Our thumbs were once powerful tools that the first humans used to hunt for food and build shelter.
After evolving, our ancestors used them to labor in factories to run their large families.
And now we primarily use them for? That’s right, scrolling.
We’ve very proudly made sh*t of a priceless, God-given tool that was supposed to make our lives better.
Social media started as a wonderful invention. It connected us and gave us knowledge that college textbooks couldn’t teach us.
But, it was too good to be true — because as much as it has given us, it’s taken far, far more.
It’s taken away our peace of mind, self-esteem, sense of gratitude, and contentment.
You can already tell what my opinion is on social media, but how do I convince you?
Well, this post will highlight 13 compelling reasons to quit social media — and you’ll be so grateful you did.
Table of Contents
1. You’ll Build Quality Relationships
You might feel like you’re committing social suicide if you decide to quit social media.
You’re thinking, “What will happen to my 500 Facebook friends and 2000 Instagram followers.”
And I hate to break it to you, but literally, nothing will happen. Most of those people won’t even notice you’re gone because everyone is too obsessed with themselves.
Instead, focus on your “real life” relationships and invest your time and energy into them.
When last did you listen to your boyfriend attentively without scrolling Instagram? When last did you go for coffee with a close friend? And when last did you phone a friend to check up on them?
Identify your close inner circle — the people who have stood by you through thick and thin (in person, not the ones who only send a million crying emojis as a symbol of comfort) — and give them your time.
These are the relationships you’ll have for the rest of your life. So, stop giving importance to your “Facebook friends” and “followers”. They don’t care about you.
2. You’ll Stop Seeking External Validation
Do you base your happiness and self-worth on how many likes and comments you get?
If yes, then you’ve been seeking external validation, and it’s time to say goodbye to social media.
When you quit social media, you’ll start spending more quality alone time, and you’ll even discover new things about who you are.
Over time, you’ll get used to not being externally validated, and you’ll find internal validation instead.
When I was in college, I was part of the Facebook crew. Every time I posted a picture, I waited with bated breath to see how many likes I would get.
Only now did I realize how unhappy and unconfident I was back then. I was using Facebook as a crutch to get me through the day.
Once I deactivated my account, I didn’t even miss it. It felt liberating, and I finally had time to improve my self-esteem.
3. You’ll Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Sarah posts a picture of a frappuccino on the table of a cute bistro — next to it is the latest MacBook.
You look around at your old kitchen and Dell laptop and think you’re an idiot.
When you have social media, you’ll always compare your life to others and will never be satisfied with what you have.
What’s worse is that social media only shows us the best side of people. We don’t see 99% of what’s really going on in people’s lives, yet we make judgments about the 1%.
When you quit social media, you’ll stay in your lane, focus on your own life, and stop making comparisons.
4. You’ll Be More Focused and Productive
There’s no doubt that social media is a huge distraction. In fact, studies suggest that higher social media use causes ADHD symptoms.
This is a huge problem as our focus and productivity levels are threatened.
Cal Newport, the author of Deep Work, says that to do focused, “deep” work, one must minimize distractions, or we’ll end up doing “shallow” work. Shallow work doesn’t explore the creative layers of our brain because we’re too distracted.
From experience, being an active social media user made me a worse student and writer. I could feel the massive decrease in my attention span and increase in anxiety levels.
When I quit, it took a while for my attention span to reset itself because I was so used to being constantly overstimulated with my phone.
But now it’s easier for me to do deep work and move into a flow state.
5. You’ll Have More Time to Spend On Healthy Habits
We’ve all been there — where five minutes can quickly turn into two hours of mindless scrolling.
That time could’ve been spent doing something meaningful like reading, exercising, or even learning how to cook.
Everyone quickly points out that they “never have time” to work out or finish reading a book, yet so much time is wasted online.
Related Post: What to Do Instead of Going on Social Media (+40 Useful Things)
6. You’ll Become More Positive
There’s a lot of negativity brewing online, and most of it stems from a million toxic opinions.
