Social Media is the biggest thing to hit a generation since sliced bread and it has been getting a lot of flack lately. Moguls have come out to say how it is not healthy and does not portray real life. Though that may be true for some, I don't believe that social media is evil. In fact, there's no denying all of the positive aspects it brings to the table; from making connections to building careers. Everything is better in moderation. I personally had over indulged for too long and it was doing much more harm than good.

I was constantly checking my apps for: likes, favorites, retweets, comments, and any other validation I could get. Once validated I wanted more and more and more. I would spend an hour trying to pick the perfect filter or compose the perfect tweet just so people would give me praise. It was gross, I became obsessed with myself. A simple comment or a lack of someone liking something could ruin my whole day. I was obsessed. I felt like I was in high school again, constantly worrying what people thought of me. I never was the person to post a selfie for compliments and I had become that person. I decided it was time for a change and I began wiping my phone of all social media apps. I deleted and deactivated my Twitter and Instagram and I logged out of Facebook. Here are some of the things that happened when I gave up social Media for a month.

Less Anxiety

The anxiety melted away. By not posting anything I was not subject to judgement with a click of a button. I was not constantly worried if my tweet was funny or offensive or if my profile picture seemed conceited. I simply didn't care because I couldn't care and it was amazing.

More Productivity

I didn't realize how much time I really was spending on social media until I deleted it and had loads of time to just twiddle my thumbs. Without all of those apps to distract me, procrastination was nearly impossible. I worked on my resume, creating a website, and searching for internships. I focused on myself in a healthier and more productive way.

Discovered New Hobbies

Without social media, I had to find other ways to occupy my time. I finished the books I had started, I worked on writing my stand up that I had avoided for so long, I colored in my adult coloring book, and created crafts for my friends. All of these hobbies were fun and made me feel good. I was not trying to impress anyone and I even taught myself how to make a few things!

More Confidence

I realized that I felt better about myself. Giving up the worry of what other people thought of me, I could focus on what I thought of me, with no clouded judgement. I was able to be genuinely happy with myself once again. The only person I was competing with was me. The only person I was looking to impress was myself. I looked in the mirror and thought "I look cute today!" and I didn't need likes to back it up.

Slipped Up

It definitely was harder than I thought it would be. I faltered many times and log into Facebook. I wanted to know what people were up to, but once I found myself checking my likes, I logged off. If I did post something it was because I genuinely felt good about myself, not because I needed people to make me feel good about myself. It was especially tough because unlike my other apps I could not deactivate Facebook because it's connected to so many other things.

Stopped Asking For Approval

Once I stopped caring what people thought online, I stopped caring what they thought IRL. I used to constantly ask my friends: Is this funny? Am I a good person? Do I look OK? etc. But once I stopped asking the internet for validation, I was able to break the habit altogether. I started allowing myself to genuinely answer those questions, instead of asking/fishing for compliments. I told myself I wasn't fishing, but I was fishing.

No Longer Wanted Approval

As human beings, it is in our nature to want people's acceptance. Once I stopped receiving people's feedback on my life, I no longer wanted it. Someone would say something to me that would have hurt my feelings before, but I no longer cared. I found myself thinking "who asked you?"

Got To Know Myself

People's opinions of me do not dictate who I am or how I feel about myself. I know who I am. It took taking myself out of the line of judgement for me to realize that. Just because I don't post a selfie doesn't mean I'm not beautiful, just because I don't post a silly tweet doesn't mean I'm not funny. Just because I don't get X number of likes doesn't mean I'm not worthy. I decide my worth, not an empty world of likes, favorites, and retweets.

Felt More Present

I was way more present to what was going on around me. I had more face to face conversations and became more observational of my surroundings. I hung out with my friends and instead of having my face buried in my phone, I was present. It's amazing what can happen if you just look up.

Kept In Touch

I was slightly worried about losing touch with people, but if they wanted to get a hold of me they just texted or called. My friends didn't just think I fell off the face of the Earth. I was happy about that. I connected with my closest friends in the real world. I called people on the phone and wished them happy birthday, as opposed to posting. Everything felt more genuine and real. Calling someone on the telephone is way underrated.

Freedom

I encourage anyone that feels imprisoned by their social media to try giving it up. Now that I know what it feels like to be free from the constant scrutiny, I'm going to keep going! I plan on getting back to it, as it is a great way to connect but, for now, I'm happy with my choice to leave it. Here's to another month!