Social media and I have a bit of a toxic relationship. It monopolizes my time, it feeds my insecurities, and more often than not it’s the last thing I see before I go to bed and the first thing I reach for when I wake up. On the other hand, I have CRIPPLING fomo, so the ability to keep up with the trends and all the inside jokes from TikTok and the posts from my friends on Instagram keeps me coming back. Last month, I decided it was time for a bit of a break, so I deleted my most highly scrolled apps. Here’s what I took away from that experience:
- More Time in My Day
I never really realized just how much time disappears while scrolling. Of course, I always see (and immediately look away from) my screen time when the notification pops up every week, but the reality of what that looked like in my day to day never really sunk in until I no longer had that endless stream of content. Tasks suddenly didn’t take as long as they did when I was “rewarding” myself every 5 minutes with a TikTok break. During those pockets of time between classes or meetings, I actually did my homework, leaving me with time to do whatever I wanted at the end of the day.
- Reconnecting With My Hobbies
Since homework didn’t take up all of the extra time I had discovered in my day that I was able to start doing the things I actually enjoyed. I picked up crocheting again and made my new favorite going out top. I tackled three Sarah J. Maas novels (along with a few other books) and already have the next three books in my TBR on deck. My journal and I saw a lot more of each other, and I spent way more time in the kitchen making meals for me and my roommates.
- Connecting With My People
Disconnecting from social media meant that my phone reverted from a tool for scrolling to its original purpose: a method of keeping in contact with my friends and family. I found myself texting my friends way more often than before, which helped me feel more connected to them, especially those that I didn’t see too often. I was able to connect better in the real world, too. My attention span was better, I had more time to spend with my friends, and I was able to be present and in the moment with them.
- Better Mindset
Throughout my internet time out, I noticed that my overall mood was so much better than it had been before. A lot of that has to do with the way I was no longer comparing myself to what I saw online every second of the day. Instead of trying to create an image that measured up to my Instagram feed, I became content with where I was at. It’s crazy how much peace I found within my own life when my thoughts weren’t constantly consumed with content from thousands of other people.
Overall, my social media break was a fantastic detox, and I recommend that anyone reading this considers doing it themselves, even if it’s only for a week. I did ultimately end up redownloading my apps to help me plan a trip, which reminded me of the upsides of social media. Having access to an enormous community that is willing to share recommendations on places to eat, products that cleared their skin, books they loved, and anything else I could possibly want to know more about is a huge privilege. Social media isn’t all bad (and you’ll definitely see me posting from Chicago next week), but I learned that, like with most things, moderation is key.