Leaving social media changed my life

[FIZZYTEDDY]

Just a thread about how I believe leaving all forms of social media will improve your life! (Haha I know what you're thinking - "but OP you're on Mumsnet!" But you're all strangers here and it's a forum)

I left Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat for so many reasons and I can honestly say my life improved. If you're considering it, or you get frustrated at the content on these platforms, or being on them doesn't make you feel good or if you know you spend too much time on them - then I urge you - leave them!! Reasons I felt it helped me:

You have more time on your hands and you're not constantly glued to your phone for long periods - others notice this and children and family members will enjoy your attention

You're not constantly comparing yourself to peoples "supposed perfect lives" and decreases thoughts of jealousy, generally improves mentally health!

You learn to appreciate moments/memories/photographs without thinking "who will like this on Instagram" - this is probably the thing I notice the most!

It teaches better values to younger people to live in the moment and be present. It reduces and encourages less screen time.

You will continue to be in touch and communicate with friends who are important to you because you can still get in contact with them.

Anyone else agree with me? Anyone else go "cold turkey" 🙈🙈

I stopped following people on facebook.

I follow discussions on news, science and topics that interest me. But have unfriended all people.

I found the concept of "friends" (who weren't real friends) fake and didn't sit well with me. So stopped that aspect of SM. But not all aspects.

@capt what is Overit please?

Can’t believe the negative comments here! When something is used in excess, it’s not a good thing. There’s multiple studies proving that social media had a negative impact on mental health and well-being. Well done OP.

I left Facebook in 2017 after being on it for 10 years, definitely the best thing I ever did for my mental health.

Sounds like you're doing some good work learning to prioritise what's important to you. You're getting a lot of stick for it, but your intentions are good. For me, I grew up without the internet and never joined FB or other SM aside from this site. I agree with you that less SM can be a part of a healthy and happy lifestyle!

Wow you lot are harsh. Good for you OP. I enjoy a SM break every now and then too. Helps me focus on the smale scale world around me and my day to day interactions a bit more which are less depressing than the (mostly political) stuff I see on twitter.
I like Mumsnet because it's so banale and day to day chatty, but occasionally find the sheer range of things people get annoyed about disheartening.

@RiverSkater

www.ovarit.com You need a code to join. Unfortunately I don't have you. I used to be a Reddit sub where you could get codes. I am not sure it still exists, because well Reddit.

If you have to give something up completely, that's called addiction. There is a happy medium for sure, and there are lots of positive things about social media and staying in touch with people online, if you learn to use it properly.

Ooo the “no better than she ought” grim-faced, sneery responses. So MN, god it grates!

OP just write an enthusiastic post about her experience, to invite a discussion maybe. You get such a miserable bunch on MN that love to spread their negativity as far afield as they can.

I find SM as shallow as a puddle myself, and draining to boot. I rarely use it .

Should probably cut back on MN too. That post was 10 minutes I’ll never get back.

Good for you OP. I hope you keep your positive changes up.

I want to do this too but don't know how else I'd find out about local events that are always advertised on Facebook. Maybe by 'unfriending' everyone like someone mentioned above.

You're not constantly comparing yourself to peoples "supposed perfect lives" and decreases thoughts of jealousy, generally improves mentally health!

You learn to appreciate moments/memories/photographs without thinking "who will like this on Instagram" - this is probably the thing I notice the most!

Not everybody does these things though. I don't.

I know social media can be toxic and a massive time sucker, and there's no doubt it has an unhealthy effect on many teenagers and young people, but it seems a bit odd to think it's a positive move to ditch social media contact with friends and family in favour of a forum full of strangers.

For me, MN is the massive time sucker, FB is where I totally unproblematically interact with people I know and like, and Instagram is just where I follow pages related to my hobbies. If there's one I should ditch, it's MN (but I find it too addictive!).

Good grief no. I was never, ever under the illusion that anyone on facebook was really living "their best life" despite all the happy photos they post. I know of lots of people on facebook who post gushy lovey dovey statuses and I know that many of them are deeply unhappy. One posts photos of her expensive exotic wedding amid lots of jealous sighs from others but I know that as soon as they returned from honeymoon, he hit her and she spent 3 months in a women's refuge shelter (they are now back together on another holiday). One guy I went to school with gushes incessantly over his amazing girlfriend yet slides into my DMs and has sent me many drunken sexual messages at like, 3am.

I can give plenty of similar examples. I'm not saying that noone on FB is happy but I am just shocked that anyone would fall for the old "well they post happy edited photos so their lives MUST be better than mine" thing. People really think this? 😮

If you think this way then its no wonder it was making you feel like shit. You cannot take social media too seriously, I think of it a bit like reading Hello magazine- enjoy the funny, posed, pretty pictures but know that at the back of your mind, they'll probably be divorced before the next issue is out!!

I only have Facebook, but have no ‘friends’ on there, it’s purely to catch up on my bands and local news.
But I now spend far too long on MN.

With you all the way on this OP

@LantLint Yes!! 🙌🏼

Good for you making a move that changed your life for the better. Each to their own. Facebook is an important communication medium for me. I have no problem working out who my real friends, as opposed to my pleasant acquaintances are, and I like seeing most of their updates.

Yes I keep telling my daughter to ditch it. Makes her miserable. Not because of other peoples lives just because of the way messenger and WhatsApp work . She will always respond to messages be polite etc and she gets frustrated when her group of friends see her messages, read and don't reply . She can't stand the rudeness. Or if her friends invite then out and she's only one that replies . She says you wouldn't ignore someone face to face. I agree with her she turns off her phone regularly now and is always better for it

Thank you for the inspiration!

I’ve been toying with forms for this for some time and have just gone cold turkey- wish me luck!

Scarlett Johanssen’s interview about it gave me the final push. She said she’s too fragile for social media and it gives her FOMO and makes her wish she had someone else’s life as well as wasting time.

If someone as accomplished as Scarlett can feel less than from it then it confirms all I need to know that it’s not just a me problem 🙂

Completely respect for some it’s positive (and it used to be much more positive for me until my late thirties) and if it is I say crack on! Just know your own limits and protect your peace!

It’s the Vinted app for me. Couldn’t give a hoot about social media. But good Jayziz I love to pass an hour looking at other peoples tat ( and buying it) I seriously need to delete it