Have you ever checked Instagram without even realizing it? I have!
I didn’t think I was that addicted to social media until I quit using it for a week and realized how often my thumb would mindlessly hover over the same three apps.
I decided to log off of social media for a week because I had three midterms coming up, and I felt myself spiraling into hours of doom-scrolling, which left me more stressed than relaxed.
Every time I picked up my phone to check something, I’d somehow end up deep in a TikTok rabbit hole or endlessly scrolling through Instagram reels I didn’t even care about. So, in an act of desperation, I downloaded an app that locked my social media accounts and made them completely inaccessible.
At first, I thought it would be easy. “It’s just a week,” I told myself. “How hard could it be?” Spoiler alert: it was way harder than I expected.
The first two days were rough. I caught myself reaching for my phone constantly, like a reflex, only to realize that the apps were locked. I felt anxious and troubled, and I knew then I was going through withdrawals.
That’s when it hit me, I was genuinely addicted to social media.
To deal with the withdrawals, I tried to fill the gap with other activities. I picked up a book I’d been meaning to read for months and ended up getting lost in it. When I wasn’t studying for my midterms, I found myself getting ahead on assignments and actually retaining more information. Without the constant noise and distractions, I was able to focus and it felt good and I actually felt like I was being productive.
IÂ found comfort in music, rediscovering old playlists and new genres of music, and I let myself just sit and listen without checking for notifications every five minutes. I had longer, more intentional conversations with my friends and family, and for the first time in a while, I felt truly present.
One of the biggest takeaways? I had more time and space to reflect on my thoughts. I picked up journaling again, something I hadn’t done in forever, and started writing about how I was feeling each day, everything from stress about school to random thoughts that used to get drowned out by social media. It felt refreshing.
My week off social media made me realize that I didn’t feel the need to know what everyone was doing, and I found myself focusing more on myself.
And as cheesy as it sounds, I enjoyed the small things in life.
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