So, I’m a social media fiend. I love watching all the videos of funky food, makeup tutorials, and funny captions, but there is wayyy more to life than the ‘gram. Then I thought more about it, and I wondered, what would one week without Instagram do to my life? So I decided to test it.
Day 1: So I deleted Instagram about 24 hours ago. I’m honestly not missing it too much. I find myself going to click the icon during study breaks but I have nothing to look at. As a result, my study breaks are shorter and I am a lot more productive than usual. I mean, I did have like 12 hours of reading to do so I had to be somewhat on top of things. Anyway, I missed sending my friends memes or checking my messages but I had no real craving to redownload the app. I think I can go a week without Instagram for sure.
Day 2: I was definitely more fidgety today than I was yesterday. I found myself clicking on Snapchat or Facebook or Twitter after closing it several times, just because I had to be connected to something. Being somewhat detached has been good so far. I’m definitely spending more time on my school work and other activities and I have not been as tired as I usually am. So far so good, but this is still only the beginning of the week.
Day 3: Without the influence of social media I have been so productive with my homework and have not looked at my phone as much throughout the day. I’m more aware of my surroundings and I am going to bed earlier which is a HUGE plus. I mean college is hard; we need sleep.
Day 4: I am still thriving without Instagram. I’ve been using Facebook more when I am bored just to see what’s up with the world but other than a few Snapchats, I have tried to be as detached as possible. I am ghosting the world currently.
Day 5: It has felt so good not to have Instagram on my phone. I am more confident and not constantly worried about the health recipes and workout suggestions that pop up in my search bar. I have been so relieved without the app but at the same time, I miss the Instagram-simulated connection to my friends.
Day 6: I am contemplating never re-downloading the app. I have been sleeping better, been more focused, and happier. We’ll see what happens.
Day 7: I re-downloaded Instagram. Pictures from our sorority fall photoshoot were released and I really wanted to post a picture with my girlfriends. I might delete the app for good in a few days but I decided to keep it for now.
Instagram used to be one of my favorite apps. I loved editing pictures and organizing a feed and making my profile so pretty. But Instagram can be a really negative influence. In the past, it has made me feel really self-conscious about myself. I have had to focus a lot on body positivity during the past week. I feel like Instagram really got in the way of me having a healthy perception of what people actually look like versus editing. This break has allowed me to cleanse the negativity from my system and try to be happy with myself. Reality does not exist on the internet. Yet, we compare ourselves to the images we constantly see all the time. I am confident that an unhealthy obsession with social media leads to self-image issues among girls and guys our age. I highly recommend a cleanse from Instagram. It definitely opened my eyes to reality and changed my lifestyle by simply not having another app to check. A break from Instagram is a game changer.