Two years ago, I gave up social media for 40 days and it was the best decision I have made yet.
After getting my first phone at 12 years old, I only continuously heightened my obsession with a small screen that connected me to everyone in the world. I would post almost daily on Instagram and share 75% of my life on Snapchat.
But why do we feel like we need to do that?
Are people so bored with their lives that they care more about what other people are doing rather than living their own lives? Well, maybe they are … but don’t you think we seem so full of ourselves?
I shared every stupid, irrelevant moment that would happen to me. Selfies with different filters, videos with my friends; whatever “content” came about in my life, you already know I was about to post it.
When I was 17 years old, I decided it was time to give that obsession up for Lent.
Lent is the period from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, the day before Easter when people give up something for 40 days for penance and to honor Christ’s 40 days in the desert.
Now, I would not say I am that religious, but I always enjoyed a challenge. The first couple of weeks were a little difficult, I will admit. I missed mindlessly scrolling on Instagram or TikTok. I would be in awkward situations in public or wanting to avoid eye contact with a creepy stranger across from me, but all I could scroll on was my contact list. How stupid.
Toward the end of Lent, I almost didn’t notice how I wouldn’t get any more texts or notifications.
I cared less about what people were posting, what silly nonsense was being shared or what the latest TikTok challenge was.
Alternatively, I gave more time to school. I volunteered more and I cracked open the books that collected dust in the full bookshelf. I liked this new lifestyle. I wasn’t some loser glued to my phone.
Easter finally came and everyone who participated in Lent was sprinting back to their sacrifices. However, I would say I was more like a speed walker. I got back onto my accounts and I noticed absolutely no change. The world felt the same, but I felt different. A good different.
Then, out of curiosity, I wanted to see how different my screen time was. Of course, my recent total was zero for the “social” category. But then, when I swiped six weeks back, my total would be an average of six hours a day! What?! Was I really spending that much time online?
I was so repulsed by the sight of that old total. I have been using so much of that time elsewhere during my hiatus. It is crazy to think that something so small will demand your attention, and you surrender to its command willingly and eagerly. If you asked me, I would say it is embarrassing.
Since then, I have been on my phone less.
After I turned off notifications, I didn’t obsess over who is liking my posts or seeing my stories anymore. I would only get on when I felt like I deserved to, like a reward. As the old saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.
The moral of my story is everyone should take a break.
Stop submitting yourself to the power of the founders of those social networks we preoccupy ourselves on. They are manipulating us! No one will care if you are on or off social media. Go do all the things you have been saying you wanted to do. Live a better life. Be brave and let go of your accounts just for some time. I promise you will feel like a whole new person.
