I quit social media for an entire year. No Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram, no Snapchat, etc. It wasn’t a 30-day challenge or something I tried because pop culture promoted it.
I didn’t really have reasons to quit social media, but I just knew that I had enough of it. This is what happened after. I had many realizations during that time, mostly due to the lifestyle changes that occurred after I magically disappeared from the online world.
Truth is, I was surprised by how good it felt to be (somehow) described as a virtual hermit. It seems funny and anti-social, but it was literally one of the best decisions that I had ever made in my life, and here’s why.
- EXPERIENCING PEACE OF MIND
We might not realize it immediately, but we are constantly bombarded with tons of bad news every single day. Sure, it might seem like a natural thing and it’s just the media “telling it how it is”. However, it’s actually one of the major factors that can affect how we view the world.
I personally didn’t realize it until I read an article about how much impact it has on our mental health. The time I quit social media was around the time COVID-19 first blew up.
It was a time when I would constantly see people hoarding toilet papers, fighting over groceries, spreading racist hate, and overall just being really toxic to each other.
Having these events pop up in my feed minute by minute started to take its toll on me, until I had decided that enough was enough. I quit social media and finally experienced some quiet time in my life.
I just read the rules, regulations, and safety reminders to keep myself informed. I didn’t feel like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders anymore, and it felt extremely peaceful.
- ACHIEVING PRODUCTIVITY AND SELF-DISCIPLINE
It’s no secret that decreasing time on social media contributes to a person’s focus on the task at hand. That’s why apps like Forest and Freedom exist. However, imagine how much work you can get done if you actually didn’t need those tools anymore?
Quitting social media eliminates a major part of the distraction that may keep you from finishing what you need to do. Now that you have fewer things to browse, you’ll find yourself reaching for your phone less often to procrastinate.
In my case, I noticed that the results I produced during work were way better than usual. While I was working, I wasn’t thinking about what to reply to this person’s message or whether that notification was worth checking out.
I found myself often finishing the things I had to do on time because there were far less factors that prevented me from doing so.
- SLEEPING LIKE A BABY
Following this, I also got a full 8 hours of sleep again after a long time. The cycle of endlessly scrolling through my feed or timeline had finally been broken, and I was able to control how much rest I would get in a day without being chained to my phone.
Instead of spending my nights visiting other people’s profiles and wondering what their life was like, I focused more on my own. I was able to approach my evenings better and instinctively fell into good rest with little mental activity.
The connection of social media to your sleep cycle is often overlooked, but studies have shown that they’re actually related to each other. I only became more mindful about it after experiencing it myself, and now I couldn’t agree more.
- VALIDATING INTERNALLY & ENCOURAGING SELF-LOVE
One of the benefits that will probably make the most impact is the amount of self-esteem you will regain once you do quit social media. The online world inevitably offers endless comparisons, and it made me aware of just how much I used to value other people’s opinions over my own.
I realized that quitting social media actually makes you feel way better about yourself.
I wasn’t looking for external validation anymore, because I found it within myself instead. Getting out of that virtual pool triggered a brand new discovery of self-worth outside of likes, or hearts, or comments.
On the contrary, taking a step back will actually remind you to do something about the problems that you have with yourself instead of looking for temporary band-aid solutions. It’s your time to focus on you!
I became happier with how I viewed myself since then. I didn’t care about the opinion of other people on how I chose to look or live my life, because at the end of the day I only needed my own approval. That was one of the most powerful feelings I had ever experienced.
- REKINDLING WITH LOST HOBBIES
Let’s face it: quitting social media will suddenly give you A LOT of time on your hands. That was one of my realizations when I hit that deactivate button, and just kind of stood there in my living room. What was I supposed to do? What are YOU supposed to do during these times?
A good option would be to get back on some hobbies that you didn’t have time to do before. That was certainly the case for me because after quitting social media I had SO MUCH time on my hands. I started to bake pastries again. It was something I used to do as a student which got lost after I graduated college and became an ‘adult’.
I also found the time to start writing again. Thoughts, feelings, lists, whatever. Being an online fiction author back in high school was something I almost forgot was a part of my life and something I hadn’t practiced ever since I got into the technology field.
I spent so much of my time just consuming content that I eventually forgot how to produce my own. I only realized how much stuff I missed doing AFTER quitting social media. It was quite surprising.
Who knows? Maybe you might get back on something, too.
- VALUING PERSONAL CONVERSATIONS
It was quite a challenge, figuring out how I could make sure that my friends were still okay despite being unable to see any of their posts and tweets. The thing is, we had to look after each other ESPECIALLY during the lockdown.
That was when I started to call and message them personally, rather than just replying to their Instagram stories or group chats to see how they were.
There’s this sort of closeness that you feel when you actually message people and go out of your way to talk to them. It’s not just because you coincidentally caught them on your newsfeed, or because you saw their name pop up as they send something to the group chat.
It’s when you remember people that shows how much they really matter to you. Honestly, I felt more appreciated by my friends and I also appreciated them better when I contacted them personally.
It sounds old-school, but it feels so much more sincere.
- SAVING PHONE BATTERY LIFE AND STORAGE
This might sound like a joke, but I DID say that this was gonna be about the benefits of quitting social media. Some people might not be concerned about their phone’s battery life and storage, but quitting social media surely does help a lot with it.
After deactivating my social media accounts, I deleted all of the apps that came along with it. Not to be petty, but it freed up SO MUCH of the internal storage that was on my phone.
As a result of that, my phone ran much smoother than it usually did.
It also saved a lot of battery life, since I found out that some of the most battery-sucking apps were apps like Facebook and Instagram. Removing them from my phone made it last A LOT longer daily, which was an added benefit in my perspective.
Overall, quitting social media does not have to be a lifelong commitment but you should definitely try to experience it at least once if you can. It really grounds you as a person and may take you back to who you really are.
It also prevents other people from forcing their way into your sight, into your time, and into your life. The greatest benefit of it would be that it gives you more power over your life, most especially on how you choose to live it.
