- Huberman Protocols
- Posts
- Get off social media
Hey. Earlier, you learned about ‘agency’. You need to feel like you have control over yourself and situations. You can feel this directly by having a lifestyle based on your desires daily. Or indirectly, by doing small things like working out which gives you confidence in other areas.
We also talked about gratitude. You need to realize that life shouldn’t be 100/100 all the time. Sure, a 90% is not 100%. But the missing 10 doesn’t negate the 90. You can even be at a 30, but pursuing a 90, and still, be happy. Feel grateful for what you have.
Now, there’s one thing that‘s bad for both of these. It takes away your agency and gratitude.
Social media
Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, all of them.
They set false, unrealistic expectations that remind you of what you don’t have, not what you already have. (pro tip: scroll through your photos instead).
They suck you into distraction. You lose your agency and get demoralized.
It makes you think of too many options, making you question the path you chose.. Especially if you’re not at a stable point in life.
Is there a positive side? Sure. sometimes. But that’s like saying there’s a positive side to doing drugs. It has a tiny tiny tiny benefit on very rare occasions. It doesn’t mean you should do it all the time.
Huberman: First of all, social media, how addicting is it really? And what is healthy social media behavior?
Anna Lembke: The first message I would want to get across about social media, is that it really is a drug and it's engineered to be a drug. Which doesn't mean that we can't use it, but we need to be very thoughtful about the way we use it, just like we need to be thoughtful about the way we use any drug. Which is to say that we have to, again, put barriers in place that allow us to remain in control of our use.
Okay. It’s time.
For better mental health, we better do this.
Mini-challenge for the day
Delete them :)
Yep. You signed up to integrate the protocols.
Don’t worry, your accounts will stay there ready for when you come back. Worst case scenario, you’ll just download them again later.
I’m gonna do it too, only keeping email and WhatsApp.
Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Delete your social media apps.
It takes one minute. Do it now.
Handling your objections:
“But I use youtube to learn”:
sure you do, but what about all the other videos and shorts you watch? useless.
when you want to learn something, search for it on the web and cut it there“But there are really good health influencers online”:
you don’t remember 99% of what you scrolled. Also, their business model is built off of you watching more videos, not how much you improve, retain or implement.“But I’m talking to someone in the dms”:
tell them what you’re leaving socials and ask them to do the same. smart way to get their number ;)“But I need to stay in the loop of what’s going on”:
If anything important happens, people will tell you. I’ll let you know. Just let me know what news digest you want.“But I have nothing else to do / I’m bored”:
okay. that makes sense. do you prefer doing something active or chilling on your phone?
things you can do instead: books, podcasts, dance classes, hike, cook, socialize, plan, search for events and go to them, visit your parents/grandparents/relatives, and more
So just do it!
It also comes with a 30-day guarantee😂. If you don’t like it, just download them again later.
What’s there to lose?
Delete your social media apps
Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, Snapchat, Facebook, Reddit😬, LinkedIn, and whatever else you use.
Go to your home screen and get rid of them.
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