I’ve been on social media for at least 15 years. It all started with Bebo (anyone else remember Bebo?) and has transitioned into TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. I’ve been feeling drained with all of the information shared on these platforms and I do contribute some of my anxiety to this information overload.
I started taking a break from all social media platforms on March 1st.. I’ve taken quite a few breaks from blogging over the years and I really do think that it’s okay to take breaks. I’ve only taken one social media break though and it was very short lived and actually resulted in me creating a new Facebook profile so I didn’t have to see all of the negativity associated with my old one.
I don’t know how long this break will last. I’m trying to spend the time I would have spent scrolling through Instagram on things that I actually enjoy like reading, taking Oscar for walks, and planning for my garden.
If I miss a tag or liking a post it’s because of this. I do really miss seeing what people are up to so I will try to focus more on WordPress and reading/commenting on posts. I originally considered WordPress to be something that I needed a break from too but blogging can be really therapeutic so I will continue to stay on here for as long as it remains healthy for me.
Something that I have struggled with since I started this blog was how much I should share. It’s easy to overshare while I’m hiding behind a screen but I have a much harder time confronting these things in my real life. Sometimes it’s better to keep things to myself until I’m ready to share and I feel like this is one of those times. Taking this break from social media will allow me to focus on myself like I really need to.
Have you ever taken a break from social media or blogging? If yes, did you find the break helpful?
Life of Hayley 
I took a break from IG in 2019 and a break from FB in 2018 and haven’t looked back. My accounts still exist but I have no desire to use these platforms. I only use WP these days and even then, I find that I don’t have a lot of time to publish blog posts. I couldn’t imagine how unproductive I would be if social media was still a key element in my life. I barely have enough time in the day as it is! 😂
Quitting social media in the beginning is hard, but trust me, it gets easier with time. Give it a few months and you probably won’t miss it nearly as much. Good luck! 🙌
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I barely post to my IG feed but have really loved using stories. I find Facebook pretty boring and don’t use that much either. It’s been easier than I thought it would be for sure. I can’t believe how much time I was spending just mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds. Such a waste of time!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I’m finding much better ways to spend my time and feel much better cutting out all of the random information I was absorbing.
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As much as I love blogging, there have been a number of times over the years where I’ve reached the point where it just felt like a chore to keep up with my blog. But those breaks in blogging have never amounted to more than taking a month or so off from regular blogging. But even in those breaks, I would randomly post something to either remind myself that I had a blog or remind readers that I was still around somewhere.
I’ve threatened to quit all the social media from time to time because it’s just so exhausting to see so many people tearing each other down. In a lot of ways, I still love checking my Twitter feed to see what’s going on with people I follow. At the same time, it’s so frustrating to feel like every day there’s a new celebrity that’s being canceled over there. I’m sure if I deleted social media apps from my phone and deactivated my accounts all together, I would regret it for a couple of days… but I’m also certain I’d get over it and be just fine. I just haven’t managed to pull that trigger yet.
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I know what you mean. I quit blogging for a year and really missed it. There’s just something so comforting about having a space that’s all yours to create and grow.
I pretty much cut social media cold turkey. I thought about it for a few days and decided to just go for it. I do miss checking Twitter and Instagram to see what’s going on but you’re right it is frustrating to see people being cancelled and degraded all over the place. Even if you don’t delete social media it might be nice to take a little break. I’ve found it pretty enjoyable so far at least!
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I think it’s healthy to need, want and take breaks from social media. It can be easy to get bogged down and feeling like you have to see what people are up to and I think that’s one of the biggest downsides of social media, you connect and follow people but they don’t actually have an active part in your life and sometimes it can feel like you have people wanting to be nosy and snoop rather than people who understand what you’ve been going through day to day and want to help. Don’t get me wrong online friendships are real too and there are lovely people online that I now consider friends. Since my break up last month I’ve been keeping off Facebook (I barely use it anyway) and it’s been nice 🙂
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It is healthy to need a break from all things really. We are constantly surrounded with information so it’s good to turn our minds off for a bit and just focus on what’s going on in our own minds and bodies.
Online friendships have been great. Sometimes I feel like I talk to my blog friends more than my in person friends. And that’s okay.
Breakups are so hard and keeping off Facebook is probably for the best. I’ve been sending positive vibes your way and am here if you want to talk! You’ve always been so kind and supportive of me and I’d love to be able to return the favor. ❤️
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I feel the same I talk to online friend quite frequently 😊 I don’t use Facebook a lot at the best of times but I’ve just enjoyed taking a bit more time out for myself. The relationship didn’t end on bad terms, I’ve mostly made peace with things and as far as I know I didn’t do anything wrong. He says he thought he was ready for a relationship but realised he isn’t and that’s not for me to determine. We may meet up as friends in the near future, I know the couple ship has sailed but it would be interesting to see if he has anything to say and how he’d act.
That’s so kind of you, thank you ❤️
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I inadvertently took a break from social media because I’m not very popular, and found less and less reason to log on, lol. So in that sense I have. I think it’s great to take breaks too, so that’s good. Anyway, thanks for sharing!
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I’ve taken breaks like that from social media too. I just had no reason to log on and didn’t find it enjoyable. It was never a major effort of my part though. I think it’s really important to take breaks as needed.
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