In January 2022, I decided to deactivate my personal Instagram. My decision was not an outcome of any anxiety or stress. I just felt like I wasn’t giving anything to the platform, and the platform was not giving me anything in return either. I never spent hours on the ‘explore page’. I would often find myself muddling somewhere on the app, looking at someone else’s life and subconsciously judging if mine looks better or worse, or spending hours re-reading, in my words, “a perfectly hilarious and apt caption”. (Not to brag, but I was often appreciated for my witty captions in my social media phase xD)

I did start an Instagram page for this blog in March of 2022 where I share some insights occasionally (free plug), so I am not sure if my detox is valid. But nonetheless, I realised how social media can be a tricky space to navigate if we don’t set boundaries with it. And it’s not just about screen time. A lot of its effect on our mental health goes unnoticed. 

Here’s how I spent an entire year without a personal Instagram account and how it contributed to my overall well-being. 

Painting 

My time off social media introduced me to a world where I could try out things I always wanted to do. Painting, for instance, is one of them. People who know me closely would agree that I am far from creative when it comes to art. But I, yes I, spent hours painting on a canvas in my living room, even on cold winter nights. That’s how much I enjoyed it.

It’s a paint-by-number, but guys, it counts.

Skillshare  

It’s something I recently invested in. If you don’t know about skillshare, it’s a platform where you can take online courses by global creators on anything and everything. I literally took a 10-minute class on "how to chop vegetables like a chef". (No judgments please, I really enjoyed it.)

Reading and Writing

I started reading books before going to bed instead of scrolling through my phone. If you are a consistent reader of my newsletters, you’d know that reading is also one of the best habits I built last year. I also spent a lot of my time preparing and writing content for this blog. I won’t say that I write content every day now as I used to before, but I certainly prefer it over mindless social media scrolling. 

Will I ever come back on Instagram? Sure, someday. I, too, spend at least an hour each day watching content on Netflix and scrolling through youtube shorts. Just not having “too much” of it is the key.

This week, I want to emphasise on the importance of setting boundaries with social media. I don’t intend to influence you into deactivating your social media accounts right this second. But I want to encourage you to accept when you feel like social media is taking too much of your time during the day and causing a negative impact on your life. Be intentional towards doing a digital detox frequently. (Pro tip: It will literally change your life :) )