This time last year I uploaded a post about my Birthday.
Birthdays are important to me yeah, but this year I felt inclined to talk more about my other anniversary.
One year with no social media.
In my last years post I ended it by saying and wishing;
“21 was my year of assessment, 22 is my year of action.”
And boy did I do the damn thing this year.
When I first deleted social media (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat) my first takeaway was the amount of free time I had. I didnt know what to make of it. I didnt have any hobbies or drive. I was used to working a 9-5, coming home and wasting away scrolling in bed.
I thought my hobby was “taking pictures of myself or aesthetic things and curating a feed…. because it’s so fun!”
I’m here to tell you that’s really not a true hobby, nor a healthy pass time and you need to touch some grass. (Sorry if that seems rude but.. if the shoe fits)
The other day I made a list of everything I achieved since quitting social media, to hopefully inspire you and show you that there is enough time in the day and that you can do these things that you want to do.
The other week I met a new friend and she was describing to me her dependency on apps like Tik Tok and Instagram. I said to her how you’ll never hear anyone say they have regret towards deleting or taking a break from social media. Ever. She has Tiktok deleted for a few weeks now and is shocked by the amount of time she has to kill. It’s a bit uncomfortable at first, but like I said, you will never regret it. Time is value.
So lets begin, shall we? *its my birthday I’m allowed to brag about my accomplishments okay?*
The most obvious thing being, I moved across the country. Instead of avoiding my inner voice by stalking other peoples lives, I took mine into my own hands and took a huge leap of faith. You find out what you really want when you’re not so preoccupied.
I read over 20 books. I already have had a love for reading but without the addiction to my phone I had sooooo much time to read. Reading will never be a regret, trust me. Pick up a book. (And actually read it. Don’t just take an aesthetic picture with it to show people you own a book)
I started running! This is something I find massive pride in at the moment. Just three months ago I couldn’t run for one whole minute without gasping for air. Now I can run a strong 30 minutes and plan to start running races. Instead of saying over and over “I wish I could run”, I just started running.
I started playing Tennis as a hobby. Most of my pass times are physical now, instead of laying horizontally excercising my thumb’s range of motion. Tennis is SO FUN!!!
Also something I talked about before, but I decided to be a yoga instructor, I finished the course and got a teaching job all within 10 months of each other. (And it was not easy tbh)
Surprisingly, I quit caffeine. This is still a new journey for me but something I never thought possible. Social media milks this coffee addiction so hard to be “cute” and “aesthetic” and “a quirky personality trait” to have like 4 cups of coffee a day. And then everyone wonders why we’re in the age of anxiety. Listen to your bodies, not the trends.
That being said, I learned about MY health. I learned what forms of movement feels the best for me, what’s important to be in my diet, and how everything affects my mood. I am learning how to cook and properly feed myself. And I gained 10-15 pounds of weight that I desperately needed to put on. Because I’m finally listening to my body, my skin has never been clearer, my hair has never been healthier and I’ve never had so much stable energy. Social media can’t tell you what to eat, how to workout, or how you should look because that is not YOU. Only you and your body knows what you need. Bodies, movement and foods shouldn’t be trends.
I wake up and get out of bed and I have a healthy sleep schedule. This may sound like the normal thing to do but when you’re addicted to scrolling, you immediately begin your day like that. I used to be in bed for an extra hour or two before starting my day, wasting away. Wondering why I feel lethargic, depressed and anxious. I’m telling you the answers are right under the tips of your nose.
I started dressing for me. I used to be the girl who would wear a shirt or a certain color because “it’ll look good on instagram” or “this will match my feed”. Or I would wear something once and never again because “I already have a picture in that”. INSANE! Not only is this type of thinking awful for the Earth’s sake with mass-overconsumption, especially when it comes down to how fast trend cycles live, but so detrimental to your own identity. Instagram is a way in which everyone curates their ideal life, and their ideal way to be perceived. Everyone wants to be on trend, match their “aesthetic”, and pose to seem perfect. This is one of those things where you have to dig a little deeper and ask yourself questions.
Another insane concept I learned: You don’t need a picture of yourself in front of every pretty scene. Something I learned while traveling is that these sights are beautiful enough on their own. You don’t need to stand in front of it to prove you were there. Sure, taking family photos on vacation or memorable times are different. But I’m talking about the fake candid pictures. The one’s where you show your friends the exact angle you want and you take 400 photos for 25 minutes and then for the next hour you’re editing yourself on your phone to have the perfect post on Instagram. That is not healthy, nor normal. It’s actually kind of narcissistic and pulling you entirely out of the moment. And trust me, I’m guilty. We have all done that. It comes down to intention. Why do you need to be doing that? Also fun fact: When you’re taking pictures or videos of something you’re 70% more likely to not remember the moment.
All in all, social media is not your friend, and you do have the time.
And that’s been my year.
Remember when I said 22 was my year of action? I took it.
23 will be my year of alignment.
so so so proud of you amy. this was such a refreshing read because i’m going thru a break up rn and deleted social media (instagram tiktok and twitter) as well because i found myself scrolling to the bottom of my feed multiple times an hour just to stay distracted. i was very nervous at first as dumb as it may seem but reading this rlly helped me and thank you and yet again i am very proud and happy for you and hope you’re doing well. much love - Ivan
First things first! The writing is exceptional in this one I mean I literally have favorite paragraphs (plural!). Secondly as someone who didn’t grow up with social media or this addiction towards any of it. It’s truly a breath of fresh air to break free from things that once held so much meaning to us but are rather useless when u discover the meaning comes from us. We place meaning on everything and when we tell ourselves ‘this’ or ‘that’ is what we’re “good” at like curating a feed, or capturing our angles for validation from others it’s really a profound moment between looking at yourself and seeing this empty canvas waiting to be painted full of color but you just continue to paint it white. It’s a waste really. Those moments that we tell ourselves are candid because we’re acting the part, I never knew how good I had it until I read this piece Amy. I never understood why my parents didn’t want me to have social media, but now I realize it’s because I’ll always know who I am with or without it. I think you’ve discovered more of yourself than you ever could have expected. And I’m so incredibly proud of you, inspired, and in awe.