When I watch a YouTube video, sometimes I like to go through the comments. I’m always amazed at how people nitpick over petty issues.
Moreover, suddenly everyone and their grandmother has an opinion about everything. Unfortunately, this battle of toxic beliefs is easy to get sucked into.
However, when you quit, you’ll start forming your own opinions about things and be less likely to absorb someone else’s negativity.
7. You’ll Be Less Afraid of Someone Violating Your Privacy
The first time I was forced to leave Facebook was when my friends’ accounts were hacked.
Suddenly, each one of them was selling sex toys. It was embarrassing, and I ran before it happened to me.
Today, worse things are happening online, and they can ruin your peace of mind. Nobody wants their privacy violated — online or offline.
8. You’ll Feel More Present, Alive, and Awake
Being constantly online is a brilliant way to disconnect yourself from reality.
You forget about the present and get sucked into a different world — the world behind the screen.
Imagine going on a date with somebody who’s attached to their phone. Wouldn’t you be annoyed with them? You’d probably think, “Am I not interesting enough? Why are they not here in the moment with me?”
Yet we do the same thing to other people.
I’ve lost count of how often I ignored my mother when she was talking to me or a friend who was telling me an interesting story about their lives.
Additionally, the physical effects of social media are concerning. Constant exposure to blue light from your phone can give you a massive headache and make you feel lethargic.
Since I left social media, I’ve never felt more fresh and alive!
9. You’ll Sleep Better
Your sleep quality dramatically improves when you quit social media because your anxiety levels decrease, and so does exposure to blue light.
Blue light from devices tricks your body into believing it’s still daytime because it boosts alertness. This obviously makes it harder to relax when it’s time for bed.
Since I quit using social media, I’ve become an early sleeper. Before, I would find it hard to mentally shut down before 1 a.m.
Related Post: Design a Mindful Morning Routine That Works for You: 9 Habits
10. You’ll Feel Less Stressed
Social media causes too much unnecessary stress — from listening to news about a world affair or comparing yourself to somebody else.
It’s an anxiety-infested medium.
Moreover, there’s fake news always making its rounds, which can rile you up.
Two years ago, there were riots in my city. Channels like WhatsApp and Facebook helped us monitor the situation, but they also made things out to be worse than they were.
People released fake pictures and voice notes, and it stressed me out so much I would start shaking.
However, when I looked at my father, I saw how calm and unbothered he was by the situation. He doesn’t have any social media accounts, so he wasn’t exposed to the fake news.
That was the moment I committed to reducing my social media intake. A few months later, I left it completely.
11. You’ll Be More Creative
Social media = consumption.
There are very few creators on social media; most people use it to consume information.
Consumption, to a certain extent, is necessary for us to learn from others and develop our own ideas. However, if you consume too much, then you lower your ability to think for yourself.
I’ve felt this change deeply in my own life. When I stopped consuming others’ materials, I had more creative epiphanies.
12. You’ll Discover Yourself
When you’re no longer imprisoned by others’ opinions, you form your own. In this process, you learn more about who you are and what makes you tick.
You’ll also improve as a person because now you’ll have the time to dedicate towards personal growth.
However, the most crucial change for me was setting my own definition of success. I no longer feel tied to other people’s idea of success because I don’t compare myself to anybody anymore.
I’m 100% mesmerized with my own life.
13. You’ll Discover the Beauty of Life
Leaving social media will help you appreciate the beauty of life in reality and not over a screen.
You’ll stop aiming for likes and followers and rather a life enriched with new challenges and experiences.
Basically, you’ll have more time to create a meaningful life that is actually lived and not scrolled through.
Final Thoughts
Quitting social media was the best decision I ever made. I’ve become more productive, happier, and grateful for my life. And I’ve formed stronger “real life” relationships.
I still use WhatsApp to communicate with my loved ones — but that’s about it.
Let me know your thoughts about this post and if I’ve convinced you.