Stepping Away From Social Media
By Isabella Tricarico
Each Lent, I decide on something I want to give up, whether that’s my favorite food or a habit I can’t get out of. I try to give it up. I grew up in a religious environment, and each year I did this. However, as I got older, I started to look at Lent from a different perspective. It wasn’t just about not eating chocolate for forty days, but using it as a time to work on something in my own life. I started to think about Lent as a way to better myself in hopes that I could establish healthy habits. I have begun to focus on giving up bad mental habits, and although it’s hard to change overnight, it has made me much more aware and conscious of stopping various toxic behaviors.
This Lent, I decided to give up social media. Growing up in our generation, social media has been a massive part of life. In many ways, it has done a lot of good. It has become an outlet for people to express themselves, connect, and find entertainment. However, despite the good that it has done, I notice the negative effects it has on me. I started looking at how much time I spent on Tik Tok or Instagram each day, and I wondered how it was even possible to have that much time to spend on such apps. The news I was learning was not always accurate, and I was wasting time throughout my day that I could be filling with other, more valuable things.
Since deleting social media, I have been able to focus on my school work or on checking tasks off my to-do list. Instead of filling my free time, I am forced to find something productive to do. Whether that’s starting to study early or doing my homework, I can put my energy towards something much more important than scrolling on social media. I have found new hobbies that I genuinely enjoy. For example, something that I love to do every morning when I wake up is complete the Wordle and New York Times crossword mini before I start my day. It allows me to accomplish something every morning before getting through the rest of my day. I started putting my phone down earlier at night and reading a book of my choice before bed instead of scrolling. If you think limiting your social media use could be helpful for you, it could be beneficial to place time limits on your social media apps as well.
Giving up social media has not only given my mind a break from constant social media, but it has also helped me to be more productive throughout the day. After these forty days are up, I plan on continuing productive habits and limiting my social media exposure. I have seen positive effects from the absence of social media, and I have learned new ways to fill my time. I hope you can find the same results too.
