My Journey Drifting Away From Social Media

Today, we can say with confidence that social media has very negative side effects for anyone who uses it. Although it can also bring a lot of good, it seems like it’s a growing trend for people to be choosing to opt out of things like Facebook, Instagram, and Tic Tok. Oh hey there, I’m one of those people ;)

Being a parent just puts everything into perspective, and when I had Isla I was very adamant about her not having ANY screen time until AT LEAST the first two years of her life (which is recommended by the CDC, WHO, and other experts). So I try super hard during the day to put my phone away and hold to boundaries. You know that screen report at the end of the week? My goal was always under two hours. Aaaaand I think I rarely met it. Social media is all consuming for me (and a lot of people) and whenever I had a break in the day, felt overwhelmed, or bored, I found myself turning to Instagram, all the while trying painstakingly to hide my phone from my daughter. I realized that turning to my phone would maybe make me feel better initially, but ultimately would end up being a huge time waster, and often times comparing myself with others I saw on social media would make me feel inadaquate or rob me of self confidence.

Studies have proven that people using social media may feel like they’re only on it for 5 minutes but in reality it’s much longer than that. The creators of social media have admitted that they purposefully designed their platforms to target the “feel good” dopamine centers of our brain, much like how drugs work for addicts. There are connections between social media and anxiety, depression, and ADHD.

When I turned 30, my family and friends escaped into the north woods for a long weekend. We didn’t have cell service and I brought my nice camera I use for photography, so I pretty much forgot about my phone. We spent our time playing card games together, talking, laughing, being in nature, and just simply being together. Coming back home from that trip, I felt SO GOOD. I felt so much more relaxed, joyful, peaceful, present, focused, more ME. And I knew it was a huge wake up call about what I was investing my time in. Ultimately, spending time on my phone, on social apps, just isn’t giving anything back to me or adding anything to my life. It’s actually taking a lot from me.

And that’s when I knew I had to make a change. In the past I felt like I couldn’t give up Instagram, but maybe turning 30 has aged and matured me because after that birthday weekend I feel SO MUCH PEACE about it! I am gaining more focus and attention, feel much less anxious, more present, and am better about getting the little things done in my day like dishes or laundry that used to feel so overwhelming because the chores would pile up. I’ll still pop on Instagram or Facebook time and again, and I’m still working on not allowing it to be my stress outlet, but I’m truly happy about the decision to ultimately transition away from both Facebook and Instagram. I feel like I’m living my life more in line with my values. This is my personal journey, and yours is probably different which is more than okay. But I do hope that you choose to practice being present, in the here and now, and live YOUR life to the fullest with as much joy and peace possible. :)