A Year Without Instagram: The Follow Up

Hello to everyone who may or may not have heard from me since the last time I posted a blog. I may be MIA on most social media, but yes, I am still alive. More alive than ever, actually.

So here’s the deal for anyone who didn’t read my previous blog: I took a leap of faith and deleted my Instagram. Just like any addiction, I went through a withdraw and came out of the other side with eyes wide open to a new perspective. It’s been great, and I hope that everyone gets to experience this new, or should I say old, way of life.

Since Deletion Day, everyday seems much more vivid. I am more aware of my surroundings, what I’m feeling, seeing, and doing. Heck, food even tastes better. Lets be honest, we all know someone, or are that someone, who will eat a meal with one hand and be looking at our phone with the other. I’m guilty of it, too! As if eating doesn’t deserve our full attention. But every bite, every crunch, every flavor is so much better when we’re not just eating like technology zombies.

I could go on endlessly about the wonderful things I have discovered, but instead want to talk about the responses I received after posting. I definitely was not expecting it to have the effect it did. Sure, my post received a lot of positive comments, but I had multiple people tell me at the time as well as recently, that they also deleted their Instagram after reading my post, and that blew me away. Our personal connections extend so much farther than simply hitting a “comment” or “like” button, and all of these responses showed me that.

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After everything’s been said and done, my Instagram has been deleted for over a year. I’m not shunning anyone who uses social media, but I love life so much more without it. That’s not to say that I won’t redownload the app at a later date, because it is really helpful for keeping up with people you might not normally talk to or see. I just find that I’m happier with myself, not comparing my body to all those “candid” beach shots or workout posts. Not comparing my social life to what everyone else is doing. And DEFINITELY not looking at all of the post-grad job offers my friends are accepting lately (that’s a whole other level of stress that would be enough to fill its own website).

For me, this experience has been all about becoming more aware of the environment, experiences, and people around me, as well as getting to know myself as an individual. There is so much out there for us to learn, and I think it’s easy to forget about taking the time to get to know ourselves. Knowing yourself is so incredibly vital as we move through life, relationships, work, and more. Having eliminated this digital realm of expectations, I got to take the time to ask myself, “How do you want people to see you, Soph? What do you stand for?” We all have a choice in how we act, what we say, and what we do. We will find the answers to these questions as we move through life, but you’ll never find the answer if you don’t ask first.

As of right now, I’m very happy without my Instagram and plan to continue what I’m doing. I challenge you to delete your Instagram app, if only just for one day. You might be surprised by what you find.

Aside from the sporadic Facebook post and blogs, you can find me in real life, where my awkwardness, morning bed head, and groutfits can’t hide behind a filter. If anything, you’ll never be bored with me around. Until next time.