I removed Instagram from my phone about a week ago now and it feels good. Not because I don’t like it, and not because I’m reliant on it either, but it feels so refreshing as I don’t need to use up precious brainpower admiring others’ perfection, beauty or idealism.
My over-driven brain is taking a break, a little holiday from the constant showreel to the world. In fact, it’s more than that; it’s a showreel to the world through the eyes, lenses and let’s be honest, ‘opinions’ of thousands of people. My goodness, thinking about it now, it’s exhausting and that’s just thinking about it. In reality it’s far more exhausting doing the real-time scrolling. The amount of information, opinions, selling and visual entertainment you can witness in just 30 seconds of Insta is mind-blowing. Couple that with the fact that you’re viewing this influx of media during a few precious minutes in your day where you have a moment to breathe in your over-scheduled life.
But, let’s think about it, we don’t necessarily even take those minutes to breathe – as we almost hold our breath as we scroll hungrily to see what’s coming next (please take a second to observe this next time you dive into social media) – or is it just me?! It’s a bit like a child playing hide & seek; they’re never sure when they’ll find someone around a corner or hiding in a cupboard, so they hold their breath in anticipation. That pensive state which could last a few seconds, or more often than not, that quick breather you take from your busy day becomes 20 minutes or more – all in a state of mindless breaths which are neither deep nor satisfying to your body.
So, in short, I really enjoy the state of being more mindful and less distracted when I switch off from social media, and I definitely breathe better too.
When I decided to step away from all social media for a week, it was so satisfying. A bit like it used to be when I left the office on a Friday night with nothing to think or worry about until I arrived on Monday morning and logged in.
How refreshing! I didn’t know how good I had it back then, and I love grasping a bit of that back now!!
Anyway, it is lovely not to have social media as an annoying itch I have to scratch and I look forward to my next switch off – a chance to fill my time with much more productivity, fun and presence. Or maybe I’ll take a rejuvenating nap or simply gaze out the window!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on taking a social media break. Is it something you have done or might consider? I appreciate it’s not for everyone, but I’m glad I have decided it’s good for me.
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