Spring Break from Social Media

Have you ever felt so burnt out from Instagram that you deleted your account? I have. Have you ever felt angered by so many political posts on Facebook that you decided to deactivate your Facebook account? I definitely have. Those are some extreme measures to go about totally ridding yourself from social media, but is that really necessary? Do we live in a time where we can choose whether or not we want to be a part of social media? Maybe.

This past week was spring break from school and dance. Since I am a dance teacher, I also had spring break from work and it was glorious! What made it so amazing besides not having to work and able to play with my kids all week? I didn’t log in to any of my social media accounts the entire 10 days of spring break. I started Friday after my daughter’s tumbling class by deleting YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook from my phone and now today (Monday) I am just now re-downloading the apps and logging in 10 days later. Did I miss it?

No, not really.

Taking a Break is Good for the Soul

The best part about my time away from social media was that I thoroughly enjoyed my week long spring break without comparing it to anyone else’s. We didn’t go on a luxurious or fun-filled vacation. Instead, we did all the things we love in our home town and had the best time. I can honestly say the past 10 days have been better than any vacation we could’ve booked. I had uninterrupted time with my children to play games, do puzzles, take them to the park, splash pad, library, and spend quality time in nature. Usually I’m spending all of my screen time on some sort of social media platform so this coincidental break from my phone was much needed.

Why Social Media is so Addicting

The reason why I had to make a 10-day commitment and thus delete all of my apps is because, I admit, I am addicted to social media. I’m sure plenty of people can relate because it is our generation’s way of connecting with people around us. Once I deleted my social media apps I instantly felt isolated from the world. I had no idea what was going on with my friends, the news, or everyone’s opinions on the Bachelor finale. Yes, I was dying not being able to log in and see everyone’s reactions to the final pick of the new Bachelorette, but I digress. This world we live in where we constantly feel the need to refresh our feed to see the latest posts from people we know and even people we don’t know is quite absurd if you think about it. Why do we spend so much time watching people live their life instead of fully investing in our own life? Because it’s addicting…FOMO anyone?

Post or it Didn’t Happen

I am totally guilty of falling into the trap of the “post it or it didn’t happen” mentality. I feel like we almost start expecting it from other people, too. When I find out someone went on a big trip across the country and they didn’t post a single picture from their vacation I think they are absolutely rude for not sharing. It sounds crazy, but I LOVE seeing pictures from my friend’s vacations, weddings…any big event should be on insta, right? It feels like a standard now to share everything about our lives. While it’s fun to share these moments it is also easy to fall into another trap of feeling like we have to validate ourselves and be seen as living the perfect life. We often hear people talk about the “highlight reel” that is Instagram. This is true. It is natural to share things that bring us most joy and show our best selves. It is unnatural to want to share the negative because no one wants to dwell on our own worst moments! I am 100% guilty of yelling at my kids and then an hour later taking them to the park and posting a picture of us laughing and having a wonderful time. Does viewing someone’s perfect memories on social media mean that person lives a perfect life? Absolutely not, which is why we need to take what we see on social media with a grain of salt. We are living our own reality and if we spend so much time viewing what we think is someone else’s reality then compare our lows to their highs, how is that helping us live our best life?

Do we Need Social Media to be Social?

Being a mom and raising kids takes a village and social media has become that village. We are cheering each other on when friends post about their baby walking for the first time, their husband getting a new job offer that moves them to a new state, and teens going to their first prom or graduating from high school. We also show our love to friends who experiences losses, illnesses or disabilities. Social media can be a source for good, but do we need social media to be social? I see Instagram as a crutch. We think we know everything we need to know about someone because we see each other’s lives unfold on social media. Do we really know people based on what they share? Heck no! Right now I am reading Rachel Hollis’ new book “Girl, Stop Apologizing.” I had time during my social media hiatus to actually read a book! Imagine that. Rachel talks about how we start perceiving people a certain way based on what they share on Instagram. When that person (namely influencers – I hate that word but it is what it is) goes across the line of the boundary we put them in, we get offended or angry at their choices. How is that fair? I see this happen all the time; shaming others on social media because people aren’t living their life the way we believe or want them to. The point is, we really don’t know people’s intentions or heart just because we are one of their followers. If we really want to gain good relationships and build friendships, we need something more substantial than social media to aid us. One on one interactions are still the best way to be social.

Limiting the Dose of Social Media

The most important lesson I learned during my 10-day spring break from social media was that I don’t need it in my daily life. I didn’t miss out on anything life changing. I survived not posting about my darling kids doing the most darling things. It was nice to experience my own moments and keep them to myself. Sometimes I get so caught up in sharing everything that I forget to enjoy my own experiences! If social media never existed, I would still take a million pictures and videos of my family. It’s in my blood. I love capturing memories. Last week was nice because I didn’t feel pressure to capture the perfect moment and post about it instantly. I did capture plenty of imperfect moments and those pictures are my favorite. Maybe the moral of this experiment was for me to learn it’s okay not to be perfect. It’s okay to share imperfect moments. It’s okay to go on vacation and not post about it publicly. Leaving my phone in the other room all day long is possible! I don’t need “likes” and followers on social media to make me feel validated. I am a good friend, mom, daughter, wife, business owner, dancer, teacher, crafter, cook, baker, traveler, fashionista and I don’t need Instagram to tell me I am. Social media is a part of our culture whether we like it or not, but we have the power to choose how we let it affect our life.