You might be thinking, “Wait a minute – I only got to this post by clicking a link on Instagram“. And of course, you are right. But hear me out. I actually did delete all my social media apps (actually, the only one I was using was Instagram). However, I did keep my accounts, because I need some kind of way to let you lovely people know I uploaded a new blogpost. For more than three months now, the only times I have been using social media is to do exactly that, promote my blogposts. And what a change to my life it has made!
The Problem(s)
The problem with my using social media was that it made me feel bad, in a lot of different ways. For one, I always felt terribly sluggish/unproductive, scrolling through my feed for hours on end. I am almost a 100 percent certain, that everyone of you reading knows what I mean. You try to stop, but you simply can’t. It was getting to a point that I had to put my phone in a different room to keep me from mindlessly scrolling. Does that sound healthy to you? It sure doesn’t to me.
Another huge problem that social media inflicted was the fact that my mental health took a toll as well. We all know that what we see online isn’t the reality. It is a part of reality – yes – but it isn’t all of it. Nobody puts a bad outfit on their feed. Or a recipe gone wrong. All we get to see is the nicely curated, pretty stuff. But my brain was accepting what I saw as an achievable reality, and when my own life looked a lot different to what I saw online, I felt like a failure. I knew most of what I saw was only possible for a very small percentage of people, and still I found it hard to accept that I wasn’t one of them.
Quitting Social Media Cold Turkey
One day, I just had enough. I didn’t want to waste my life away on my phone. I didn’t want to make myself feel miserable by looking at the seemingly perfect life of others. So I simply deleted the Instagram app, and told myself I would stay off it at least two weeks. I did manage these two weeks, but you would not believe the amount of times I pulled my phone out, ready to open Instagram, to then just blankly stare at my phone screen. Have you ever noticed how boring your phone is without these kinds of entertainment apps?
I would love to say that it was super easy to get through those two weeks, and in a way it was. It’s not like I felt I was missing out on something. Because, let’s be real, are we really missing something? But like I said, the amount of times I looked at my phone for no reason, or found others reasons (sorting recipes in a cooking app by ingredients, for example), was ridiculous. It took me way longer than two weeks for this to subside. And it made me realize, that even though I probably wasn’t “addicted” to using social media, I was very, very used to it.
No Social Media – No Problem(s)?
The burning question is: did deleting social media also resolve the problems I had with it? I’m very happy to say that yes, it absolutely did! My screen time went down to 20-30 minutes a day, where before it was more like 2-3 hours. I have a lot more time on my hands to do things that actually bring me joy, such as gardening, reading, working out, or spending time with friends and in nature. The pictures you have been seeing throughout this post were taken on a recent hiking trip on Hochries, Bavaria, with my boyfriend and two very dear friends. It’s stuff like this I want to live for, not social media.
My mental health has been a lot better as well since quitting socials. I no longer feel the need to compare every little thing I do, have, or buy to somebody on social media. Sure, I’m still influenced by a lot of things I used to watch online. But I feel like I’m finally developing my very own taste, without thinking too much about how a certain influencer would do it. It feels so weird to say, but I’m finally discovering me. Doing me. Unapologetically and without worrying about what others might think.
Will I Stay Off Social Media Forever?
My goal is to develop a healthy relationship with social media. It should be something I go to for entertainment, maybe even education, but most importantly: joy. Right now, I am definitely not at a point where I can confidently say I could use Instagram for only 10 minutes a day. I might last a week, before those numbers go up again. So for now, I’m staying off social media, until my “almost-addiction” is fixed. Last week I spoke about how I fixed my gut health – now I need to prioritize my mental health. And not using Instagram plays a big part in that!
What Are Your Thoughts?
To close off this post, I would really love to know how you feel about social media. Are you like me and just can’t stop once you’ve started? Or are you an every-once-in-a-while-person, in which case I need to know your tips and tricks!
