About a year ago, I deleted all of my social media for a month to get away from all the negativity and issues it was causing in my life. I learned and grew so much from this experience (I even wrote an article about it) and 12 months later I felt the need to do it again. There are many reasons why people choose to delete their SM apps, or not even make accounts in the first place, but I am here to share with you my reasons for and my experience with it, round two.
The first time I ditched my social media, I learned a great deal about myself, and the people I was surrounding myself with (and some of the people I called my “friends”). I learned when deleting the apps my mood increased significantly and I began to see my surroundings, relationships, and myself in a much more positive light. Social media is so focused and centered on drama and superficial parts of life, and it can really take a toll on how you view your life.
Deleting social media I found that my anxiety decreased. I was always so stressed and anxious about what others thought of me and it started to become my main source of validation (this is not a good thing, FYI). So much of what you see online is not real, very exaggerated and photoshopped, so it is not healthy or realistic to compare yourself to these things.
Why did I delete all my social media again? I kept finding myself falling into uncontrolled spirals of scrolling, stalking, and searching to a point that was beyond healthy. I had just gotten out of a relationship and I was always looking for happiness through my screen. Instead of looking to my friends and other support systems, I would look at happy couples, fit girls, tropical vacations and even my ex’s and his girlfriend’s feed. After many long nights of feeling sorry for myself, I thought about what happened and how I felt last year when I eliminated all of my SM from my life last year and I wanted that again.
If you have ever considered deleting all of your social media, or even just one app, I highly recommend, even if it is only for just a few weeks to test the waters. There is no reason you should be feeling miserable with your life or in a toxic situation over something that comes from your phone!
HCXO