So last week, I decided to make the decision of logging out of my Instagram accounts for 3 - 7 days or even longer if I could. In the end, I was away from Instagram for about five days. I have never gone on any form of social media detox before as I have felt that I did not need it. However, this year, I have started to realise the effects that social media, more so Instagram is having on me. I feel like it was causing a distraction as well as affecting my mindfulness ability. I could also feel that I was somewhat addicted to this app and I spent more time than I needed to on there. What stood out to me especially was the fact that it would be the first thing I check in the morning and the last thing I check at night. So to help myself and make a small change, I decided to log out of Instagram for some time and focus on other aspects of my life. It was a little challenging at first but I knew this from the get go as this was my first time doing something like this. I kept all my other social media accounts, reason being I wasn't really addicted to those apps the way I was with Instagram. I had the temptations to log back on, especially within the first two or three days. At first, not being on Instagram felt weird which made me realise that I have made it into a huge part of my daily life. And a couple of hours after I logged out, a small incident happened which caused me distress and it was then I got the strong urge to log back on to Instagram. This is when I realized Instagram was a form of escapism for me and a distraction. Instagram detox forced me to sit with my feelings as well as giving me time to reflect, something which was greatly needed. I also found that I was checking my phone less, because Instagram was the app I used the most. I was able to focus on what I was doing because I knew there wasn't anything to check my phone for except the odd occasional messages. During this time, I worked on some blog posts, found a new favorite YouTube channel, explored my interests, and joined two online classes. Not being on Instagram helped me focus as well as motivated me to do different things. I was unsure of when exactly I would log back onto Instagram but in the end, I decided on a five day hiatus and today, I chose to come back to Instagram. I would most definitely do another Instagram detox, at this point in time I am not sure if I will make it a regular monthly routine or if I will log back out whenever I feel like I need to. I did miss being on Instagram but at the same time, this little break helped me reflect on certain aspects of my life. I am surprised at myself for being able to go on an Instagram detox, I remember attempting to do this around three years ago and I logged back on five minutes later, so this time round the fact that I have gone a few days without Instagram is an accomplishment. A tip that I may take for next time is to not so much give myself a deadline as to how long I will be away from Instagram, but to simply try and go with the flow. I noticed that as each day passed by, it became easier to stay away from Instagram. Towards the end of my little detox, I found that staying away from Instagram was indeed beneficial and I am grateful for making this decision. And now that I have come back to Instagram, I hope to use this app a bit more wisely. I feel like I am in a slightly better mental space Alhamdulillah and I really look forward to providing more content.
So last week, I decided to make the decision of logging out of my Instagram accounts for 3 - 7 days or even longer if I could. In the end, I was away from Instagram for about five days. I have never gone on any form of social media detox before as I have felt that I did not need it. However, this year, I have started to realise the effects that social media, more so Instagram is having on me. I feel like it was causing a distraction as well as affecting my mindfulness ability. I could also feel that I was somewhat addicted to this app and I spent more time than I needed to on there. What stood out to me especially was the fact that it would be the first thing I check in the morning and the last thing I check at night. So to help myself and make a small change, I decided to log out of Instagram for some time and focus on other aspects of my life. It was a little challenging at first but I knew this from the get go as this was my first time doing something like this. I kept all my other social media accounts, reason being I wasn't really addicted to those apps the way I was with Instagram. I had the temptations to log back on, especially within the first two or three days. At first, not being on Instagram felt weird which made me realise that I have made it into a huge part of my daily life. And a couple of hours after I logged out, a small incident happened which caused me distress and it was then I got the strong urge to log back on to Instagram. This is when I realized Instagram was a form of escapism for me and a distraction. Instagram detox forced me to sit with my feelings as well as giving me time to reflect, something which was greatly needed. I also found that I was checking my phone less, because Instagram was the app I used the most. I was able to focus on what I was doing because I knew there wasn't anything to check my phone for except the odd occasional messages. During this time, I worked on some blog posts, found a new favorite YouTube channel, explored my interests, and joined two online classes. Not being on Instagram helped me focus as well as motivated me to do different things. I was unsure of when exactly I would log back onto Instagram but in the end, I decided on a five day hiatus and today, I chose to come back to Instagram. I would most definitely do another Instagram detox, at this point in time I am not sure if I will make it a regular monthly routine or if I will log back out whenever I feel like I need to. I did miss being on Instagram but at the same time, this little break helped me reflect on certain aspects of my life. I am surprised at myself for being able to go on an Instagram detox, I remember attempting to do this around three years ago and I logged back on five minutes later, so this time round the fact that I have gone a few days without Instagram is an accomplishment. A tip that I may take for next time is to not so much give myself a deadline as to how long I will be away from Instagram, but to simply try and go with the flow. I noticed that as each day passed by, it became easier to stay away from Instagram. Towards the end of my little detox, I found that staying away from Instagram was indeed beneficial and I am grateful for making this decision. And now that I have come back to Instagram, I hope to use this app a bit more wisely. I feel like I am in a slightly better mental space Alhamdulillah and I really look forward to providing more content.
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