Ditching Social Media

Today I am talking all about my decision to take April off of social media. Not just posting but ghosting the apps completely with no interaction whatsoever for 30 days. If you have found yourself wondering if you should do the same - like take a detox break - tune in today for my reasons why I chose to do this and how it's going thus far.

 

I'm the first to admit that I L-O-V-E social media. I find it not only entertaining but educational and inspirational, if you follow the right accounts. But like anything else that can feel addicting, it's almost like losing control. I began to feel like my fingers were on autopilot once I unlocked my phone. I would go directly to social media apps any chance I got. And I would mindlessly scroll, catching only glimpses of things that were beneficial to me in any way.

 

Before I go on, I need you to know that if you do this - there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with it. I am not passing any kind of judgment on your life. Now let's dive in as to why I even decided to do this.

 

The first reason for ditching social media for the whole month of April was because I feel like it was taking up too much of my time. When I would get my weekly screen time update from my iPhone, I was averaging over 3 hours a day - which isn't all social media but the majority was. That's 21+ hours a week on my phone and I don't talk to people on the phone.

 

We live in a world nowadays where we are hyperconnected but so sadly disconnected. Our phones keep us connected via apps and such but we are also disconnected from human face-to-face connection. If you are ever out and about, people don't talk to each other anymore. Everyone is on their phones - from kids to adults.

 

At the risk of sounding like an old bag - when I was growing up, we spoke to those around us whether we were at the doctor's office or riding public transportation. It now feels as though we are so far removed from that. And to be clear - it's not everyone but many.

 

So because my phone is always with me, any second I had for down time I would scroll. Never just sit in my thoughts or go do something for myself. It started getting so bad that I wanted to scroll even when my kids wanted to play. And that in and of itself was the straw for me.

 

So the second reason I am on a break is because I want to be more present in my life for me and my family. I'm huge on listening to our own thoughts. And how can we listen if something is always occupying that space - like social media? 

 

Sitting in on our own thoughts can get uncomfortable at times. It's like when we are bored as kid. We want to seek something that will fill that space. Same goes for us as adults but when we can tune in to our thoughts, we learn so much. For me, I want to be able to sit and learn more about my thought patterns, try new things that I wouldn't normally do and listen to more audiobooks when I am faced with down time. I want to connect more with those around me, have conversation and get to know people again.

 

As far as my kiddos go - I never want them to feel like my phone is more important than they are. I don't want them to think I never had time to play with them. So very simplistically, I want to be more present in my day to day life.

 

Lastly, when trying to be an entrepreneur or use social media with purpose I always wanted to make sure I was posting valuable content. That still remains important to me now but I started to feel pressure around what to post, what to say and how to say it. It wasn't something I was having fun with but felt more pressure with. I don't want social media to take over my life and my every thought. 

 

I was living for documenting my life for social media vs just living in the moment. And to me, I'm realizing that life moves very fast. There is SOOO much to be grateful for. And to obsess over social media and to be addicted to scrolling feels like such a waste of time.

 

I never take away something without replacing something better or something that feels more useful. Since I removed social media, I'm now journaling. I take time every morning which was my normal routine. I'm documenting what it feels like without social media, I'm sitting in my thoughts more and trying to feed my brain with things that matter, that make a difference. 

 

1. The time social media was taking from my life was getting out of hand.

2. I wanted to be more present in my thoughts and with my family.

3. I wanted to reconnect with people already in my life.

4. The pressure to post with purpose started feeling like too much work.

5. Began to journal every day, document the process and live in each day.