I’m taking a step back from social media in 2023; here are some reasons why:
- I’m overstimulated. The subtle but constant noise of social media is causing me stress. It literally never ends. The memes, stories, reels, political opinions, advertisements, advice covering every topic, and the focus on aesthetic over reality…my mind just needs a break. I don’t have the capacity to consume it all and anything impactful is lost in a sea of nonsense.
- I don’t have time to waste. We all know there aren’t enough hours in the day, but somehow, my weekly screentime report tells me otherwise. I’m sick of giving seconds of my life away to mindless scrolling, and learning about strangers and things that have no real impact on my life.
- I want to be fully present for my children and husband, and experience these special years to the fullest. This one is BIG! In a viral speech by psychologist Jordan Peterson, he said that the childrearing years until the age of four are a “peak life experience.” This really hit me. I will be heartbroken if I look back one day and realize I missed this special time because I was distracted by my phone. I want my kids to get the best version of me and I want to enjoy the gift of these years with a clear mind.
- I want to give my kids privacy. Kids can’t consent to having their lives shared on social media. At what point does it go too far? I’ve shared plenty of photos and stories of my daughter on my social media accounts, but at some point, it might be uncomfortable to realize her life has been documented online. Not to mention, sharing is a safety risk that parents should carefully consider.
- I want to enjoy my life and not feel like I need to share every moment with the world. When was the last time you went to an event and just enjoyed yourself and didn’t worry about getting the perfect photo to share on your feed? We think we are capturing moments for memories, but we aren’t making memories at all if we are constantly looking through our camera lens.
- I want to save money. The ads are out of control and the influencers are influencing HARD. I mean hey, I can respect a hustle, but I’m done with the mindless consumer mentality and letting someone I don’t even know tell me what I need in my Amazon cart 3x a week.
- I want to nurture the relationships I have in real life. Social media allows us to keep in touch with family and friends at all stages of life. It offers a means of occasional contact, but rarely fosters deep connections or true understanding of what is taking place in a person’s life. I simply would rather focus on the relationships I have in real life than try to keep contact with a crowd of people.
- I don’t need to know what “everyone else” is doing. Social media has strong Keeping up with the Joneses vibes. It’s hard to practice contentment when you have constant access to people doing more or living bigger. While comparison is a natural part of being human, it can be discouraging (and even depressing!) to constantly evaluate your real life against the best moments of others’ lives. I want the mental space to appreciate my life and stop the subconscious comparing on such a large scale.
- I want to feel good about myself. As a mom, social media makes me feel pressure to live out motherhood a certain way. It makes me wonder if I am doing it right or doing enough. It makes me question the choices we’ve made for our family. It also pushes the narrative that motherhood is synonymous with martyrdom. It’s not helping me to constantly be bombarded by messaging about how hard it is to be a mom. While it isn’t easy, motherhood is a gift that I really enjoy and I want my focus to be rooted there.
- I want to limit the number of people speaking into my life. Even though there are people on social media speaking truth and encouraging others, it doesn’t settle well with me. It’s a little bizarre to seek advice from people we don’t know AT ALL. How do they know what is best for us? Why should I trust someone I have never met face-to-face or had a conversation with? I don’t know their story and they don’t know mine. It’s just plain weird. I prefer to seek counsel, encouragement, and inspiration the old fashioned way, from people I know and trust.
If I learned anything from past social media breaks, it is that no one really cares if I am present on my social media platforms or not. And honestly, that’s ok. We all have responsibilities and real lives to lead. While taking a break is not for everyone, I would encourage you to take a step back and set some social media boundaries that give you mental freedom.
I know there are plenty of good things about social media, so this post may come off as a bit dramatic. I will miss happy updates from family and friends and learning about events taking place in the community. I’m sure I will feel disconnected for a period of time, but maybe feeling a little uncomfortable and sitting with my feelings is exactly what I need.
