I’ve always been in the habit of deleting my social media apps around exam season so that I could spend more time focusing instead of scrolling, and I found that I would itch to open the apps from the second I deleted them. It was difficult to have moments where I was doing nothing, like waiting for a class to start, because I had no app to open to pass the time. I learned through this that I didn’t know how to deal with boredom, which came as a shock because, as a cognitive science major, I already knew from my psych classes that boredom can actually be beneficial. Turns out, contrary to popular belief, it’s really good for you!
After an exam last year, I decided that I wasn’t going to download social media again until break, which was a month later. I thought the break might let me see whether being off social media for certain periods of time was something I would want to do once in a while, as both a self-care practice and something that could help productivity during stressful times.
For that month, I deleted only Instagram because it was the app I used the most. I haven’t had TikTok since 2020 since I thought that it was just too addictive, and with the introduction of Reels, I thought it was pointless for me to have TikTok. I didn’t use any other social media app enough for it to be worth deleting.
At the beginning of that month, I found it stressful to not have stimulation. For some reason, I was getting addicted to Snapchat, of all apps, because of the Discover page that lets people view influencer stories and videos from news accounts like Vogue. I went down a rabbit hole of Vogue Beauty Secrets videos and found myself replacing Instagram with Snapchat. Since this defeated the purpose of my little experiment, I ended up deleting Snapchat too.
Next, my addiction latched onto Pinterest. So, I deleted Pinterest. This process repeated for several social media networks, like YouTube and Reddit. Because I never had the YouTube or Reddit apps, I had to use the productivity app Forest to block the entire internet!
It was this that finally made me go full cold turkey. And cold turkey was hard.
I caught myself swiping through my home screen to no avail because there was nothing there for me to use. At one point, I even started scrolling through my camera roll because at least that had something for me to look at. My phone was almost rendered useless, so my screen time went from 6+ hours to an all-time low: two hours or less a week.
However, as time passed, I found myself wanting to use my phone less and less. As an avid reader, I was in the habit of using e-books, but I started to drift away from those and read physical books instead because they somehow felt more engaging to me.
It reached a point where my month-long goal of no social media turned into two months, then three months, six months, and beyond. Once summer hit, I considered downloading Instagram again, but I thought it was boring. It sat in my App Library collecting dust, to my friends’ dismay. They wanted me to watch the hundreds of Reels they’d sent me. I told them to text them to me instead, and they still do.
I started to use Pinterest again, but only once in a while. I realized that while social media is nice because it keeps people connected, gives them ideas, and provides entertainment, it took me away from my life.
I wanted to be the sort of older person who could reflect on adventures, experiences, and fun I had throughout my life. I didn’t want to have to tell people that I spent most of my time scrolling on social media throughout my early twenties.
I also noticed so much beauty in the world while I was off social media. I lived in the moment, gained greater appreciation for the beauty of nature and the outdoors, improved my capacity for boredom and stillness, and built stronger relationships. I wasn’t as insecure or as lonely either because I didn’t have the constant reminder of things I didn’t have or things I didn’t do. All I had was myself and my surroundings, so I gained gratitude for what I had instead of constantly vying for more.
To be honest, I definitely have moments where I’m stressed and find myself lost in Katseye YouTube Shorts or random snark pages on Reddit of YouTubers I’ve never watched before, but the desire to have Instagram again full time is gone. I won’t deny that I feel out of the loop quite often, especially when it comes to fashion, because one of my favorite things to do on Instagram when I had it was to consume fashion content. But I’ve realized that I can find fashion news anywhere else, such as on Vogue’s website, and that in the grand scheme of things, knowing trends isn’t that big of a deal anyway.
Overall, taking a break from social media was a great choice that I don’t regret. My life is filled with books, outdoor walks, time with friends, hobbies, and unique experiences that I didn’t have before. I have a better connection with myself, and I am perfectly content having nothing to do or entertain myself with for certain periods of time. I can walk to class without headphones, cook without a screen playing a show next to me, and eat dinner alone with my thoughts.
While my relationship with boredom did get better, it is still a work in progress, which is something I have especially noticed since I have begun practicing meditation. Through meditation, I have learned the benefits of mindfulness, of being present.
So, the next time you walk to class, don’t focus solely on the destination. Think about what you’re doing — you’re walking. Feel the cool fall breeze on your face, hear the satisfying crunch of leaves under your feet, and take in all of the bright fall-colored leaves in the Diag. It’s only fall for so long, and you’re only here at Michigan for so long as well, so make sure to shut off your phone and pay attention to the beauty around you before seasons change.