Way back in January during resolution season, I made it a goal to see how long I could last without social media. This decision emerged from the gut-wrenching feeling I correlated to my social media excursions.

The feeling that I was missing out when I saw my friends together without me or coming across the account of a beautiful, rich celebrity that was traveling the world and wearing whatever they want.

It did not and still does not make me feel good to spend large sums of my day subscribing to societal standards and admiring people I do not even know and wishing I could have their over-privileged lifestyle.

Getting rid of social media blocked that world from me and I was able to start discovering things to be truly passionate about. Here are three compelling reasons you need to stop your obsession with social media.

I became self aware.

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Countless hours I used to spend scrolling through Instagram feeds of models and constantly checking what my peers were up to on Snapchat I can never get back. That time could have been spent discovering passions and becoming the best version of myself. When I first deleted my social media I had to fight the urge to get it back in order to stay in tune with the 2-D world. All this free time on my hands permitted me to do virtually whatever I wanted, so I did. I found hobbies such as journaling, creating art and even researching an interesting topic. I discovered who I really was and how I really want to experience my life.

I gained confidence.

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Scrolling through endless Instagram feeds of people advertising their amazing lives and gawking at the picture-perfect models used to strip away hours of my time each day. No matter how low my self esteem would get, I kept opening up my apps to see what was up. While it definitely took some adjusting to having a social media-free life, I began to focus on myself more and less on what others thought of me. I began to appreciate who I have become and how fantastic my life has been while avoiding comparing it with others. You deserve to be confident in yourself and not obsess over something you can not control, get rid of that social media!

I became mindful.

Everywhere you go people are constantly on their phones to either avoid socializing or because they are focused on their peers' latest Instagram posts. People feel the need to document what they are doing at all times and prove that they are having a good time. Getting rid of social media forced me to appreciate everything around me and not feel the urge to post a sunset picture on a Snapchat story. I got involved with nature, I began creating things to make myself happy, and I focused on getting to know my friends without association to social media. Living in the moment will dramatically change your view on the world and alter your personality in the most positive way possible.