Social media is a huge part of all of our lives. It’s what we do when we wake up and what we do before bed. It’s how we connect with friends, family, and even strangers. We’ve become so dependent on social media that life without it doesn’t seem like an option anymore (or does it?).
Today I want to share my story about life without social media. I’ll go into the positive aspects and negatives about life without it, but in the end, I’ll let you decide if life without social media is better for me or not.
Why I quit social media
I used to be an avid social media user.
I use to be a freelance writer which is really all about marketing oneself; you can imagine how much time I spend on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
I found myself feeling drained, tired and uninspired. Life was passing me by as I spent most of my days online or glued to a screen.
I wanted to quit social media, but so many thoughts ran through my mind.
What would I do for income?
How would I put my business on hold?
What would people think of me?
Eventually, life without social media won. I decided to take the plunge and made a plan.
I realized life without social media would be the true test of self-reliance and discipline.
So, I quit social media for 1 whole year from September 2017 to September 2018.
Throughout life without social media, I learned a lot about myself and who I am.
I found my life outside the digital world to be more fulfilling than before. There is such richness in life beyond what we can see on our screens!
Even though it was difficult at times, quitting social media helped me learn how to prioritize better. Without all of that time spent scrolling through an app or obsessively checking emails, I now have so much more free time for creative pursuits. It’s been great having this extra time to clear my head and come up with fresh ideas too!
And as for income? Don’t worry: life gets easier (and less stressful) when you’re not constantly chasing after a buck.
Life without social media is life offline, and it’s really not so bad!
What life without social media is really like
A true test of self-discipline
Social media is so ingrained in our society that life without it seems unimaginable.
When I stopped using social media, I’ll admit that I felt lost at first. There were many occasions where I wanted to pick up my phone and go online, but I had to be strong and tell myself no.
This is because life offline is really all about discipline and self-reliance. There are no life hacks or quick fixes; life without social media is all about hard work and dedication!
A serious sense of FOMO
One of the hardest things about life without social media is dealing with FOMO (fear of missing out). Believe me; I know exactly how you feel.
Trying to live without social media can be daunting at times, especially when you’re not sure what’s going on in the online world. It’s like life is happening elsewhere, and you’re left out of the loop.
But as time passed and I became more comfortable offline, things got easier, and the FOMO faded.
Forced focus
A life without social media is a life with forced focus.
What I mean by this is that life offline forces you to be present in the moment. You’re not constantly distracted by notifications, replies, likes, or scrolling endlessly.
When life without social media is done right, you become more focused on what’s important in life and less worried about the things that don’t matter.
In life, offline time slows down a little – this forces our minds to take a break from all of the digital noise we’re constantly bombarded with online.
Life gets easier without all of the distractions: there are no longer any thoughts related to likes or retweets or followers. When life without social media becomes your reality, it’s just so easy to focus on living!
Pros of quitting social media
Better sleep
One of the most life-changing benefits is that life without social media gave me better sleep.
I wasn’t constantly checking my phone at night or waking up in the middle of the night and scrolling through Instagram stories. This meant I got more time to rest!
It’s been scientifically proven that using your phone at night before bed can disrupt your sleep. This is because the blue light from your phone screen suppresses the production of melatonin – a hormone that helps regulate sleep.
So when I went cold turkey with social media, I noticed how my sleep pattern started to improve, and so did the quality of sleep.
I was so used to life on social media that I didn’t know how much my phone use affected me. Now life without social media means better sleep for me – and it’s worth the sacrifice!
Boost self-esteem
Before life without social media began, I was struggling with a lot of insecurities.
There were times when I caught myself scrolling through Instagram and comparing my life to other people’s lives – how their jobs looked more glamorous than mine, wondering what so-and-so from school had been up to lately, while all the while feeling like I wasn’t accomplishing anything at all.
On social media, everyone wants to present their lives as being perfect. When in reality, that’s often far from the truth.
We get so bombarded with other people’s “perfect” lives; it’s easy to compare your life to there’s and feel like your life isn’t going in the right direction.
