I Deleted Social Media. Here’s What Happened
I never would have said I was addicted to my phone — until I deleted social media. The moment I removed Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter, it hit me just how much of my life had been slipping away into an endless scroll.
I’m not here to be preachy or act like I’ve unlocked some higher level of existence by deleting social media. I don’t think I’m better than anyone for doing this, and I definitely don’t have it all figured out. But I do think it changed a lot for me, and I want to share my experience.
Before I deleted the apps, my screen time was hovering around 7–8 hours a day. Some of that was messaging, Google, and Spotify/YouTube, but I was easily spending 2–4 hours on social media alone. There were probably days when it was even more. I wasn’t just scrolling for fun — I was constantly and subconsciously picking up my phone to fight boredom, distract myself, or chase some quick dopamine hit. Twitter was my news source. TikTok was for entertainment, inspiration, and following trends. Instagram kept me connected to friends and my community. But in reality, none of these apps were actually serving me. They were just stealing my time and attention.
I knew it was a problem. I complained about it like we all do. I constantly felt overwhelmed, distracted, and unproductive, but I justified keeping the apps anyway. “Oh, I just need TikTok for inspiration” or “Instagram helps me stay in touch with people.” But when I really thought about it, I realized I was just making excuses to keep doing something that wasn’t actually serving me.
So, I finally deleted them. And here’s what happened.
The 5 Biggest Changes I Noticed
1. My Focus and Mental Clarity Skyrocketed
Without the constant pull of notifications and the temptation to “just check TikTok for a minute” (which always turned into an hour or more), my brain felt like it could finally take a deep sigh of relief.
I started noticing how often I used to reach for my phone out of pure habit — whether I was waiting in line, watching TV, or even walking from one room to another. Now, without that reflex, I feel more engaged in everyday life. My attention span has stretched beyond the 15-second clips I was feeding it.
Even the mundane parts of life feel more interesting again. I don’t get instantly bored or disengaged like I used to when I had an easy escape in my pocket. Tasks like cooking, cleaning, or just sitting with my thoughts feel more natural, instead of something I need to distract or entertain myself through.
2. My Goals Actually Became Easier to Accomplish
For so long, I kept convincing myself that I just wasn’t disciplined enough. I wanted to read more, work out consistently, cook at home, and keep my space clean — but I always fell short. Turns out, it wasn’t a motivation problem. It was an attention problem.
Social media was constantly draining my willpower, making even the simplest tasks feel like a struggle. Once I cut it out, I suddenly had the mental energy to actually start doing the things I had been putting off.
Instead of “just checking TikTok for 5 minutes” and losing another 45, I now get up and do the thing I wanted to do. And after a few days of consistency, those things become habits. The hardest part of any goal is just starting — and social media was making that so much harder than it needed to be.
3. I Stopped Feeling Like I Was Falling Behind
“Comparison is the thief of joy,” and social media makes it impossible to escape this. Even if I wasn’t consciously comparing myself to people and lifestyles on social media, I was subconsciously stacking my life up against strangers who had completely different paths, priorities, and circumstances.
I would often be burdened with constant thoughts like: Should I be traveling the world? Climbing the corporate ladder? Buying a house? Investing in a capsule wardrobe? Using more retinol? Cutting out microplastics and Red 40? It’s exhausting. And worst of all, there was no clear answer. No matter what I did, there was always someone online doing something else that made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough.
The weirdest part is that most of these people on my feeds didn’t even matter to me. When I was on social media, I somehow knew everything about random peoples’ relationships, their latest brand deals, and even their drama. Tell me why I knew the name of Pookie and Jett’s new baby. Or why I was emotionally invested in a TikTok conspiracy about a woman I had never heard of named Nurse Hannah. THAT’S WEIRD. I am never going to meet these people, and truthfully, their personal lives should not matter to me. Watching their content did not tangibly benefit my life.
Without social media, my brain isn’t cluttered with irrelevant information about people I will never meet. Instead, I focus on the relationships that actually matter to me — my friends, my family, my circle. I admire the people around me and use them as a guiding force for inspiration, instead of chasing after some random person’s version of success.
Because seriously — why was I jealous of a makeup and skincare influencer in LA when I don’t even like makeup that much and have zero interest in living in LA? How did these people even end up on my feed, and why was I so enamored with them?
4. My Mood Stabilized and the Doom Feeling Went Away
Less social media meant less exposure to negativity. I am no longer being bombarded with bad news, outrage, and random internet drama that had no real impact on my life but still managed to stress me out.
Social media rewards extreme emotions — whether it’s anger, excitement, or sadness. But without that constant flood of highs and lows, I feel more emotionally stable. Less reactive, more in control. I don’t get sucked into debates about things I don’t actually care about. I don’t spiral over every terrible news headline. I just… exist. And it’s so much better.
5. I Replaced Mindless Scrolling With Intentional Activities
When you take away a bad habit, you have to replace it with something else. I found myself naturally gravitating toward activities that actually serve me — like reading, walking, journaling, and listening to music. I’ve also started learning new skills and hobbies. Instead of passively consuming content, I’m actually doing things.
Would I Go Back?
I won’t lie — there have been moments of FOMO. Social media is so deeply tied to Gen Z culture that sometimes it feels like I have to be in the loop to stay relevant. When friends reference a viral meme or a new trend, I sometimes have to say, “Oh no, I haven’t seen that one,” and in the past, that would have made me feel out of touch. But I’ve realized it doesn’t actually matter.
I still hear about the things that matter. If something is really important — whether it’s news, pop culture, or a major trend — I hear about it from friends, family, coworkers, or actual news sources. I now have the luxury of not being overwhelmed by a constant flood of information. I don’t have to see what strangers and bots are saying about every single event. I don’t have to form an opinion on everything. Things happen. And then time passes. And life goes on.
I could see myself redownloading Instagram at some point, just to stay connected with trends, friends, and things happening in my community. But I also know myself — I could just as easily fall right back into the addictive spiral, scrolling endlessly for no real reason.
TikTok, though? That one is probably never coming back. It’s a massive time suck, and at the end of the day, it’s just one big ad machine designed to keep you hooked. I don’t miss it at all.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like you never have time for the things you actually want to do, try deleting social media — even just for a week. See how it feels. You might realize that the world feels a lot bigger when you’re not looking at it through a screen.
