Cell phones are an incredible tool to help us all connect with our friends and family that live far away and stay up to date with current world issues, however, it is not always used to our benefit. The world is becoming consumed with the latest and greatest technology and kids are starting to engross themselves in social media at a very young age instead of having person to person interactions. As a whole, this country is becoming less focused and aware of current surroundings and more involved with what’s on our devices.

If you think that you use some form of social media a lot then I want to share with you something I call a Social Media Diet. About a year ago I chose to delete the apps like snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and twitter off of my phone. Yes, I was that person that killed the snapchat streak, but I did it so that I could disconnect myself from the social media world for 10 days. Now ten days may not seem like a lot of time, but when you have nothing to be constantly checking and wasting time on, things go by pretty slow.

Succeeding in the Social Media Diet is quite simple: stay off social media for 10 days. For me, that meant deleting the physical apps so that I didn’t have the temptation at my fingertips, but if you have more self-control than me you could probably just turn off all notifications. The goal of this Diet is to learn to live without having the need to check your phone, distancing yourself from your internet persona and embracing the real world around you. If you still aren’t convinced to go on this Social Media Diet then I urge you to continue reading the benefits of following through with it.

Reconnect With The World

Think about walking around campus, or being at a restaurant in Portsmouth, and the number of people using their phones. We are all guilty of this, myself included, and I’m sure someone has said before that the phone is ruining your social interactions and disconnecting you from the world, which it is, but we never quite listen. Our devices have become a safety tool so that we don’t look “weird” sitting alone or waiting alone. Instead, we endlessly scroll through social media in hopes to look “normal”.

Since I didn’t have my device to fall back on when going somewhere alone, I found myself looking around and experiencing the world so much more. Instead of burying my head in my phone when walking to class I looked up and smiled at people and talked to them. It helped me start a conversation with people I probably pass all the time but never noticed. Paths that I had taken many times before I now noticed new details that I had been oblivious to. It made me feel like I was a lot more aware and in touch with my surrounding and many times I chose to walk around just listening to the sounds of nature instead of blasting music through headphones.

Become More Productive

Since I had no apps on my phone to constantly check up on, besides email, I actually became a lot more productive. I found myself getting ahead on homework and studying in advance for tests because I genuinely had nothing better to do. I knew that my phone was a distraction but I didn’t understand how much of a distraction it was until I didn’t have all the notifications to check. My friends and I don’t text as much as we do snapchat, so without that app, I had minimal notifications, which decreased the urge to look at my phone. I knew nothing would be there so I just continued with my work.

Due to getting all my work done earlier, I had a lot more free time to hang out with friends or do things I enjoy. I found myself going out more, making plans with people more frequently, and picking up new hobbies or continuing old ones. It was really nice to be able to hang out with people knowing that all my work was done, which leads me to the next point.

Be Less Stressed

I have to say, the most noticeable difference was that I was a lot less stressed. I tend to procrastinate A LOT and waste as much time as possible, avoiding assignments until the very last minute. However, when I had fewer apps to distract me I actually got work done, which made me less stressed and better at managing my time. My friends would still be thinking about all the assignments they have to do while I could just enjoy my time with them. I got assignments done right when they were due instead of waiting and worrying about getting them done. It made life a lot more enjoyable and worry free, which is ultimately a lot healthier for people.

Talk to Friends in Person More

Not having social media caused a chain effect. I didn't have anything to check so I got work done which meant I could hang out with friends in person more, instead of staring at pictures of them. But because of my Social Media Diet, I never knew what was going on in my friends' lives. I hadn’t seen friends snapchat stories or Instagram posts, so this meant I had to have a lot more in-person conversations. At first I felt a little left out because I wasn't up to date on everything happening, but eventually, I came to terms with it because it leads to much more open and honest conversations in person with people.

Even being at class and eating changed because I actually talked to friends about how their weekend was instead of staring at my phone screen. The Diet helped grow my relationships with people and even to create new friendships with people I had been chasing my phone over. This taught me something everyone should already know but we don't always follow: choose people over the phone. The phone and all of the technology will always be there, but people move and leave and unfortunately die, so enjoy every moment you get with others.

No Pressure to Check Accounts

It was also really nice to not have the pressure of keeping up with snapchat streaks, which might sound really dumb but if you’ve ever accidentally lost a long streak with a friend it is slightly heartbreaking. It made me realize how much social media controls my life and I really started to hate how I let it happen. Without the apps on my phone, even if I was pressured to check social media I couldn't. It helped me learn that the pressure to keep up with everyone's lives, well it's not worth it and frankly a waste of time. The people you care about the most will reach out to you and tell them what is happening in their lives, so you don't necessarily need social media, it just happens to be a faster way to communicate. After understanding the control my phone had over me, I decided to take a step back and not use it as frequently even when I did re-download the apps.

How to Continue After the Ten Days is Over

It was very overwhelming to log back on to all of my accounts after being inactive for ten days. So much had happened and I missed so much, but I decided that it didn’t really matter. Doing the Social Media Diet made me realize that social media is great in small quantities, but getting too consumed by it is just unhealthy. From then on I tried to limit my use to when I wake up and before I go to bed and maybe a few times in between if I really have nothing else to do. After the Diet, I have continued to manage my time well and avoid my phone when doing work, which helps me be more productive and less stressed. I have definitely noticed a difference in the amount of time it takes for me to get work done now. And lastly, I feel much more connected to my friends because I don’t use the phone as a distraction around them. I strive to have a face to face conversation with people and find out what is going on in their lives through talking to them instead of through social media. Overall it was a really helpful experience and taught me more about myself, what stresses me out, and what I should prioritize in everyday life. I encourage you all to try the Social Media Diet or at least some version of it because I guarantee you will gain something useful from it.