In this day and age, everyone’s eyes seemed to be glued to a screen. With the dominance of social media in our lives, we have become addicted to our phones and worse yet, most of us don’t even recognize it as an issue.
At the start of October this year, I completely stopped using social media. Namely, I stopped using Instagram and TikTok, because their short form media is what was most addictive and caused me the most problems. On top of that, I managed to quit without even deleting the apps or setting screen time limits.
After being addicted for the past four years, quitting came with surprising results, and all I can say is that I never regretted my choice. So in this blog post, I will show you the benefits of quitting social media and how you can embark on your own journey to remove social media from your life.
How I Actually Stopped
You might be wondering, if I didn’t delete social media and I didn’t set any screen time limits, how did I actually manage to stop? Put simply, I removed the apps from my home screen so that I still had them on my phone, but they were not in sight. Remember, out of sight, out of mind.
Since I have an iPhone, I set a focus where I put all of my productivity apps on my home page and left out all of my games, social media apps, and other distractions. Eventually, after not using social media for enough time, I forget that I even have the apps and don’t even think about using them.
It’s not as easy as it sounds, however. As you will see shortly, quitting social media came with its fair share of challenges and definitely requires willpower.
First Few Days: Withdrawals
Withdrawal from social media seems rather silly since most of us don’t think of social media as a proper addiction. However, the first few days after I quit, I noticed a few withdrawal symptoms which were quite difficult to overcome.
The first and most difficult was my constant itch to reach for my phone when I didn’t feel like doing work. When I was still using social media, I had the bad habit of reaching for my phone and scrolling on TikTok whenever I was stuck on my work, taking a break, or simply when I wanted to.
So when it was time for me to stop, I had the same habits, but I had to really use my willpower and force myself to not reach for my phone. The easiest way to prevent this is to work with your phone in another room or to remove the social media apps out of your sight so that you aren’t tempted to open them every time you have the itch.
The second symptom was my desire for social connection. All of the likes, comments, and posts shared with friends creates a constant need to log on to the apps. Especially when a friend sends you a funny post and asks you if you liked it, you feel compelled to stay on top of your friends’ messages.
The way I overcame this was by increasing my in person social interaction. By meeting with my friends in person, I didn’t feel the need to be connected through social media as much. And whenever they asked me if I received the post they sent me, I just tell them, “I stopped using social media.”
Benefit #1: Productivity Boost
After quitting social media, I noticed that I was much more productive. This is mostly due to my previous habit of checking my phone in the middle of my work, which not only interrupted my work flow but also wasted time when I was supposed to be working.
So by quitting social media, I gained the ability to focus for longer periods of time and work without distractions. This led to me being more satisfied with my work and left me more time to play since I needed a shorter amount of time to finish my work.
Additionally, I felt more productive throughout my day. Before, I always felt terrible after using social media because it felt like I just wasted the past few hours doing nothing. Now, I don’t have to feel that regret of wasted time and I can spend my time more meaningfully.
Benefit #2: A More Fulfilled Life
Besides being more productive, I just had more time in general because those hours spent on social media became free to do whatever I wanted. By gaining an extra four or five hours each day, I had so much more control over my time and I could do activities that were more fulfilling.
Recently, I have been spending my free time listening to music, watching TV shows, and playing sports with my friends. All of these activities left me more fulfilled at the end of the day and I became much happier as a result of it.
So now I challenge you to ask yourself: If you had an extra ___ hours a day, what would you spend it on?
The possibilities are endless. You could learn a new skill, like cooking or singing. You could pick up a new sport, like basketball or soccer. You could learn a new language, like Spanish or Portuguese. Or you could simply spend more time relaxing, playing with your dog, and having fun with friends.
The important thing is that you spend your time on things that give you joy and fulfillment, and social media does not give you that. Do whatever makes you happiest.
Final Words
Hopefully, you should be convinced that the benefits of quitting social media is well worth the costs. Don’t hesitate and try it out for yourself. You will find yourself a much happier, healthier, and more productive person.
If social media is way too important to you, you should try gradually cutting down on the amount of time you spend on it each day, until eventually you feel like you can stop.
Quitting social media was like a blessing to me, and I’m sure you won’t regret it either.
