Disconnecting from Social Media: What I learned from a weekend
I went camping with my family over the weekend. Camping hasn’t always been the biggest excitement in my life or something I would jump from floor to ceiling looking forward to but I could always appreciate the experience for what it was.
What makes the camping experience more effective was the disconnect I had from the city, social media and the busyness of everyday life. Every morning, I picked up my phone to no notifications. I spent more time reading my books, chatting, exploring, hiking and just experiencing life at a slower pace. It soon got to a point where I would purposefully leave my phone behind because I simply didn’t need it. I had no Wi-Fi to connect to, no data. Just my phone.
And even though it was for only 3 days, it felt like the sun had extended its shine and hung around longer each day. Time was slower. Is that good or bad? Depends on how you look at it. Social media has often presented itself to me as an escape from time and boredom; seldom times a purposeful distraction. Also, fun. However, that very same “fun” is also very present during dinner time, work, events and just every single waking hour of my life. Having that distraction taken away left me with some valuable “me” time.
I found myself thinking less about how I compared to others
Honestly, scrolling through social media, it’s become a subconscious habit of mine to look at pictures and compare how I was doing relative to that person on my feed. Whether it was a stranger, a friend or a celebrity, it was easy to make comparisons. Let’s just say this creates quite a stir in my mind, especially when I see someone who looks to be more happy and successful than me. So, I appreciated not having that mindset for the weekend. I was with people who valued my existence and very being. People who would never think to tell me what I thought so horribly of myself. I felt at peace.
I enjoyed life at a slower pace
When notifications pop in on your phone, it’s simply begging for your attention. It’s almost impossible for me to ignore it. Well, most of it. I swear, the notification centre is like a reflection of my brain — busy and chaotic. Having 0 notifications come in for the weekend was like…wow. “I feel SO not anxious right now.” Though, the reality is, coming back to the city would mean it would all flood in. At least, even for 3 days, I had that peace. Not lending time to social media gave me the feeling that not everything needs to be done in a hurry.
I was more productive
Personal projects I had lined up for myself had all of a sudden sprung to life in my sudden free time. Procrastination was not the order of the day. The trees and campfire breeze demanded it. My mind was so relaxed and creatively stimulated. I didn’t have YouTube to distract me and even if I wanted to, I had no choice, I couldn’t.
If you find yourself plagued with insecurities about how you look, how you should present yourself a certain way or dislike the way you scroll endlessly through twitter as means of a distraction, consider disconnecting. Unplug. Unwind. Take a break. Even if it’s only for a day, a weekend.
You know, at the end of the day, getting comfortable and confident in who you are offline, makes it lot easier to be confident and comfortable in the boundaries you set online.
You are always going to be your harshest critic. Growth is not linear and Rome wasn’t built in a day. Find a solution that works for you and your lifestyle. The boundaries you set for yourself will matter even if you put in 1% everyday. That may seem small but remember, that is still 1% better than you were the day before.
You know, that weekend actually made me realize my priorities and made me understand what apps I can consider turning notifications off for, which ones can I uninstall? I don’t need to know everything and that’s okay. Disconnecting doesn’t necessarily have to be an end-all-be-all situation. Find your definition.
My main takeaway is simple:
You can be disconnected from social media but still stay connected to the world. Stay connected with the people that matter to you most. Yourself included.
