Every year, without fail, I give myself a gift. Not something wrapped, not something delivered, and not something that comes with notifications. I disconnect.

Starting the day after my birthday, I step away from social media for a full week. No scrolling. No posting. No reacting. No “just checking in.” And every single year, it’s glorious. The timing certainly helps. The last week of the year is quieter, the noise softens, and expectations naturally lower. It’s easier to step away when much of the world is already slowing down. But the value of that disconnect goes far beyond convenience. It has become a reset I now genuinely look forward to.

What began as a once-a-year ritual has started to feel like something more. While the timing around my birthday and the holidays makes it easier, the value of stepping away has made it clear this shouldn’t be reserved for just one week a year. The benefits don’t expire when January begins. If anything, they make the case for doing it more often.

That’s why I’m intentionally moving toward making this a quarterly practice. Not as an escape, and not as a rejection of social media, but as a reminder that presence requires protection. Stepping away creates space to recalibrate, to reset my relationship with technology, and to return with clarity rather than obligation.

When you step away from social platforms, something interesting happens. At first, there’s a reflexive pull, the phantom buzz, the unconscious reach for a device out of habit rather than intention. Then, almost unexpectedly, space appears. Space to think without reacting, to feel without framing, to observe without performing…. and just time for more things like reading for pleasure. We rarely realize how much mental bandwidth is consumed by being “on” until we finally turn it off. Social media isn’t just content… it’s constant context switching, comparison, judgment, validation, and distraction layered into one endless stream. Disconnecting quiets that stream, and in that quiet, clarity shows up.

I become more present when I disconnect… more present in conversations, in my surroundings, and with myself. I notice things I normally rush past. I read more deeply, think more slowly, and listen more carefully. The urge to comment fades, replaced by the simple ability to be fully where I am. I SIMPLY HAVE “MORE” TIME. Ironically, stepping away from digital connection strengthens my real connections, because I’m no longer splitting my attention between the moment I’m in and the moment I might post about later. That isn’t anti-social, it’s pro-human.

There’s also a shift that happens around intention. Social media trains us to respond quickly. Disconnecting retrains us to respond thoughtfully. During that week away, I’m reminded how often we confuse immediacy with importance. Not everything needs a take. Not every thought needs to be shared. Some insights need time to mature before they’re expressed, if they’re meant to be expressed at all. That pause provides perspective. It helps separate what truly matters from what merely demands attention.

If I’m being honest, and I always strive to be honest, with others AND MYSELF… I dream of the day I can disconnect even more fully from social media. Not disappear entirely, but radically simplify how and why I use it. A day when it becomes less about broadcasting and more about sharing… occasional family-related photos, a few heartfelt and deeply considered thoughts, and a way to stay genuinely connected with a smaller, more select group of people I’m closest to. Social media, at its best, should help us share our lives, not perform them.

There will always be room for the occasional check-in post as well, touchpoints for the larger universe of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who’ve been part of the journey. But I imagine a version of social that’s quieter, more intentional, and far more human. Less noise, fewer metrics, and more meaning.

As restorative as that annual break is, I’ve come to accept a simple truth: once a year isn’t enough anymore… The pace has accelerated, and the noise has intensified. The expectation of constant availability has grown louder. That’s why my goal is to make this a quarterly practice… intentional, scheduled, and non-negotiable disconnection. Not because social media is bad, but because unchecked consumption is unhealthy (at least it has become that way for me). Relationships, digital or otherwise, require boundaries to thrive, and that includes our relationship with technology itself.

Disconnecting is ultimately an act of respect. Respect for your time, your attention, and your mental and emotional energy. When you step away, you’re not disappearing, you’re refueling. You’re choosing depth over dopamine, reflection over reaction, and meaning over metrics. And when you return, you come back clearer, more grounded, and more intentional.

That’s where the real Return on Relationship lives… not in constant presence, but in purposeful engagement. So if you’ve never tried it, start small. A day, a weekend, a week.

Sometimes the most meaningful reconnection happens only after you choose to step away from constant distraction.