I know... ironic that I'm posting about my 'social media cleanse' on social media. And I know... classic Sammie deleting and downloading social media like it's my past time. BUT, I've decided that if I'm going to get social media back periodically, then I need to write out all the reasons I loved having it deleted so that I can continue to set healthy boundaries with it. So here's a list of reasons to delete it, lessons learned from not having it, and future boundaries I plan on setting.
The main reason that I loved not having social media was that I experienced things for me. Every adventure that I went on this summer was solely for the experience and the internal satisfaction of doing things I loved. Each picture no longer had the hidden meaning of 'I can't wait to show people how cool this is' or 'this has to be good enough for Instagram.' I found myself in the middle of moments, taking a deep breath and thinking 'I will never be in this moment again.' I appreciated life a whole lot more and cared about what people thought of my life a whole lot less.
A lesson I learned from not having Instagram was that a lot of the time, I had it downloaded for all of the wrong reasons. To compare myself to another girl, to see if the boy I thought was cute followed me, to post a good picture of myself hoping certain people would see it. All of these thoughts had a common denominator: appearance. Every time I went on Instagram I was so appearance focused. I would stare at a picture of myself for twenty minutes, overanalyzing every little detail just looking for a flaw that someone might notice if they looked at me for too long. This is the verse God consistently put on my heart during this time away:
"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'” 1 Samuel 16:7
In this verse, Saul (the King of Israel) was rejected by the Lord, so God sent Samuel (one of the great judges of Israel) to find His next anointed King. Samuel went to the house of Jesse, and thought that the new king would surely be one of his older sons, who looked like kings. But God told him that the next king would be a man after God's own heart, not one who looked like a king. I find this verse so comforting. Yes, God created my outward appearance and loves it, but the part of me that is made in His image is my heart. And this is true for you too! Ever since I stopped overanalyzing every picture of myself, or comparing myself to other girls, I've been able to turn away from convincing myself I'm pretty to reminding myself that it doesn't matter. When I think about God and how beautiful He is because of His everlasting love, grace, kindness, mercy, justice, and hope, there's no physical appearance in the equation. He is beautiful because He is good. It's so much easier to view myself based on who God created me to be when I'm not constantly comparing myself to others, and instead focusing on His goodness.
Here are some tips/boundaries for social media that I'll be setting for myself going into the new year:
If you want to redownload the app, give yourself a day to think it over. If you do this, the boredom and curiosity will most likely wear off and you won't feel a need to get it back.
Don't redownload Instagram if it has ANYTHING to do with looking up a guy/comparing yourself to another girl.
Only post pictures that you are truly happy in/that you really love!
If you're posting a picture hoping that a certain person will see it, then reconsider posting it and if that person deserves to see what you're up to right now.
Don't scroll! Hype up your friends + post what you want but scrolling past acquaintances photos will only make you compare yourself.
Get comfortable deleting the app. If you feel like you can't delete social media for any reason, then that's the time you need to delete it most.
Focus on the heart :)
Lastly, my mom requested that I include a reason to have social media (specifically Instagram) in here: because your parents probably send you a ton of Instagram reels (specifically Brunch with Babs) that you have to see. Do with that what you will. Happy new year.
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