Social media is supposed to be fun, isn’t it? You’re posting about your life, keeping up to date with your friends’ and family’s lives, and maybe even your childhood classmates that you hardly ever spoke with too. Yet, at the same time, social media has proven many times that it is anything but fun. According to this study, adolescents who use social media regularly are more likely to risk getting depression or anxiety and are at higher risk of suicidal thoughts or committing the act.
I have been regularly using social media since I was thirteen years old. As of right now, I am currently twenty-one years old. I have practically been raised with social media for half of my life now. Social media is fun and all, but it has definitely taken a toll on me mentally. I mean, are we surprised? Like many of us, I have been using it for almost a decade now!
One of the main apps that I had been using for a long time is Twitter. To be honest, Twitter used to be my favorite and my most used app. It was so entertaining writing out my own thoughts, talking about my life, reading about my followers’ lives and seeing their hilarious retweets on my timeline. Twitter just has a certain addictive charm, and it really had a grip on me since I was a teenager. But Twitter was the main source of how I started to develop a self-hatred toward myself. My Twitter feed was full of people that I thought were funnier, better-looking, cooler, and more accomplished than me. Constantly reading about the highlights of people’s days, weeks, and months made me feel bad about myself because I felt like I was wasting my time living my same old boring routine every single day. It just wasn’t fun anymore being on Twitter.
This past summer, I had noticed that I was mentally draining myself by constantly comparing myself with other people on Twitter, so I had decided to make the big decision to permanently deactivate my account. Now I have had my old Twitter account since I was in the eighth grade. That account holds many precious and cringey old memories that are gone forever. So, it was honestly a little emotional for me, but it was definitely needed. Here’s how my summer went without Twitter:
1. I went outside more.
Yes, I actually did go outside. I went out on daily walks to clear my head, I enjoyed the beautiful sun and its delicious vitamin D nourishing me. I was able to disconnect from my digital and reconnect with my real world.
2. I felt peace in my head for once.
Twitter was just one of many things that caused a lot of stress and anxiety in my daily life. By separating myself from a stress factor, I felt like I was finally able to breathe for the first time. It was as if I had been underwater for so long and was finally able to breathe air for the first time.
3. I gained self-love.
This was the game-changer for me. After giving myself a break from constantly tearing myself down and wishing to live another life or wishing to look like someone else, I was finally able to happily come to terms with who I am and love myself for me. I complimented myself more in the mirror, took myself out on little dates, reconnected with my old hobbies and spent more time with friends and family in person.
What I’m not trying to say here is to delete all of your social media and then you will be happy. Social media still plays an important crucial role in our society today, so we definitely need it! However, I think it is important to take a step back when something is overwhelming you and do things that genuinely make you happy and will remind you of your purpose. As of right now, I actually made a new Twitter account. However, with my time off from it, I know what I want to see from social media and what I do not want to see on my social media. I follow accounts that make me happy, that make me excited to get on the app when I have the chance to, and I follow accounts that inspire me. It is so important to find your happy balance. I recommend that anyone go on a social media detox because you never know what you can find out about yourself while being offline.