We all love a good scroll through our Instagram and Facebook feeds. But our love for social media has become quite extreme. I’ve recently taken it upon myself to deprogram myself from the constant urge to check-in.

How I Knew It Was A Problem

There are some obvious signs that social media might be taking control of your life. I knew I had a problem when I set a time limit on my phone for social media usage and kept overriding that time limit. In recent months, I’ve been posting less on Instagram and Facebook. But, I’ve still been lurking. I tell myself it’s OK because I’m using social media as a tool to learn (I’m a member of exclusive groups that allow me to collaborate with like-minded individuals).

black woman working on laptop

Even the fact that I’m using social media to be productive in self-growth and business growth doesn’t take away from the fact that too much screen time can be toxic. I find myself taking phone breaks every 10-15 minutes at work. And it has become a habit that I desperately want to break myself out of. I think overall the problem is not social media itself. But maybe it’s more of a phone addiction. I want to break my addiction to my phone.

Changes

Since giving up the endless scrolling and trolling on social media, I’ve noticed that I am more confident in my own life. I am more happy with where I currently am because I’m not giving my energy away by being nosy. And most importantly, I’m no longer comparing my life to others. Another important thing that I have changed is I am beginning to unfollow ‘friends’ on social media. If you are my ‘friend’ we can communicate by phone or in person. I will no loner e-maintain relationships because its the laziest form of social interaction. Social media is the opposite of social. So put your phones down and start talking to people again.

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I realize this post is not the most well thought out article, but it’s what’s truly on my mind at this moment. What methods do you use to manage your time spent looking at screens? Your comments are welcome!