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Last night, I did a thing. I logged back into my deactivated Instagram account.
As soon as it opened, I was bombarded with red tags and story updates screaming for my attention.
I came to open a link to a specific post that someone sent to me in a text. (Instagram has such a hold on us that people still feel compelled to share content with me directly, even though I’m completely off of the site.)
I saw the post, then immediately got sucked back into the scroll. Before I realized it, I scrolled for an hour. It’s an hour of my life that I won’t get back. Annoyed with myself, I started running through the opportunity cost in my head… an hour I could’ve been reading my book, connecting with my husband, sleeping or a myriad of other things.
What I learned (more like remembered) from this one-hour experience is that social media just doesn’t add value to my life. If anything, I spent that entire hour feeling pretty bad.
Inadequate
Disconnected
Envious
Left Out
Annoyed
Anxious
Checked out
When I think about my life, this is the opposite of how I want my everyday to feel. I want to live a life of: wholeness, good enough, connection, contentment, faith, friendship, love, gratitude, and meaning.
Maybe you can get those things out of social media, but I was quickly reminded why I left in the first place. When you remove something from your life for a while and then bring it back later, you realize the impact it has on you.
It’s like watching the news. When you stop watching the news for an extended period of time and then turn it on againn one day, you see how sensationalized the headlines and stories really are. It’s not a mistake. It’s designed that way to grab and keep your attention.
That’s exactly how social media feels too. When you log off and come back after a long break, it all seems so silly and trivial. Why are people posting these things? What is the point? Do I care about this?
Honestly, I’ve learned that I like people more when I don’t have a window into their online persona. People are different online. What they chose to put out there and who they choose to associate with sometimes seems contradictory to reality. We’re all familiar with the IG vs. Reality concept, and unfortunately it’s true. At this stage in my life, I want the real picture.
Show me who you are, and I will love you for that.
After my experience last night, I didn’t hesitate to deactivate once again. The only problem is that IG makes it nearly impossible to find the deactivate button in the settings menu. (No cooincidence there!) I wouldn’t say I’m technologicaly illiterate, but it’s crazy that it took a Google search for me to figure it out. It’s like Hotel California - you can never leave.
After this little experiment, I feel confident in leaving.
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My Favorites
These favorites are inspired by my friend Amy, who is also one of my favorites :) Thank you for reading!
Loving my Vuori hoodie this fall. I got the flint color and it’s a light bluish-gray. The material is SO soft.
With daylight savings time ending, it gets dark much earlier now and the weater is slowly getting chillier. I’ve noticed my energy level and motivation dip. I’m excited to try a Vitamin B12 injection to help boost my mood. If you’re local, schedule an appointment at Images in Hinsdale and ask for Amy F!
I’ve been a loyal customer of Veritas Farms for years and my favorite has been their full spectrum hemp oil. They just reformulated their hemp oil products, so I’m giving their new Peaceful Mind tincture a try. Psst it’s currently on sale! (Note: Consult a medical professional before taking.)
My dear friend Kate turned me on to Blue Bottle Coffee and now I’m addicted. Just signed up for a whole bean coffee subsciption.
Finishing reading the book Yellowface and oh my gosh! It’s something.
Mixing browned butter into my mashed potatoes is my new favorite thing. (Just in time for Thanksgiving!)
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Thank you for your kind support.
- Diana xo
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing. You are a light in this world. Proud of you!!
Yes totally agree Social media feels like it’s taking more than it gives. The only thing I miss is sharing photos with friends and seeing the genuinely lovely pictures of friend’s lives and milestones. But otherwise - just too much bombardment and ads!