My love-and-hate relationship with Social Media isn’t new. I have now known since 2021 that we were probably over.
But, Facebook and Instagram are like that toxic boyfriend you just cannot seem to break up with.
Every time I’d think about stepping away from Social Media, I’d come up with an excuse. To be fair, my business (Socialique Groupe) was born out of Social Media. (so maybe then it was a toxic parent???)
I started as a Social Media Strategist and had made Instagram my playground. I used to help entrepreneurs get qualified business leads from Instagram. This meant I used to create content for my clients and stay on top of the latest trends and strategies. This is how I marketed my business too. By creating content every single day and by “engaging” with people on Social every waking moment.
Back in 2017, even before I rolled out of bed, my fingers would reach for my phone and tap on that orange-red-purple square we all know very well. My mood would depend on how many followers my clients and I had gained overnight.
Just 3 months of constantly being on my phone had given me a pinched nerve in my neck and ER visits every few months from thereon.
Even when I weaned myself out of that very bad habit of reaching for my phone first thing in the morning (I haven’t done that since 2018), my life still pretty much was on Instagram and Facebook.
During what I call my “mid-life” crisis in 2021-2023, I severely decreased my existence on Social.
I stopped my thriving Facebook Group and deleted the app from my phone in 2021
Instagram stayed but would get a time-out from time to time.
Every few weeks I would want to delete the app and thus, my existence from Social but every time I would chicken out. I was exhausted from creating Content on Social. I was exhausted from consuming content on Social.
I was triggered by so many messages especially related to success and money, since I wasn’t doing anything in my business. But I was holding on to it for dear life.
I have a podcast to promote.
I am a part of a few FB Groups I actually like.
There are a few people online I would like to be in touch with.
And, what if I decide to offer something to my audience? How will I promote it then?
At the same time, I absolutely loathed being on Social. I still do not completely understand why I have not been able to have a decent relationship with it. Why I can’t interact with a few people without going down the Instagram portal of “doom scrolling.” Maybe it’s got to do with all the chemicals it produces in our brains. I hated it but I could not get away from it.
Last month, after getting inspired by my husband, I decided it was time to cut the cords.
Well…not really! What I decided was to take a break in a true Rachael-Ross fashion. “Let’s just do it for a month and we’ll see then!”
I deactivated my Facebook.
I deleted my Instagram from my phone and while I did not deactivate it (I do not know why!), I did share with a few friends that I am taking an Instagram sabbatical and they could no longer send me funny memes (the only reason why I bear Instagram!).
For the first 3-4 days, as I detoxed from the effects of Social Media, what I felt and experienced in my body was not very different from what an addict goes through.
My fingers twitched constantly and I had no idea what to do with all that void that was left by Facebook and Instagram.
I realized that even if I was not as active on these platforms as I used to be, the mind space they still occupied was enormous. It took a lot of my energy to keep that mind space constantly running.
After those initial days passed, my fingers finally stopped twitching. I felt the void shrinking and some of my vital life-source energy was restored.
It’s been 27 days since then. I am slowly coming up on my 1 month break and I am not sure if I wanna go back.
I haven’t missed Social Media at all. Nothing in my life has been made worse because of my absence from it.
A few changes I have noticed:
My attention span has increased (as I don’t reach for my phone every few minutes)
I have read more books than I usually do
I am talking to people (as in on the phone) as opposed to texting or sending DM’s
A subtle shift is that I am listening to how and what I want to do in my life, my business, and my creative expression rather than listening to what the “experts” are saying.
Yes, I still have my podcast and there is this “need” in me to promote it on Instagram but I haven’t honestly made the decision yet if I will go back to Instagram right now or not.
Of course, I still have Substack and that gives me a platform to share my work and use my creative expression but I have to be honest, it’s easy to fall into the same trap here too.
With so many features like Notes, Chat, etc etc, and with many “how to make a gazillion dollars on Substack” articles, if we are not conscious, we can start using Substack to feed our endorphins and fill that void. I had almost fallen into that trap a few months ago.
It has been so important to remind myself of my initial intention of starting a Substack publication:
Full Creative Expression.
Simple.
As far as Facebook-Instagram, I am not sure if we are “never, ever, ever getting back together.” I guess time will tell.
For now, I am enjoying my conscious uncoupling.
❤️
Deepshikha
P.S: Last two weeks, on the Journey Home to Self podcast, I’ve been talking about Embracing the Liminal Space and finding Freedom in it. I also shared 4 Journal Prompts to Uncover your Authentic Self.
If any of these interest you, I’d love for you to check out these short episodes below. ❤️