Have you ever imagined a life without social media? Probably not!
We all dedicate a significant amount of time and space in our lives, to platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
The constant scrolling is a cardio workout in itself.
It has become a massive part of our lives but at the same time, many people have started stepping back from it too.
Have you ever thought about the negative aspects of it? Life without social networks is a world unknown to this generation.
The 90’s kids would agree that we lived through our teenage, perfectly well, without the need for social acceptance!
Kids these days have an existential crisis if they do not get sufficient likes on their Instagram photos.
They are struggling to maintain an “aesthetic feed” and look prettier than their classmates.
The struggle is real!
But this aimless struggle is a huge reason why we are facing a rise in anxiety and depression.
Every other IG profile seems like the perfect “goals” life for us. A couple would be “goals” for us and then a girl with loads of makeup would be our perfect definition of pretty.
I am not against social media but have you ever thought about is it making us better or bitter? Have you ever tried living a life without social media?
Social detox is very crucial and you might see a lot of celebrities doing that these days as well.
The point is, you need to know the real truth about social media. I highly recommend you check out this book.
Thus, we will be looking into this topic a little deeply, discussing why life is better without social media and how it can benefit you mentally and physically as well.
We prefer to ignore the person sitting next to us, for someone who is far away. I totally agree that social networking allows you to bridge the gap between friends and family who are not in the same town as you.
It helps you reconnect with old friends and a lot of people are running their long-term relationships through networks like WhatsApp and Messenger etc.
But have you, for a minute, ever thought about the person sitting next to you?
While you might be busy scrolling through your Facebook, the person sitting right in front of you, might feel unimportant.
Did that cross your mind?
Have you ever tried a day without social media?
When was the last time you deactivated that “totally not needed” Facebook account of yours, just to cleanse your mind from all the unrequired information that keeps coming in on your feed?
Have you given a thought to living a life without Instagram? Or at least a week? When did you put your mobile out of your hands reach, turning all the notifications off?
It might even seem hard to imagine, right? It is like throwing a fish into an aquarium, without water.
You have probably never thought to run through a day without social media because it is one of the most major hobbies of almost 90% of us.
Now, I am not proposing the idea to delete all your social profiles and just get underground.
Not at all.
What I am suggesting here is to at least try living a life without social media for some days. It is a very healthy option and it makes an incredible change in your life.
Thus, let’s get a sneak peek into how would be life without social media be!
It can be very healthy and productive, so let’s dig in to discover how it might feel.
Eating Food Gets Easier:
This might sound a bit weird but once you have yourself disconnected from Snap Chat and Instagram, you can actually gulp down your food without having to religiously take a photo of it.
I did that too in the beginning until it got too boring and it became random for me.
But look, I confessed I did it because we all have been there.
Once you have turned them off, you are able to eat food rather than showing it off more on your social media.
It is all peace.
You Enjoy the Other’s Company Fully:
When you try to live a life without social media, you stop looking for that friend of yours who is sitting miles away from you, to solve your troubles.
You start searching in your surroundings for anything that can make you less sad and stressed.
You start enjoying the company of the people who are actually present and are not virtual.
Social media has messed up our relationships a lot.
For instance, a lot of people fight with their partners and sit and complain about it with their friends.
They keep looking for a shoulder or someone who seems much better than the individual who is actually sincere with them.
Social media has messed up our relationship goals and ruins the essence of a touch, a real company!
It keeps telling you to go towards perfection whereas, the reality is, that we all are messed up and nobody is perfect.
Only their Instagram feed can be!
Facebook videos are like an addiction, aren’t they? Once you start looking at one video, you end up wasting almost an hour, scrolling through your feed.
And let’s just not talk about Pinterest because that is a real addiction, right there!
You start depending on these social media platforms a lot.
Thus, switching off your social profile for some days can make you less reliant on them.
It does seem hard in the beginning but if you look at the brighter side, you can easily go on without it for at least a month.
Life without Facebook is very easy to manage because it has become one of the most boring podiums at the moment.
Thus, you can easily manage that, if you are determined enough.
We can also put it a little differently. Social media platforms are making money through us; we are the providers!
Just think about all the successful people like Mark Zuckerberg (owner of Facebook and WhatsApp), Bill Gates (needs no intro), and Jack Dorsey (Owner of Twitter).
Do you think these people wasted their hours scrolling down the pages? Of course not!
They handed over that task to us.
The point here is that these sites are addictive for a reason but they tend to slow down your brain and block your creativity too.
Thus, getting off them, for a while is good and healthy.
You get more Productive:
A life without social media is more productive and creative.
Our smartphones have made us less smart and less productive. With the notifications pinging now and then, we are unable to focus on our chores properly.
We have absurd issues like, it has been 5 minutes and I have not even received 10 likes on my photo or OMG! Everybody loves my recent photo and you keep scrolling through the comments, adoring yourself.
