As social media advanced and more platforms launched, I joined, connected, friended, shared and posted. With work, children and pets, this method is the next best way to get updates on family and friends if I can't be in person.
While I don’t consider myself chronically online, unfortunately, as time continued and my social media usage increased, my positivity was slowly replaced with hopelessness and sadness. Even attempts at lighthearted stories (babies cooing, puppies playing) gradually led me down a darker path. Finally, after countless bouts of gloom and doom — the final straw being the political posts — it became clear that I needed to do something drastic. In July 2024, I exited from all social media apps except LinkedIn.
The first two weeks were challenging. This shouldn’t have surprised me, because much of my free time lately had been spent on social media. To make it worse, I hadn’t removed the notifications, so my apps teased me with snips of what I was missing. My finger kept hovering over those apps. Should I open them? Is it important? What other ways can I obtain this information?
But I didn’t do it; I didn’t click to open. Instead, when the urge hit, I replaced that habit with other things, such as attending events, cleaning out a closet (OK, many closets), exercising, making home repairs, working with my dogs or old-schooling it with a call or text to family or friends.
With this weight lifted, I can worry less about the things I can’t control and focus on the beautiful life surrounding me.
