Why you should give up social media this Lent

The end of February marks the beginning of spring, a shift in wardrobe, the reemergence of the sun, and a sprinkling of colour returning to the world. Spring brings with it a mentality that it is time to refresh and reset to prepare ourselves for the summer months ahead. For many, this process begins with taking part in the tradition of lent by giving up an indulgence for the six weeks preceding Easter Sunday. Whilst common options include a re-do of dry-January, taking on a vegetarian or vegan diet or forbidding chocolate, I would like to take a minute to encourage you to consider a new indulgence to part with – social media. 

After two years of online lectures and tutorials, Zoom quizzes and TikTok challenges, it seems that the world has been condensed to the status of a screen. Forcing yourself to avoid talking to people online might encourage you to arrange to call or meet up in person for that long-overdue catch up, rather than continuing to pull at the strings of conversations and memes that guide our interactions online. Calling or talking in person removes the temptations of notifications or similar online distractions and limits your focus to one person as opposed to maintaining interactions with hundreds of followers or multiple group chats. The quality of time spent on that individual will flourish and give you a chance to reconnect in a way many of us have missed over recent months. It might seem daunting at first to suddenly cut a means of contact that we are so used to. But if you do, it will soon become evident who values you enough to put time aside for you, and as a result, you will substitute quantity of interactions for quality. 

Beyond building meaningful connections with others, removing yourself from social media might give you an opportunity to reconnect with yourself. Everyone is guilty of spending an entire evening aimlessly scrolling through social media, wasting time that could be spent on something productive or fulfilling. With the weather brightening up as each day passes, removing the temptation of social media will encourage you to get up and get out! Go for a walk without snapping people as you do; visit the café you have been wanting to try without the stress of the perfect picture of your plate to post; or try something new and adventurous entirely for yourself, abandoning the need share every experience on social media. Creating the exciting moments in your day for you rather than for your followers is the best way to get the ‘reset’ we all crave. This way, you will open yourself up to new opportunities and discover new passions to bring into your summer break.

Doing what you love simply because you love it, without the need to share, is something that we would all benefit from. If social media is where you seek inspiration, motivation or simply the awareness of how other people live, take a minute to consider how this makes you feel. Are you truly motivated or inspired? Does seeing what others have, and you potentially lack, bring you the state of mind you are after? If not, it’s time to stop the comparisons. The greatest act of self-love is appreciating your qualities and your life without the need to use someone else as a measuring stick. Removing yourself unhealthy online environments where influencers share unrealistic ideals will allow you to appreciate everything you have without comparisons and the need to prove your worth. You might even realise that things for which you used to admire others actually don’t resonate with your values, or discover a hidden dream of yours you had never even considered!

It is safe to say that social media has become a staple in everyone’s lives consumed on daily basis. Whilst the obsession of keeping up to date with the lives of our friends originated with Facebook, the trend has grown exponentially to include a large variety of media outlets. From Insta stories to Snap scores, TikTok to Twitter, the range of social media is vast and all encompassing. Aimlessly scrolling It is not only overwhelming but also addictive. Can we still consider it just a harmless indulgence? I would even say that instead of seeing it as a treat and a much needed downtime after a long, hard day, our need for social media has come dangerously close an obsession. Lent might provide the perfect opportunity to break loose and for once refresh yourself instead of your Instagram homepage!