So, about a month and a half ago, I randomly decided that I wanted to delete my Snapchat. I just didn't want to look at it anymore. I felt like it was consuming too much of my life.
When I went to delete the app, I paused for a moment and questioned my decision. Why was it so hard in that moment to just click delete? I took to google, typed in ¨deleting my Snapchat¨ and read the first blog that came up. It was about how this girl, around my age, who deleted her Snapchat app and it basically changed things that she would of never imagined. Things I didn't even really consider. With that, I clicked right back into my app and impulsively deleted it. Once I deleted the app, I felt a huge weight come off of my chest. I felt like I overcame something big, huge. But why did I feel that way?
In her blog, she claims she had downloaded it back a couple times, only to realize that the same things she hoped wouldn't happen again, did, and she would delete it all over again, but truthfully, not once have I wanted to download it back, nor have I ever even really missed it. I did have to break the habit of trying to pull out my phone when something insignificantly awesome was happening, but then I would realize I couldn't show my ¨friends¨ in a ten second frame that really over half of them wouldn't appreciate anyway.
Some of the things I took away from this were things I didn't really realize were happening. So today I wanted to share a few of the relieving factors that just so happened to play into it.
When I went to delete the app, I paused for a moment and questioned my decision. Why was it so hard in that moment to just click delete? I took to google, typed in ¨deleting my Snapchat¨ and read the first blog that came up. It was about how this girl, around my age, who deleted her Snapchat app and it basically changed things that she would of never imagined. Things I didn't even really consider. With that, I clicked right back into my app and impulsively deleted it. Once I deleted the app, I felt a huge weight come off of my chest. I felt like I overcame something big, huge. But why did I feel that way?
In her blog, she claims she had downloaded it back a couple times, only to realize that the same things she hoped wouldn't happen again, did, and she would delete it all over again, but truthfully, not once have I wanted to download it back, nor have I ever even really missed it. I did have to break the habit of trying to pull out my phone when something insignificantly awesome was happening, but then I would realize I couldn't show my ¨friends¨ in a ten second frame that really over half of them wouldn't appreciate anyway.
Some of the things I took away from this were things I didn't really realize were happening. So today I wanted to share a few of the relieving factors that just so happened to play into it.
I Don't think about people who don't matter
I no longer have to reopen new wounds every time I open up my crush or ex-boyfriends Snapchat stories. And, I no longer have to look at peoples lives that were toxic to me in the first place. I remember that good old days, where when you didn't like someone, you basically forgot about them until you bumped into them in public. Then you were kind of like oh, yeah, you exist. You might of gotten angry for a little bit, but then you kind of just moved on. Now, we have everyone in front of our faces constantly. When do we catch a break? The same factors play into school bullying. When you would come home, you were free from the pressures you felt at school, but now, children come home and still have to be faced with their bullies via social media. No conclusion.
I don't feel left out
I don't have to sit and think I am doing nothing with my life when its a Saturday night and everyone is in Cleveland but me. I also don't need to feel bad when I have done nothing but work all week when all of my other Snapchat friends have been vacationing for 3 months straight. I had to stop comparing what I was doing with my life to everyone else's. Just because everyone else is doing big things right now, that does not mean you have to do it, too. Everyone's time will come eventually, we just put high pressures on ourselves because social media makes us think things have to happen NOW.
People Don't know what I am doing all the time
To tell people big exciting news is one thing, but to constantly let people see your journey and your process? Now that's just a little much. We don't want everyone to see what we are doing all the time. Sometimes it great to let people guess and wonder what we are working on. Don't give too much detail before displaying the final project. I have found nothing it worse than when people make a huge deal of things on social and then never follow through with it, multiple times. Your integrity goes right out of the window because you couldn't hold off form telling people until it was actually happening. Basically, people try to get compliments on things before they even necessarily succeed in the thing of which they planned on doing. We see that a lot in this day and age, because when people want to feel better about what they are doing they always take to social media.
I don't feel the need to post tiny details of my life
I hurt myself dead lifting and felt the need to post pictures of my wound, not just once, but multiple times, when it literally was so irrelevant to everyone else's lives. No one cares that I got hurt, and no one cares that its healing poorly. Similarly, no one cares that I am eating pizza for the third time this week and no one gives a shit that I washed my car either. We feel the need to give minor details to people who really don't want it. Vice versa, why do I think looking at the minor details of someone else's life is more important than focusing on the dinner that I am having with someone who actually cares about me?
I don't need to record my whole experience
I can now take a couple normal pictures for my IG and then lay off of my phone the rest of the event. People can see that I went to a Lana Del Rey concert, but do not need to see her perform every song, even if it is my favorite and I want to record the shit out of it for everyone else. If they wanted to see her live then they would of bought a ticket. When you go to any social gathering or event, its not uncommon to see phones in front of everyone's faces. We literally watch things through our camera to make sure we are fitting the frame right. If we watch the event through our phone, then we are getting the same experience as our friends sitting at home. Take a couple selfies, then put the damn phone down.
I don't need to always look good
We live in an age where no matter what day it is, we basically are always in danger of getting our pictures taken, for no reason at whatsoever. So with that, why wouldn't we want to cover up our acne, and look like we are naturally flawless? I got so sick of doing my makeup on my days off so I could ¨hang out¨ on Snapchat without looking like a TOE. Why put that ridiculous pressure on ourselves all of the time like that? On top of already covering our faces, they added filters, to make you look even better. Realistically, I don't need to look better, I just need the camera out of my face 24/7.
I don't need to focus on anyone but myself
All around I just love not having to focus on what everyone else is doing all day. It has impacted my life greatly and this is a change I would like to remain perpetual. Focusing on myself instead of everyone else has left great room for improvement and when you aren't constantly comparing yourself to others it makes it that much easier. I am on my own journey, and I need to remember that.
I deleted my Twitter and Snapchat in one sitting but I only saw major differences from deleting Snapchat since I really wasn't on Twitter as much. I didn't realize that things would be so different in certain ways until I deleted an app that was actually taking so much out of me and making me do things that were out of my element, like taking pictures of things that DID NOT MATTER. I love that I can now give my full focus on whats right in front of me instead of looking through my camera and showing everyone else.
Though, I still have Facebook and Instagram, I find myself bored with the news feeds after a few scrolls and I am not so consumed with them. And don't get me wrong, I still like to be somewhat connected to the virtual world unfortunately.
Social media and technology are a great thing if we use it in moderation and don't let it take us over, affect our emotions, or make us do things that are just not us. Its insane to think we are always in front of a camera and that life wasn't always like this. No wonder why it has changed so much.
It really gives you something to think about at the end of the day.
I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post and will consider taking sometime away from something that is consuming you, no matter what it is, and focusing on how it positively affects your life.
For now I am logging off.
Xoxo,
Courtney Faith
Though, I still have Facebook and Instagram, I find myself bored with the news feeds after a few scrolls and I am not so consumed with them. And don't get me wrong, I still like to be somewhat connected to the virtual world unfortunately.
Social media and technology are a great thing if we use it in moderation and don't let it take us over, affect our emotions, or make us do things that are just not us. Its insane to think we are always in front of a camera and that life wasn't always like this. No wonder why it has changed so much.
It really gives you something to think about at the end of the day.
I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post and will consider taking sometime away from something that is consuming you, no matter what it is, and focusing on how it positively affects your life.
For now I am logging off.
Xoxo,
Courtney Faith