On the last day of January, I had a thought… “What if I deleted all my social media?” Inside my head, I laughed. There was NO way I was going to give up everything. I don’t mind deleting Facebook or Snapchat, but Instagram and Tik Tok? Absolutely not. Those are my favorites. I quickly put the thought on the backburner.
Later that night, I was with my boyfriend and he had told me his best friend from home was currently going social media-free. This instantly sparked my idea again, so I asked his friend how and why he did it. After a pretty quick but inspirational facetime, I had made my mind up- I was going to do it. I was going to delete all my social media for the entire month. Starting. Right. Now.
First came Snapchat, then Facebook, then Tik Tok. I even threw in Youtube and VSCO, but I avoided Instagram. At first, I tried to just remove the app from my home screen so I wouldn’t see it, but inevitably this would not work. I really tried to cheat my own challenge, but then I realized once it was gone it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
And I was right. I didn’t really miss any of the apps. Instead of mindlessly scrolling on my Tik Tok fyp or my Instagram feed, I started doing more that would benefit me in the long run. I prioritized relaxation and mindfulness, reading more before bed, using my phone significantly less (in general), and just becoming more aware of how I occupied my time from morning to night.
The first week I went social-media free, it didn’t feel too weird. There were some moments where I would go to unlock my phone, but none of the apps that I normally clicked were there. I made time to do yoga with my roommate, have more in-depth conversations face-to-face (6 feet apart of course), and I felt more in control of myself and of my life.
Now, the month is almost over, I am really glad I was able to delete my social media in the first place. Although it started out as an impulse, it was truly a good habit to try out. I feel less dependent on my phone, especially when I have nothing else to do. I’ve gotten some of my friends to delete their social media as well. To be honest, social media sometimes has a pivotal role in how I see myself and my self-worth. Once I deleted it, I felt like I could finally breathe again.
No more comparing myself to others, no more self-destructive thoughts, no more trying-to-keep-up-the-perfect image, no more toxicity and negativity, just real life. Although I missed out on some of the pop culture news from time to time, the important news found its way to me.
So, tomorrow when I wake, it will be March. The month will be over, and I will be able to redownload and log into my social media. But I’ll tell you a little secret- although part of me wants to, there’s another part of me that does not want to just because I like being so off the grid.
I know I will want to have them again just to catch up on things, but I think I’m going to be on social media a whole lot less than before I started my cleanse. SO, I challenge you to try going social media free, whether it’s just one app or all of them, for a few days, week(s), or even a full month. Who knows, it might be the best thing you’ve done for yourself in a while :)