Hello! I hope you’re all doing well and staying off your phones! 🙂 If you haven’t joined me on my journey yet… I highly recommend you start today. I promise you it will be soooooo worth it. Seriously… fucking delete your social media accounts!!!!!!
I am happy to report that I have been enjoying my life free of the distraction of social media… and let me tell you, it’s been fucking sweet.
It is coming up on about a month without social media (SnapChat, Facebook, and Instagram). SnapChat recently sent me an e-mail saying if I don’t log back in within 5 days, my account will be gone forever. Wow, how sad.
Fuck off.
I even have photos stored in the SnapChat library of my account which almost pushed me to reactivate it so I don’t lose them… but honestly, I don’t need them. I won’t die without them and I am not falling for it. Hasta la vista, SnapChat.
It feels like a weight has been lifted. I feel more focused and more present. It’s actually quite nice to not have to stop myself before taking a sip of my martini or taking my first bite of pizza to take a damn picture for the ‘gram. Psychotic, ain’t it?
I do want to add that I reactivated Facebook for a couple days because I had to reach out to someone on there related to business and didn’t have their number or another way to get in touch. But it’s alright because I am still reaping the benefits of being distraction free.
Without social media, I’ve realized a few important things:
- You will see people’s true colors. People I am not even necessarily close to have reached out to check on me since they can no longer see me posting daily. I find it to be sweet that some of these people miss seeing my stories and photos and want to take time to ask how I am doing and what I am up to. I guess some people do have a genuine interest in you as an individual and care about your well-being! What really surprised me (I guess it didn’t really but maybe a little bit) is that people who I considered to be closer to (relatively) have not once reached out to see if I am even alive. It’s kind of nice though… like that saying about the trash taking itself out. Who wants to associate with people like that anyway? Not me.
- I did use social media for more than just creeping and wasting my time LOL. Sometimes I find myself searching the web for Instagram accounts where I got recipes and workouts from. It’s nice to still have access when I absolutely need it, but still not worth it for me to be back on Instagram any time soon. I feel like I have no self-control and I would not be able to limit my time on there. Absolutely not falling for it… but it is amazing the hold that these platforms have over us.
- Social media (Instagram especially) truly is a highlight reel. I know people personally who are so miserable in their everyday life, but you would never in a million years think it by the looks of their posts and stories on Instagram. It really is sad but it is the reality for many of the people you follow, too. It is easy to get caught up in the game of comparing yourself to other people but you need to remember that nobody is going to post about their bad days and flaws (not everyone, anyways). Not just to appear to have it all together, but also because they actually get reassurance about themselves through the likes/views/shares of their posts. Is that a good way to live and value yourself? You may think you are not one of those people, but I bet if you took a step back, you would realize you might be.
- I do not miss the drama. For some reason, I feel like when I was actively engaging on social media, I would at the very least NOTICE the drama going on around me, even if it was subtle. Now, without it, I feel completely drama free. It’s funny how little things like that, that do not directly affect you, still impact you and your mood and your thoughts every day.
- It’s nice to be mysterious and keep things private. I know you might think it brings you joy to share every single monotonous thing you do in your spare time… but I promise you, it doesn’t. Do you post a photo and then go back to check how many likes it’s gotten or WHO has (and hasn’t) liked it? Do you post a story and go back to view who has seen it? I sadly used to do that and pretty often. When it is away from you, you finally realize how stupid all of that is. Who gives a fuck who likes your pics? Half of them are fake likes anyways from people who are talking about how annoying your incessant posting is 😉 Do yourself a favor, and cut the shit already.
- I have more time to do things I genuinely enjoy. I have more time to focus on actually being productive! I have more time to blog (Hi!) and more time to relax and just read a good book. I even have time to catch up on my favorite shows. It is all so much better than wasting hours scrolling and getting nothing out of it.
- Lucky number 7! I spend more time deciding if I like someone or something or a moment … instead of wasting time posting about it to see who else might like it. Instead of taking my phone out to snap a pic of the sunset… I spend that time admiring it and saying out loud how beautiful it is. Instead of almost missing a moment to record it for Instagram or Facebook, I have that extra time to really soak it in and be present. It’s a game changer.
So… I don’t know about you… but all these reasons seem pretty fucking solid to me. If you haven’t at least tried to get off social media for a few days… maybe take this as a sign that it’s time to challenge yourself. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain… like your fucking peace of mind. I swear.
xo,
Ari
oreos4ari.com 