What began as an unintentional break from social media, turned into a bit of an experiment. I’m naturally someone who loves to document and share, so while that won’t be changing anytime soon, I have noticed it’s very beneficial for me to put some boundaries around how I use and interact with social media on a daily basis.

I was 20 when Instagram came out lol. So, I’ve seen it all and it feels like every year things get faster. I can’t help but feel completely inundated on the explore page – so much so, that I avoid it at all costs. I just noticed how much more chaotic my energy feels during times when I’m on the app constantly, versus, this past month where some days I wouldn’t even think of it once.

The first week or so, I felt frazzled – like I wasn’t doing what I should be doing (posting). The feeling of ‘not keeping up’ did sort of weigh on me a bit, I must admit. But after the second week, I started to think about it less and less. I noticed how much more space I felt like I had, no feelings of rushing or the need to keep tabs on what everyone else is doing – I just sat with the void. And you know what happened? Time slowed down, I felt less rushed, less ‘consumed’.

I think it’s really important to state that social media is a tool and a highlight reel. And I think the lines between that highlight reel and real life have gotten really blurred. I do worry about the effect it will have on our younger generations and the messages it sends along the way. Another reason why I stopped using filters years ago.

Like all things in life, the good comes with the bad and it’s really up to us to choose how we want to be, live, feel and consume what we let into our lives. We let it in! We decide. So, with that, I’ve decided that while I love social for sharing, connecting, engaging and supporting, there’s a lot about it that I don’t like, and I’m filtering out what’s coming in. Here are a couple things that I have been doing to protect my peace and sanity, while still being able to be active on my channels:

+ mute accounts/people who make you feel shitty in any capacity or don’t add value or inspiration into your life & set notifications for only the accounts that do
+ set strong boundaries around when & how I consume media, ie; off my phone after work at night
+ avoid explore page!!
+ try to avoid passively scrolling – it’s so easy to catch myself, but now I do and log off when I realize that I’m only wasting time and getting nothing from it

During my social media detox, it felt refreshing to wake up and start my morning slowly, not scrolling. Not taking on other people ideas, opinions, etc. I feel so much more clear, almost isolating myself from the noise – simplifying life. This is by no means, an attack on social media, but a wake up call for me to not miss all the little moments and milestones that are right in front of me, in the flesh.