Unplugged Bliss: Rediscovering Life Beyond the Social Media Matrix

My life is simply better and more fulfilled when disconnected from social media.

Social media is a powerful tool with numerous benefits. It has exceptional capabilities for keeping friends, families, businesses, and fans connected to what they love and enjoy. It serves as a social enabler, allowing anyone to stay at the forefront of any content they desire. Additionally, it can influence societal changes and contribute to the adoption or rejection of products, ideals, organizations, and even individuals. Social media occupies a strong and fruitful place in society.

Some Potential Upsides:

• Connection and Belonging: Social media enhances connection. It lets you stay in touch with friends, family, and interests. Feeling part of a community can boost self-esteem.
• Information and Awareness: It keeps you informed about societal changes, product trends, and news. Social media can be a catalyst for positive shifts.
• Support and Engagement: Engaging with others online provides emotional support. It’s heartwarming to receive well wishes on your birthday or reconnect with old friends.

However, as beneficial and transformative as social media can be, these same tools can also be quite damaging and isolating if we allow them to consume us.

Some Potential Downsides:

• Comparison Trap: Scrolling through social media can lead to self-comparison. You might feel less-than when viewing others’ seemingly perfect lives, their vacations, cozy homes, and flawless bodies. It’s like a highlight reel that can make you question your own worth.
• Sleep Disruption: Late-night social media use can mess with your sleep. Fear of missing out (FOMO) might keep you scrolling even when you should be winding down for bed.
• Snapchat Dysmorphia: Frequent exposure to filtered and Photoshopped images can impact your self-image. It’s like seeing a distorted reflection of reality.

I’ve practiced an annual “detoxification” from all social media during the winter months until my birthday (from January through the end of March). I’ve been following this practice since 2019. Initially, it stemmed from the need to alleviate distractions and time sinks while working on some personal projects. The unexpected and unintended results were indescribable.

Ironically during the early half of 2020, with the rise of the CV-19 pandemic and isolation that ensued, social media actually aided greatly in connecting and sharing with others in a critical time of need.

As the years following the pandemic have passed and life has returned to a semblance of “normal,” I find myself once again reminded of how peaceful and invigorating life can be when not constantly “connected.”

For me, stepping away from social media always brings a heightened awareness of time—the most critical variable in life—and an appreciation for simplicity. I am increasingly present in my day-to-day experiences, embracing activities that would often have been postponed, such as reading and writing. By disconnecting, I avoid the constant barrage of information from every corner of my digital world, including the pseudo-reality projected by most individuals and institutions online. Instead, I focus on the substance of my life.

I now call friends and family more frequently, opting for video chats and phone calls over impersonal digital interactions. Engaging with strangers and neighbors outside my immediate circle has become second nature, and I invest time and energy in my local community. Nature, the outdoors, and the sheer joy of being alive have become my companions. My relocation from the hustle and bustle of the Northeast to the more relaxed environment of the South has also contributed to this shift (more on that later).

In this simpler existence, I find greater happiness and authenticity, embracing both my flaws and triumphs. This isn’t to say that social media diminishes anyone’s authenticity; rather, it reflects my natural inclination to thrive in simplicity and purity.

While I remain ambitious in most aspects of life, I am simultaneously at peace and content, appreciating all that I have. Being off social media has allowed my mind to fully embrace creativity and rediscover joy in life’s simple pleasures.