I recently went on a 10-day digital detox. For me, this meant no Instagram, Facebook, or reading online news. Here’s what I learned.

Social media can be a powerful place of connection. I could not successfully run my small business without it. It’s how I attract the majority of new students. People are much more apt to message me through a social platform than they are to call the studio these days. It’s also a great way to share my writing and feel like I am putting something of value into a digital world tat often feels destructive or negative.

Social media can be profoundly beneficial.

I have a friend who lost her dog for a few days. Her dog photo was shared so many times, a complete stranger found her dog — 8 miles away from her house — and took the scared pup in until the owner could swing by for their tearful reunion.

Another friend, stricken with cancer, was given more than $5,000 for medical expenses through a GoFundMe her best friend organized.

On a smaller but equally joyful level, social can be a place to watch your far-away friend’s children grow up, feel a part of big announcements like engagements, pregnancies and promotions, or simply get a shot of dopamine from that hilarious video that has gone viral.

But it can also be a vehicle of distraction, a place to numb out and waste time.

On average, we spend almost two hours a day on social sites.

During my detox, my time online was down an average of 34 percent every day.

Think this doesn’t apply to you? Track your use and you’ll probably be very surprised.

This is by design; social sites paid engineers a lot of money to design apps that play off the human fear of feeling left out. Social sites have been shown to be as addictive as crack cocaine.

I’m not blaming social media. I am wholly responsible for allowing my priorities to become skewed.

I can be forgiven for thinking that, if I’m not on social regularly, I will not be “connected” to what’s happening with my friends or on the global stage. But it’s mostly a lie.

I did not miss anything of value by logging off.

In fact, I gained so much free time. I gained so much awareness about my thought patterns and tendencies.

Erin Smith is the owner of the OM place in Winchester, the author of “Sensible Wellness” and the online host of the OM channel. Follow her on Twitter @erinsmithauthor.