Social Media is a big part of our lives. Sometimes, it feels as though it takes over our life. Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, it can quickly become a rotating circle of social media tabs. I am in no way an exception to the rule. If anything, a few months ago I found myself in an endless circle of hashtags, locations, filters and hours of mindless, numbing scrolling. I had just moved to a new city and my case of fomo was all too real. I found that my constant consumption with these intangible worlds and images we make of ourselves was sending me into a case that was deeper than just your usual fomo. Not only was I homesick and missing my friends, but I felt like I wasn’t making connections with my friends from home. We were communicating every day and seeing each other every day but we weren’t talking and connecting in ways that discerned actual interest. I tried not to use it as much as I was but I was already in the habit of constantly checking and my friends were used to sending me daily snapchats. So, I had to make the decision and I deleted the app right off of my phone. I didn’t delete my actual account but just got it off my phone.
Now, I must admit this didn’t last very long, it stayed deleted for about two weeks and even now I intermittently delete it and other social media apps. Even though I didn’t delete it for good, it was still a great experience to be able to take a step back and focus on myself.
By deleting Snapchat, I was able to focus on myself and the new memories and experiences I was having. I wasn’t distracted by missing out on things that were happening at home or the experiences my home friends were having without me. I wasn’t wishing away my time to get back home. I was focusing on what was in front of me.
Not only was I not paying attention to everyone else recording their lives, but I also stopped recording mine. In some instances, I wished that I had a quick video of a photo of something that I had done or had happened. However, I started being more present in my own life. I stopped watching my own life through a lens.
Since I didn’t see my friends faces every day, we had to actually reach out personally to talk to each other. Instead of our conversations being “I” centered from both parties, the focus switched to “you” centered questions and looking for things to discuss in each other’s lives.
Finally, instead of mindlessly scrolling, I had to find other things to occupy my time with. I found myself using the time I would spend snap chatting, I was cleaning my room, calling my parents, reading my books and actually looking up while I was walking. It wasn’t a lot of extra time but it was enough that I stopped numbing my mind with other people’s lives.
Though it didn’t last a long time, it was a much-needed break. Since the original hiatus, I have taken multiple breaks from not only Snapchat but also Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or lonely or lost, I like to take a break to “reset” myself with all of the benefits as the ones stated before.