All that is too unimportant but it takes away one of the essential things of your life; PRODUCTIVITY!
Try a day without social media and you will notice a positive change.
You will be able to do a lot more than usual.
So you see? Social media has messed us up!
We are unable to focus on the people who are actually with us. We admire people on the other side of the screen, to avoid real-life issues which makes us stressed and arises issues like anxiety too.
Taking a break, now and then, is always healthy and important.
Benefits of life without Social Media
I did an experiment and tagged it as “social media detox”, some while back. It was one of the best decisions that I made because a day without social media was extremely smooth and productive.
I aimed for to live a week’s life without Instagram, because I do not use Facebook that much.
But Instagram is the new addiction and it gets to you badly.
The outcomes were amazing. I got out of my creativity block and here I will be sharing some of the benefits that I attained through this detox, with you.
Looking at the brighter side is always crucial so that you can give it a try.
We are all in a constant tug of war/competition because social media tends to show us that everyone around us, is winning.
Everyone seems to be happier and better than us.
It seems as if we are the only ones lacking everything good and positive.
The most wonderful benefit of living a life without social media was to realize that nobody is sharing their failures.
Nobody is superior to me and I am just as human as them.
As I didn’t check up on Instagram or other social networks for a week, the feeling of being insufficient or being a loser, just faded away.
So remember guys, nobody is sharing their failures on social media.
Real Company/Friends:
Personal connection is crucial and we are losing it to social media. Constant chatting on various messengers is not a real connection.
When you decide to live a life without social networks, for some days, you start craving the need of personal contact.
You meet your friends more and you end to appreciate the moments that you spend with each other.
You will start sharing more with your family and spend more time with them.
It is not important to talk to your friends every day on messengers.
You can simply try meeting them once a week or once a month. You will notice how your conversations will feel more connected and wonderful.
You “Grow” in Silence:
The importance of silence is undermined by our generation. We like to share everything on our social platforms.
What are we planning?
What have we achieved?
What are we heading to!
Everything goes up there. It might sound superficial, but all those envious eyes somehow gets to your energy.
Also, growing in silence is always better. I have seen people exaggerating their personal growth on social emdia and in real life; they are nowhere close to what they pretend to be.
The biggest perk of living without social media is that you don’t have that certain urge to let people know that you are growing.
You do it for yourself and you do it in peace.
Being present in the moment:
What a lot of us are missing is the present moment. We lose ourselves in the mindless and aimless scrolling of our Instagram and Facebook feeds and we miss the moment.
We are sometimes so busy capturing a place that we miss the essence of it.
Instead of knowing what is happening on Facebook today, you will know whatever is happening around you.
You will be more present in the moment which is a major key to a content life.
You will be your best friend:
No! You won’t be leaving your best friend but you will build a very strong bond with yourself once you aim to live a life without social media.
How, you might ask?
When you won’t be finding a way to connect to your social media friends all the time; you will stop depending on a virtual support.
This way, you will be spending more time with people around you, or yourself.
Thus, you will be strengthening your bond with you which is amazing for a happier life and a positive personality.
But is it really possible to live without Social Media?
Yes, it is!
You were living without it until you decided to sign up for Instagram and Facebook, right? We do not need social media.
What we are seeking for through these platforms is validation.
The feeling of being accepted and wanted is what drives us towards these podiums. It happens to all of us and there is no need to feel ashamed of it.
We all want to feel as if we belong. Nobody likes being left out.
But the issue is; who are you seeking validation from? Have you ever thought it over?
So is it possible to live without social media? Yes it is! But if you love using it, you can try to keep the usage healthy.
Take a week off or live a day without social media to get that detox done. Don’t rely on it. If you feel like you are depending too much on social networks during the day, then you certainly need the detox!
Go for it.
Nobody is going to go bonkers without you being there because there are billions of users.
There are a lot of people without social media profiles and they are living a very happy life. They are not in search of validation at all.
These people without social media existence are usually happier and more productive and successful in their lives too because they know where they need to invest their energy and time.
Conclusion:
Let’s agree that life was better without social media. There is no denying it. A life without social media was more creative and present.
However, you can still get that life by stop depending on it too much. Excessive use of everything, makes it unhealthy and toxic; it is the same for social networks too.
A social media detox will be hard in the beginning. You will feel like signing in and just peeking inside.
But trust me, a day without social media or maybe two will make it easier to get through.
Look at it as bringing peace into your life and to your mind and turning yourself into a much better personality.
While you are taking a day without social media, you can get productive with your studies or work and see how much you will be able to cover.
You will notice a huge change in your routine and level of productive and focus as well.
The tasks that you have aligned for a week, might be done within 3 days as you don’t have to scroll through Facebook daily.
Give it a try! It is worth it.
Disconnecting and living a life without social media is healthy and important for your mental wellbeing too.
If you have ever tried a day or life without Instagram and Facebook then do let us know about your experience in the comment below.