I’m taking a break from social media.

Fighting my addiction to Facebook and Instagram

Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash

A few weeks ago, I deleted Instagram from my phone. I did it so I wouldn’t doomscroll as much as I had been, and I noticed my mental health steadily improving.

I didn’t compare my body to others’ as much. I didn’t envy all the vacation pics and filtered content that made other peoples’ lives look much better than mine. I didn’t experience FOMO when I saw people I knew hanging out and knew I hadn’t been invited.

Seeing the benefits of time freed for other ventures, I was able to make more time for reading. I’ve been reading fairly voraciously, especially self-help books.

I decided to deactivate Facebook. I spent way too much time checking for notifications, desperate for another dopamine hit. And oftentimes, anyway, I was disappointed.

I also decided if I wanted to ask to see people’s vacation pictures, I could do so in person rather than scrolling through online and clicking “Like” a couple of times.

The benefit of moving away from social media is that it frees up so much of my mind and my time. And I’m so much more aware of the people around me, what’s going on in the moment, and I’m able to track my mood and reactions to my environment.

Before, it almost seemed like I was living with my head down all the time, never noticing my surroundings, constantly checking my phone for dopamine hits.

Now, I’m more in the present. I focus on my senses and what they tell me. And I’m living life for what it is, rather than the number of likes I can get on a post or reel.

I feel more free now and more at peace.