One day I realized I needed a break. I wanted a break from everyone and everything. I thought to myself, how would I ever get a break from everyone and everything? And then I realized that social media is everywhere and it holds everyone and everything, so I decided to do a social media cleanse to mentally give myself some time.
Day 1: Saturday
I'm so used to waking up every morning and checking my texts, my good morning streak snapchats and the early morning instagram feed. To wake up and not be able to do that was tough. I clicked on my "Social" folder of my phone to see that all of those apps were gone. That's when I remembered I was taking a break and I already knew it would be hard for me to adjust. I felt good about doing something for myself but I knew it would be hard since most of my entertainment came from those apps I so desperately needed to get away from. To make matters worse, I chose to start this on a weekend.
Day 2: Sunday
My "Happy Sunday" post had to be postponed for the week. I woke up, started my day and once again attempted to check for apps that were not there, and even as the day went on I tried again whenever boredom would strike. I watched Netflix and every so often checked my phone for a notification because I had once again forgotten. I could tell that this was actually going to be pretty difficult for me.
Day 3: Monday
I didn't wake up looking to check my feed. The days got easier and a lot less stressful once I finally began to realize that I did not need filters to survive. I went out and spent time with family and friends, seeing them on social media didn't affect me anymore. I didn't think about my phone as much. I felt better about myself and realized that sometimes social media and the depiction of others lives can be a burden. It can truly harm one's self esteem or expectations of life. My laughs did not come from a funny video but from genuine real life experiences. I did not smile for everyone to see on my snapchat story but because I wanted to. I felt more relaxed and I knew that this is what I did it for.
Day 4: Tuesday
I've gotten used to not having social media. Truly it has made me feel better. I spent time noticing my surroundings and meeting new people, talking face to face. It felt good to not have to stop mid-conversation and make sure I sent my streaks or check a post someone tagged me in. You don't have to rely on social media for entertainment, there are so many other options once you open your mind to them.
Day 5: Wednesday
As this cleanse comes to an end I realized that it is pretty easy to live without social media. It is good to take a mental health break and to get away from everything for a while. All in all it has made me feel less stressed and learn to enjoy everyday a little more. I might even continue the break for a little longer. Life honestly feels ten times better when you are not stressing about checking your notifications all day.
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