A Day Without Social Media

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I’ve seen a lot of people take breaks from Facebook or their phones and felt that they had good results from it. Ever since I updated my phone and saw how much time I was spending on apps, I decided it would be nice to designate a day to not use social media. I still used my phone even though I don’t get a lot of texts, heaven knows the one day I throw my phone in a drawer and forget about it something important would happen.

Lately I’ve been questioning my influencer/blog life. It seems like it’s something that comes into my mind every couple of months. I’ve been reading a lot about how millennials have a hard time having hobbies just for the fun of it, we’re always pressured to monetize or make use of it as we’re always pushed in the category of lazy.

I guess that’s how I feel about my blog. I didn’t even know what an influencer was when I started it. I knew I wanted people to read it, thought I could make some money off ads. But then Instagram became the place to make money so the whole blogging thing became much bigger. But it gets discouraging when you don’t get the campaigns, don’t get the views, don’t get the likes. Even if I’m trying my best to just make this a hobby with a perk of some spending cash on the side.

On my day without social media, I woke up and forgot I was doing this and scrolled through Instagram. I tried opening the apps mindlessly throughout the day, only to be reminded I’m trying to take a break.

I slept in, I watched some Netflix, I went to the gym, we took our doggo to the park. I didn’t really miss social media, I missed filling gaps in the day with something. Social media keeps me busy, almost no time to reflect.

Nighttime was the hardest because I am usually an avid user of social media, especially TikTok, right before bed. I completed two coloring pages and started a new show (Bunheads, which is not new, but I really like) just to try to keep my hands from reaching to my phone.

The next morning, the world hadn’t ended. Social media didn’t miss me. It was another outside perspective I needed. On one hand, the world doesn’t really care if I’m on social media. On the other hand, it’s something I can enjoy in moderation, especially when it comes to the blog stuff.

Take a look at your weekly phone use, how many hours of screen time do you have?

37 thoughts on “A Day Without Social Media”

    1. @deeply shreded I agree with you! In the beginning was challenging. I’ve been social media free for 2 years now I can say with confidence that it’s easy staying away from social media.

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      2. @deeply shreded I’ve been busy with uni these days. Not sure if Happy describes me right now haha Just wrote a pharmacology exam. Bleh. ☹️

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      4. Apparently not LOL I’m playing it by ear right now depending on when the bigger projects get done. One was put on hold last year and during my 8 months off, I STILL didn’t return to social media! 😂

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  6. My daily screen use is just under 3 hours, which is kinda startling to me but I guess all the scrolling adds up. As someone who deactivated Facebook almost 3 years ago, I can tell you that if you delete an app from your phone, after a few days you won’t even think about it anymore. That being said, don’t delete something just because you think you should. Do it because/if it no longer serves a purpose for you/makes you happy.

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  8. One day without social media is a good start. I challenge you to go without it for a week. Honestly it gets easier with time. Social media doesn’t cross my mind anymore unless WordPress counts.

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      1. Surprisingly my blog hasn’t suffered since deciding to go “sans Social media”. The engagement/traffic remains the same since I mostly engage thru WordPress.😊🤗

        Honestly, I think it’s all about finding the right balance that works for you. Taking a hiatus even if it’s for one day each week or month is huge, especially if you are seeing the benefits of JOMO (joy of missing out).

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  9. Nicely done! I was JUST thinking about this today, the busier I am the less I am on my phone, but I still have a “need” to check it. Not sure if it’s a habit or what, but definitely feels uncomfortable being away from it for a long time lol ❤

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  10. I’ve set up a few promises to myself. To have periodic runs through social media. With purpose. Am I perfect act it? Hell, no. But I’ll try again tomorrow.

    To me, you’ve always been a compelling writer first. Influencer second. I’ll always think of you as someone I want to read. Sometimes, you just have to go back to the basics.

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      1. Trust the process! We all get a little low in the tank at times. The influencer stuff can fill the void (and your pockets a little) in the meantime. Hell, it might even reveal your next blog topic.

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  11. Very interesting to hear about this experience! I am not always on social media but I also feel that I use to fill in the “gaps” in my day. I shall try the same you did soon and see how I end up by filling those gaps 😉

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  14. Have you toyed with the timers? I set timers on certain apps to limit how much time I spend on them. Once I reach my limit, I can’t open them. It’s a built in Well-being app on Google Pixel. Not sure about other phones.

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  15. Since I was on my cruise last week (dun dun duuunnnnn), I was unplugged for 7 days and boy did that feel good! I highly suggest it, especially now with the explosion of content relating to the same thing that’s being shared and/or repeated over and over.

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      1. Surprisingly, no. The port we returned to was closed, but the governor let us be the last ship to unload. And since I work for the health department, my boss said unless I feel sick/show symptoms, I’m needed. I’m now emergency call center staff and working nights and weekends. Wish I was still in the Bahamas. 😦

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