Disconnecting from social media is a process, I’ve realised — one that takes time. You can go cold turkey, as I did, but the truth is something will always step in to replace the time once spent scrolling. The real question is what you choose to fill that space with.

For me, the shift has been surprisingly grounding. I’ve had far more time to be present in my everyday life. I’m walking more — I’m already averaging 1,347 more steps a day than I was this time last year — and I’m reading daily again, not just in snatched moments but properly, with attention. Even my relationship with email has changed; I check it far less now. I’ve noticed that the urge to check emails isn’t so different from checking stats — on my health app or my website — and I suspect that impulse will soften too, in time.

I titled this blog It Had to Be Done because, in the space of ten days, I binge-watched all seven series of Younger — around 70 twenty-minute episodes in total. For anyone unfamiliar, Younger follows Liza (Sutton Foster), a 40-something woman who reinvents herself as a 26-year-old to re-enter the world of publishing. It’s light, fast-paced, and full of warmth, friendship, ambition, and reinvention — and I found it motivating. The main character’s optimism and constant smile felt genuinely uplifting. I loved seeing Lisa's different outfits and the character Charles (Peter Hermann) is good looking.

I watched it while ironing, cooking, and measuring new pieces to go online — but also properly settled, with a cup of tea or coconut-milk cocoa. It helped me relax and wind down in a way that felt restorative rather than draining. Unexpectedly, it even supported my exercise routine. I’ve been using an app and scales that measure metabolic age — I started at 61 and am now down to 54 (I’m 53), and I’m having a bit of fun seeing if I can nudge it even lower.

So yes, something did replace social media. But instead of constant noise, it’s been movement, reading, presence — and a Netflix series that turned out to be a surprisingly joyful companion. I can now tick binge watching off my list....what will happen this weeK?