We all know how important technology is to daily life; we use it for school, connecting with friends and family, among plenty of other activities. But with spring now in full swing, it’s easy for social media to make you feel more disconnected from society than connected to it, watching your peers and celebrities go on lavish vacations and bask in the sun while you’re at home with family or alone on campus. While online connections may seem to lead to more happiness, a January 2021 study published in Computers in Human Behavior found that excessive social media use leads to less satisfaction with life and lower self-esteem. So the benefits of social media breaks may be a difficult pill to swallow, but from one social media addict to another, you should spend spring break off the phone.
Whether you are traveling home to see relatives or spending the week with your closest friends, being on social media can get distracting. It’s easy to reach for the phone at any quiet moment in search of something for your brain to work on, distracting from the deeper conversations and closer experiences you could have with those around you. Instead of scrolling through TikTok the second you get bored, try leaving your phone in a separate room or face down on a faraway table, making it harder to constantly reach for it. Without the constant nagging from social media, you will have more time, energy, and attention to pay to your closest friends.
I thought that traveling over spring break was all I wanted, but my family and I stayed home instead. It was easy for me to watch my acquaintances on social media and feel jealous of their experiences. Many college students feel like this: A 2021 study of 323 college undergraduate participants found that fear of missing out (FOMO) mediates the relationship between social self-efficacy and life satisfaction.
But once I worked past that feeling, I had a great time and found that my most wholesome experiences were face-to-face with friends and family. My parents, sister, and I spent hours cooking my mom’s birthday dinner together, and I didn’t feel the urge to check my phone once. We spent the evenings playing board games instead of watching TV, and I felt satisfied by the meaningful conversations we had. I’ve realized as I grow older that I want to cherish time with my family as much as possible, and the time I used to spend on social media is now spent on my true love language, quality time.
It’s easy to get caught up in the lives of others, and watch. Instead, start doing. Become your own Emily Mariko; if you strive to cook homemade meals, jar your own produce, and take long walks down city streets, then what are you waiting for? Instead of dreaming about what you want to be, take that inspiration from social media and use it in your daily life. Start small and find what works for you, whether it’s perfecting your favorite avocado toast or finding your favorite gym routine. Find happiness in the physical things, rather than the abstract version that you see online.
When we scroll through social media, especially on apps that specifically focus on people’s personal lives, it is easy to feel jealous when looking at the extravagant, expensive vacations that celebrities and influencers are taking. Especially in light of troubling current events, such as the long-lasting COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine, it is easy to feel sad, anxious, or angry when you are at home while watching others go out. These are more reasons to disconnect: By getting rid of the hours you spend on your phone every day, you have that much more time to do what you love, from sports to art to cooking. By giving your mind a break, you may even find that you’re happier at home.