Doing a media detox dramatically changes the effectiveness of meditation

The beginning of a media detox-and a small resolution

I've been meditating for quite a while now, starting with 30 minutes a day and reaching deep states for over an hour and a half on some days. But recently, I've noticed a significant difference in the effectiveness of my meditations. It started with a change in the “Media Detox”was.

Smartphones, YouTube, TV, and social media. These things were always around. Most of them are on for a few hours at a time, and people's brains are bombarded with stimulation. I wasn't at this level, but one day I decided to cut back on that stimulation, and cut it out altogether if I could. I decided to only use the features I needed, and to avoid watching videos and feeds as much as possible. That was the beginning of my media detox.

* On social media, I only see posts from my friends.

An inner transformation that began in a dream

Once we cut out the media, something amazing happened. The first is a dreamwas. On days when I was watching YouTube, my dreams were vague, unclear, and often meaningless, but about a week into my media detox, my dreams came back to me with vivid clarity. Memories from the past came back to life, and emotions I'd forgotten were triggered.

In my dreams, I would meet my egos, learn about their life hints and directions, cry, get angry, and process my emotions.

And when I would wake up from the dream and go into meditation, I would feel those memories quietly fade away, as if they were being cleansed. It was a very powerful healing process. My mood became very calm and peaceful, as if I had been emotionally cleansed.

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Media Detox + Meditation = More Than You Can Imagine

Best of all, meditation is more effective than Tens of timeswas intense: my head cleared, I felt as if something deep inside my brain was opening up, my attention span was much longer than before, and I was able to see the noise around me as it was. It was so intense that I felt the pressure in my brain release and my skull expand. There are studies that show meditation actually changes the structure of the brain.

A study by Yale neuroscientist Dr. Sarah Lazar found that long-term meditators had increased gray matter density in the frontal lobe and hippocampus, and improved white matter connectivity in the brain (Lazar et al., 2011). Additionally, a group of people who stopped using digital devices showed improved attention and emotional regulation, and reduced overall brain fatigue (Kolhe & Naik, 2025).

But here's the thing: a media detox alone starts to cleanse your brain, and when you combine it with meditation, the effect is amplified. In fact, I've been meditating for an hour and a half a day, and I've felt past emotions come flooding in like waves, and I've experienced a release. I've realized that meditation isn't just about sitting down, it's about clearing out your inner junk and reorganizing your energy.

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Amazing change starts in a day

And most importantly, it's a change to the “In a day” It starts. My brain is fired up, my focus is engaged, and my mind is peaceful and intense. Looking at Instagram or YouTube may make me feel good for a while, but the emptiness that's left behind is indelible. Media detox and meditation, on the other hand, bring me in touch with the real me.

* If you haven't watched any media in a day, you can expect a dream that night.

I plan to continue this routine for the foreseeable future. I'm going to limit social media to friend updates and informational content whenever possible. I'm going to write, read, go for walks, meditate, and build a routine that keeps me alive.

If you've been feeling overwhelmed, unfocused, or anxious lately, try this for just one day. Turn off your smartphone, sit in a quiet place, and focus on yourself. The changes you'll see will be faster and more dramatic than you think.

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References:

• Lazar, S. W., Kerr, C. E., Wasserman, R. H., et al. (2011). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Neuroreport, 16(17), 1893-1897. https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/8/1/27/1695087
• Kolhe, D., & Naik, A. (2025). Digital detox as a means to enhance eudaimonic well-being. Frontiers in Human Dynamics. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fhumd.2025.1572587/full