For one month, I, as an 18-year-old, stopped scrolling and posting on all social media. Tiktok, Instagram, Snapchat — it was all off the list.
The idea started on Sept. 28 when I was lying in bed, contemplating going to sleep or continuing to scroll for another hour. It truly was an addiction. However, I came across a TikTok video that summarized how to better your life, and one viewer’s comment said how cutting out negative forms of media is the best place to start — anything from unrealistic social media to sad music.
Despite knowing scrolling is unhealthy, I’d never thought about how I’d feel if I took out every negative source in my life, even those existing subconsciously. So I decided that for one month, I was going to try to stop scrolling and posting online and instead start focusing on romanticizing my life.
In the beginning, I found myself listening to sorrowful music and accidentally clicking on social media apps out of habit; my thumbs knew exactly where the apps were placed on my phone. So, I removed all of the apps from my home screen and created uplifting playlists on Spotify.
However, I can’t deny that watching my friends scroll and hearing about the latest trends without getting to see them for myself was difficult. At times, I’d even feel a sense of guilt for not interacting with my friends’ newest posts because I’d done so for years. I realized that so much of the culture we live in today correlates self-worth to the numbers on our screens.
Surprisingly, it was in moments of boredom and being forced to take in my surroundings that made me grateful for what I was doing, because I was romanticizing my life in ways I never thought I could, admiring nature, silently window shopping and spending quality time with loved ones.
Being offline was eye-opening in my struggles with jealousy on social media, because there was nothing representing a false reality around me, and not posting made me realize I didn’t need the public validation I had previously craved. Eventually, I found that validation within myself. I didn’t lose the desire to post, but I shifted that desire into fuel to better myself by going to the gym daily, eating healthier and improving my mental health. I started to want to post for myself.
This challenge brought me higher amounts of self confidence, less feelings of jealousy, more joy in the “little things” and especially increased patience levels. Plus, it was much easier to complete than I had anticipated. I rediscovered patience by realizing that it doesn’t have to mean experiencing boredom, but by taking things slower and allowing myself to sit in silence. Despite experiencing the occasional desire to scroll online, the biggest thing that I missed doing was posting, because all I wanted was to share how beautiful my life had begun to feel through this experience.