This constant comparison isn’t good for our mental health and self-esteem.
However, life without social media has been a positive change because it helped me get in touch with my true self.
I was finally able to focus on myself and work on the things I wanted to improve about myself – which is what life offline should be all about!
My self-esteem rose because life offline gave me time to focus on developing my skills outside of work (like writing) and making connections with friends who live nearby rather than just seeing them online.
It’s so easy when we’re constantly looking at other people’s lives online that we forget who we are as individuals. Life without social media helps you remember who you truly are: your voice becomes louder, bolder, and more confident than ever before.
Improve happiness
Since quitting social media, my mood and overall happiness have improved.
Our happiness levels can be affected by what we see on social media.
Whether it’s seeing our friends having more fun than us, thinking life isn’t going as well for them as they make it seem on Instagram or Facebook, or comparing ourselves to others and feeling like life is passing us by – life without social media helps you escape all of that negativity!
I’m not as stressed or anxious anymore because life without social media has given me the mental space to focus on myself and my happiness.
It’s such a relief knowing that I can finally take a break from life online when needed, which means less time spent worrying about what other people are doing with their lives.
Cons of quitting social media
FOMO isn’t easy
It’s true that life without social media isn’t all rainbows and sunshine.
One of the hardest things about life offline is removing FOMO, or the fear of missing out on life online.
I missed seeing what my friends were up to every day, and I found myself wondering what they were doing that night.
With everyone posting their lives on social media, it’s easy to feel as if you’re missing out on important announcements.
But life without social media has also made me realize that I don’t need to be on my phone constantly – it’s OK for life offline and life online to coexist.
It took some time, but soon enough, I learned how to make space in between life offline and life online, so they didn’t interfere with each other.
Feeling lonely
I hate to say it, but life without social media can be lonely at times!
Sometimes it can feel as if you’re the only person in the world who’s not posting anything on their timeline.
In the beginning, I found myself having to remind myself that life offline is what life should be all about, and it was okay for me not to share my life on social media.
But now, I’ve developed close relationships with people outside of the internet. This has helped make life without social media feel less lonely.
When you take a break from life online, there’s space in your life where someone else can fit in; that person may need a little time before they find their confidence as well!
Lack of escape
In life offline, there’s less of a chance that you’ll get away from the things that are bothering you.
We often find ourselves on our phones or laptops to escape life, and when life without social media begins, it can feel like we’re stuck in one place with nowhere to go.
At first, life without social media can be tough because we’re used to life online, and there’s a lack of escape from the negativity surrounding us offline.
It took me a while to realize that life without social media means life with more freedom, and life online is not the only place where we can find happiness.
Life offline isn’t all bad – it’s just different from life online!
Moral of my story
I’ve realized life without social media is actually better for me.
It might not seem like it at first, but life offline can be a lot less stressful than life online – and that’s what life should really all about!
Of course, life offline isn’t always rainbows and sunshine. It really is a true test of self-discipline.
The hardest thing for me was getting used to the FOMO. There were many occasions where I found myself wondering what my friends were doing, and I was so tempted to log back in.
But, I remained strong. I stuck it out and was super proud of myself by the end of it.
Some of you may be asking, ” do you still use social media?”
The answer is yes, but I limit how much time I spend on it.
I’m not on my phone constantly, and I use life offline as often as possible.
Life without social media has given me the mental space I need to focus on myself and my happiness!
Some days are hard, but it’s worth living life with some separation from life online – so that you can be present in life offline.
The moral of my story is life without social media isn’t always bad – it’s just different!
It may not be easy, but life is all about challenges. When life begins offline, you start with a clean slate where there are no distractions or expectations from yourself or other people.
Final thoughts
It can seem hard at first because we’re used to life online. What I recommend doing is taking small steps towards quitting your various forms of social media until you find one that works best for you. You don’t have to go cold turkey; you can start by cutting down on your time online.
I hope my story has helped you gain insight into what life without social media is like and that it’s not as bad as you might think.
