thrown around a lot when it comes to our relationship with technology. Digital detox weekends. Social media detox challenges. Detox your brain, your body, your life.
The problem is, detox suggests something temporary. A purge. A cleanse. A break. And then, back to life as usual.
That might work for colons and juice cleanses. But it doesn’t work for the digital world we live in now. None of us can “detox” our way to pure pipes and peace of mind. The systems are here to stay. So are we.
What I teach—and what I practice myself—isn’t about detox. It’s about building small, sustainable skills that make a difference over time. Skills for living with digital systems without handing everything over to them.
Here are three practices I’m working on right now grounded in curiosity and compassion:
Interrupting the impulse. When I find myself staring at my phone, I ask: What am I looking for in here? Why am I opening Instagram? That tiny moment of awareness keeps me from giving my attention away unconsciously.
Starting the day on my terms. I’ve been teaching myself not to grab my phone first thing when I wake up. Instead, I linger with any dreams I can remember, and write them down in my journal for later analysis. Many of them feel like premonitions. Recording them has been a fascinating way to start my mornings in curiosity rather than comparison.
Setting limits with purpose. Since I’m actively using Instagram for my book launch, I have a time limit in place. When the notification pops up, I close the app. (Most of the time. Occasionally I will override it.) I remind myself this isn’t about fighting with the platform but about using it strategically as part of the bigger picture.
These aren’t glamorous practices. They don’t make for catchy “detox” challenges. But they’re real. They’re sustainable. And so far they are working for me. Over time, I’ve noticed they return more of my life, my attention, and my energy back to me.
That’s the point. Not to detox. To live with intention, and some of the tension, inside systems designed to distract while not losing ourselves in the process.
My forthcoming book It’s Not You, It’s the Algorithm drops October 2, 2025. It’s a memoir-manifesto-toolkit for living with digital systems on your own terms. Not detox. Not escape. Real skills for protecting your attention and reclaiming what matters.
Stay tuned here for more practices and stories between now and launch day.