I Went to Thailand To Take a Break From Social Media
I prefer the ‘real’ world to the ‘reel’ world
Last year, I went on a life hiatus to Thailand. I needed it. I had spent the previous couple of years working in a demanding content marketing job, working from home, glued to my screens from morning until, well, early morning. Blue light had ruined my ability to get a good night’s sleep. My addiction to screens had gotten so bad I slept with my iPad next to my pillow with Seinfeld blaring loudly from the dimly lit screen. My iPad didn’t play for the first hour of sleep or even the second hour of sleep…
It played all night long.
I had, for a while, contemplated committing “social” suicide: I wanted to go offline. I didn’t exactly know what “going offline” meant. Would I get rid of my smartphone? Would I have to change careers? How would I contact my friends?
As a first step, I wanted to take a break from Instagram. Every time I posted to my personal Instagram, I felt myself immediately go into fight or flight. Fight or flight is an evolutionary reaction to a perceived threat. But instead of being chased by a tiger, I was facing the possibility that people didn’t “like” me. Saying this out loud now is embarrassing, but it’s the truth.
