Today I finally decided to delete Instagram and TikTok. I was never really addicted to TT but IG was the app that took most of my attention. I am now saving up to get a fliphone so that I can finally delete Snapchat.
Since doing so, I just feel a wave of emptiness. I don't know what to do with my life anymore (in terms of creation and self-fulfilment). I guess that's because I never actually sat down with myself and asked these questions properly. I guess now, I have to go and seek these answers. Life just feels so slow now; its crazy how much time i've given away to social media consumption rather than building myself up.
As of right now, I only have my IPhone, my laptop, and a PSVita. I plan to replace my iPhone completely by getting a fliphone, a camera, and a MP3 Player.
This journey is gonna be rough it seems. But I'm grateful for having the privillege of knowing how damaging constant content consumption really is. Thank you.
It's withdrawal symptoms. Stick with it. The regular dopamine you got from those apps is real, and the effects of withdrawal will be very real
Definetly will be sticking to it. I hate how little I get done being on social media 24/7.
digital minimalist for 3 years now! i went through about a week of extreme boredom, irritability and sadness.
but when you realize that life is an open-end game? you start exploring. literally.
you go on more walks, more tiny trips, you watch documentaries, you tell your friends to hang out more. when you hit month 3 (90 days), you will WANT to go to university/high school. grades will be improving, you feel like you've unlocked HOURS of free time
Buy some physical books. After getting rid of my smartphone I found myself enjoying books as much I did as a child.
This is a natural feeling! What helped me is looking at it thru the lenses of any addiction. At the beginning, you might feel empty, craving a habitual activity that gave you dopamine spikes. With time, you will find yourself wanting it less and less while simultaneously filling all this free time with stuff that benefits you more. For day one, I recommend choosing the second best thing you enjoy (reading, cooking, watching a full-length movie) and combining it with being outside (sun is so so important!!!). Second day will be much easier, I promise! With time, you are going to find new ways of using your time and dealing with stressors, in contrast to just doomscrolling. It won’t feel this way forever, and soon you might even cringe at the idea of being attached to your phone ;)
Oh, and what is the most fascinating - you are going to realize how long the day actually is and it won’t scare you but rather bring you peace and excitement since activities will become much more pleasurable. Your brain will become, once more, sensitive to even the lowest stimuli, finding pleasure in the simplest tasks, or peace in silence and relaxation. Just give it some time <3 Congratulations on taking the first step!
Hope to see that in the future. I want to start taking my fitness seriously and get back into graphic design so I'll deffo get going with that hopefully
Losing the phone is the best step in that direction, honestly. Keeping fingers crossed for you <3
The emptiness is the lack of human interaction. Social media allows you parasocial relationships that trick you into thinking you’re not alone and you are getting human contact.
The solution is to spend time with your friends in person.
I understand the felling at first is really destabilizing, because you’re so used to live a life whit the addiction of social, it’s a big stale deleting social more than it seems. I’m happy for you, take care of you’re journey!
Many thanks! It's such an empty feeling, but it will pass once I figure out what I want to do with the time I'm not scrolling on social media.
You have to actively do something. I know it sounds silly but you don’t have habits until youve done something for a while, so if you want to automatically do something not-phone related, you need to start doing it on purpose.
Reading and meditation has helped me through similar feelings. Both train your mind over time, like lifting weights.
I started carrying a book or kindle with me everywhere and when I feel the urge to open my phone I read a paragraph instead. My brain had rotted to the point to where I would have to reread it several times. After a while it’s become enjoyable and nearly effortless.
I also read and follow “The Mind Illuminated” to learn how to meditate. It doesn’t take much time out of my day, and it’s been invaluable to training my attention and awareness. When I first started I couldn’t make it through one breath cycle without mind-wandering, but after 6 months of consistent meditation practice I can sit for 20 mins with very stable attention. It’s something you can take with you anywhere if you need to breath through a feeling.
Give it three months and you will not even remember what it’s like to be online
The emptiness was there with the apps, too. You were just distracting yourself.
Time now to find things that properly fill it. I believe in you.
Go workout too
You’re doing much better than me who hasn’t deleted anything. The empty feeling shows just how much time you spent on there and I’m sure it will pass.
This is normal. I experience boredom now, and I hadn’t for the longest time. It’s a weird feeling. Try new things: reading books, working out, playing video games, write, crafts. You’ll learn to cope with the uncomfortable feeling of boredom and it will eventually help you be more creative again.
Read the Cal Newport book. The most important things are learning to be alone with your thoughts, and to find other things to do with your hands before you pull the plug on all your socials.
Planning to buy a device to fix your screen time problem is only a band-aid. Ordering those 3 things will just give you a false sense of accomplishment.
The good thing is that your life is no more “empty” than it was before. And now it will be easier to find truly fulfilling things
Get into writing or journaling? I finished a journal, writing about anything that came to mind. I have adhd, and it helps a lot. At the moment, i'm using note cards, and I write mostly every day. I've been in a downward spiral of depression, procrastination, and laziness. Physical writing has helped me clear my mind and find myself.
Sort your mind and list out the things you can spend time on. Anything like gym, reading or any skill that you wanna pursue. You’ll start feeling the purpose, you just have to anchor well. Stay patient brother.
Honestly, I only have social media accounts because of a few friends. I was never addicted to TikTok, Instagram, or anything like that. Considering that I no longer have the friends I used to have, it's easier for me to stop using it. Next year, I'm going to get my DAP and my portable handheld console, consume even less social media, and dive headfirst into my projects. As soon as I get rich, I'll buy a house in the country and only use WhatsApp to contact my family. And the friends who left me behind, well... I just feel sorry for them. May God bless them and may they be happy.
Good luck in your journey, OP!
After reading the title I expected you to say you spent a few months without... but you're just on the first day
dont listen to your brain. it wants you to return to the "easy" activity. gotta find something.
Join a support group for internet addiction.
Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous | Receive Free Help & Support https://share.google/uG5PjGZvNWLZLjyjJ
you just have to ride it out.
The otherside is a world you did not know existed
For me I tried to replace the habit so playing those weird phone games you get as ads helped the transition.
Just have to find different wants to connect and entertain yourself while you transition to different stimulation
I canned Fakebook over a decade, don't miss it. Only played Mafia Wars on it! Never got on other socials, unless you count the Reddit.
Go join a club, do board game nights, play sports, work out, read! The latter you can do for free with Libby and your local library card
its normal ! it will be challenging at first but you'll adjust with it ... i used to struggle to delete ig and x but when i romanticized the idea of progression and not reactivating it, one day i just suddenly realized my accounts are permanently deleted !
Go and sky dive. That will help
Another one deleted the app (threw away crack) but not his accounts (the dealer). 😂😂 you gen z or millennial are so hilarious.
Wouldn't you switch that around though? Because theoretically, I can't acceess my accounts without first accessing the app. So really it would be the apps that are my "dealer" and my accounts being the "crack" right?
of course youre going to feel terrrible when you remove the source of all of your happiness.
Why did you delete all of that when you know you enjoy it, you lacking purpose because you have no foundation and you expect deleting the source of your pain is supposed to be an act of conviction.
your issue is not social media, it is your inability to be in control of your phone.
your entire life is proof that the phone has won over you, you deciding the insane response of getting a flipphone so that you can tolerate your phone. that is complete insanity and i do not support any your behaviours to restore control back into your life.
You keep blaming social media for the problems in your life when you have barely even attempted to learn how to control yourself (which isn't deleting applications).
Your story is really sad because you're choosing life stripped of meaning and you're writing a checklist of your bare essentials for you jump the ship and choose to live a life without your phone.