Why Deleting Your Apps Might Save Your Mental Health With Brittany Karber
In this brutally honest and unexpectedly tender episode of the Let’s Get Naked Podcast, Anne Karber sits down with her daughter, Brittany Karber, for a conversation that cuts straight through modern culture’s biggest addiction: social media.
What begins as a discussion about deleting apps quickly becomes a deeper exploration of identity, mental health, friendship, grief, freedom, and what happens when you stop outsourcing your attention to algorithms designed to keep you dysregulated.
This episode isn’t anti-technology. It’s pro-clarity.
And Brittany’s story reveals a truth many people sense but rarely admit: the freedom on the other side of the scroll is far deeper—and more confronting—than anyone talks about.
“Social Media Food Poisoning” and the Cost of Constant Consumption
Brittany introduces one of the episode’s most memorable phrases: social media food poisoning—that sick, overstimulated feeling you get after consuming too much content that looks good but leaves you depleted.
Endless scrolling. Comparison spirals. Addictive rabbit holes. The subtle anxiety that lingers long after you close the app.
Brittany explains how even “mindless” scrolling takes a toll on the nervous system, hijacking dopamine cycles and keeping the brain in a constant state of alert. What feels like rest is often the opposite—a low-grade stress loop disguised as downtime.
To break the cycle, she didn’t just rely on willpower. She created friction: retinal-scan-level app locks, deleting platforms entirely, and building barriers that forced intention back into her choices.
The Detox Nobody Warns You About
One of the most important—and rarely discussed—parts of the conversation is what happens after you quit.
Brittany speaks candidly about the unexpected emotional waves that came with detoxing her brain from comparison culture. The boredom. The sadness. Even brief periods of depression.
Not because something was wrong—but because something was finally quiet.
Anne helps contextualize this experience: when the noise disappears, whatever was being avoided often rises to the surface. Social media doesn’t create our feelings—it often numbs them. Removing the numbing agent means learning how to feel again.
And that’s uncomfortable before it’s liberating.
Losing Friends and Finding Real Connection
Perhaps the most painful—and revealing—part of Brittany’s journey was the loss of friendships.
When she stepped away from social media, some connections faded. Not because of conflict, but because they were built on proximity, performance, or digital access rather than depth.
It forced an honest reckoning: Who actually wants to be here when there’s nothing to “like”?
In place of constant online interaction, Brittany began hosting intentional dinners. Long conversations. Real presence. Phones down. People seen.
The trade-off was clear: fewer connections—but far more meaningful ones.
Reconnecting With Real Life
As her attention returned to the present moment, Brittany rediscovered things she didn’t realize she’d lost.
Nature. Games. Cleaning and organizing (her lifelong passion). Time that felt expansive instead of fragmented.
She talks about how being offline restored her energy—not just physically, but emotionally. Without the constant pull to document or compare, experiences became complete again. Moments didn’t need validation to matter.
Anne reflects on how rare this has become: simply living without narrating your life to an audience.
Making Space for “The Anne Project”
One of the most poignant moments in the episode is Brittany’s reflection on how unplugging created space for what she calls “The Anne Project”—a personal evolution rooted in clarity, intentionality, and self-trust.
Without the chaos of constant input, she could finally hear her own thoughts. Make decisions based on alignment instead of reaction. Choose who she wanted to become, rather than who the internet rewarded her for being.
Anne receives this moment not just as a mother, but as a mirror—recognizing how generational healing can unfold when we model presence instead of performance.
Freedom Isn’t Loud—It’s Quiet
This episode dismantles the myth that deleting social media is dramatic or extreme. In reality, Brittany’s story reveals that freedom is often subtle.
It looks like:
waking up without immediate anxiety
friendships that deepen instead of multiply
evenings without doom-scrolling
energy that returns slowly, then steadily
And perhaps most importantly: the ability to be alone with your own mind without needing to escape it.
