Love the Reason Why Maine’s L.L.Bean Now Has Zero Posts on its Social Media

For the third year in a row, the popular outdoor retailer L.L.Bean which has been outfitting so many of us for generations is saying farewell to all social media but this year it completely cleared its Instagram grid so when you look it says they have zero posts.

Obviously, this is just a temporary respite, and what better time for this digital detox from social media than Mental Health Awareness Month in May?

L.L.Bean, founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean and still headquartered to this day in Freeport, Maine, hopes we'll all partake in this vacation from social media, or pledge to spend 120 minutes outdoors for at least one week during Mental Health Awareness Month.

Their social media posts will return on June 1 after this pause supporting mental health awareness for all.

On par with diet, exercise, and quality sleep, research shows spending time in nature has life-changing mental health benefits. New this year, L.L.Bean will host a user challenge on the revolutionary NatureDose app, which serves as a “nature prescription” and helps users track and measure their time outdoors.

As we know, companies rely on their online presence and the algorithm of consistent posting of stories, products, and brand imaging. So this is quite the eye-raising initiative, and one that can't help but warm your heart a bit.

What I love about this is that L.L.Bean is putting mental health and well-being ahead of themselves as a company that needs profits to survive.

The University of California Professor Dr. Paul Piff researches how the powerful yet calming nature of the outdoors is scientifically proven to enhance our overall wellbeing, so this year, L.L.Bean has teamed up with the Nature Dose. By using this to track your reconnection with nature, L.L.Bean will reward you once the social media detox is over.

What a perfect fit, too, seeing that L.L.Bean has always been about having a lifelong love affair with the outdoors. We know there is a restorative power about stepping outside, whether you're outdoorsy or not.