Featured Photo by Chris Yang on Unsplash
I know the prompt addresses screentime generally and it is worthwhile to address the reliance we have on devices and the internet as individuals and as a society. However, I have had recent realizations and changes made in regards to social media use and I want to address that side of things. Many of us are continually attempting to find a good balance between the value social media can add to our lives in terms of connectivity, entertainment, and education and the harms to our time, mood, and self-confidence.
I have a hard time with what are almost compulsive behaviors around social media. I have been using social media as a way to avoid sitting with my thoughts and feelings. If I have a moment with nothing on my plate or occupying my attention I immediately turn to social media, even in moments where I’m begging myself to do something else. Once I’m on social media I find it impossible to stop scrolling. There will be times I will leave the app but I cannot physically stop myself from opening the app again right away. I have routinely found that I am staying up till 1 or 2 in the morning even as I internally yell about how awful I’m going to feel the next day.
Between those compulsions and the realization that I have been unintentionally ignoring an important aspect of my mental health, I reached a breaking point. I know my biggest temptations are usually TikTok and Tumblr so I deleted them off of my phone. My use of Facebook had been increasing so I also deleted that app off my phone. I still have FB Messenger, Snapchat, and Instagram because I use them for group chats I have with my friends, but I don’t use them for personal scrolling.
Outside of removing temptations I am renewing my commitment to focusing on becoming aware of the habits my brain has and retraining my brain with healthier habits. I’m hoping once I have a bit more comfort in my own head I won’t need or want the distractions as much. When I feel slightly more comfortable with not having my social media crutches I will want to challenge myself to look at and alter my screen time habits. While I can’t guarantee when that will come feel free to subscribe if you want to be notified when that does get posted. In the meantime I will keep you updated on the difficulties and successes of this current challenge.
Making the Internet My Accountability Partner 
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