The InsTwiBook Filter

Do you have times where you’ve logged on to your social media account, done all the scrolling and double-tapping and retweeting and posting and Snapping and then put your phone down with a huge sigh?

Felt like your mind’s just been cluttered with a load of I don’t even know what to call it but clutter…

I was on the scroll one day after work. Plunged on to my bed and began to scroll on the timelines; from Twitter to Instagram to Facebook to SnapChat, repeat. By the time I’d finished about an hour had passed.

It’s not the time that had passed that necessarily bothered me but the way I felt after. When I was done, I was left feeling down, envious of what others have, comparing myself to others, tempted, slightly annoyed and like a bit of a helpless soul.

What is it about social media that has me feeling left like this? Everyone knows now that’s a vast virtual world that is full of a lot of fakery…so what is it then? That has me feeling like everyone else is having a better time than me and doing way better than me?

The feeling was constant and so I decided to give myself a month’s break. Listen. When I say it was the best thing I could ever do for myself?

Here are 4 things I got from it:

1. I didn’t feel the need and obligation to post. I didn’t need to ”do it for the gram’”. At times, I’d pick up my phone to Snap what I was doing to let everyone know I was doing. You’d be surprised how unconsciously you pick up your phone to “do it for the gram’”. It becomes a norm.

2. I started to enjoy me more. Because I wasn’t doing any scrolling, I wasn’t comparing myself to anyone. I wouldn’t see the successes of others and feel intimidated, I wouldn’t see babies being born by girls younger than myself and feel completely infertile, I wouldn’t see how Black Twitter was regularly putting men down and joining in with the ‘men are trash’ malarkey. There was more self-love and embrace for my flaws and imperfections, I finally started to see them as beautiful.

3. You’re in your own world and begin to appreciate that every good and perfect thing comes from God (James 1:17) and that all things are made perfect in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and that He’s given you the fruit of patience (Galatians 5:22) for His own glorification.

4. Social media is a lie, issa scam, is a vast virtual world. Although I’ve known it for some time now, I’ve learnt even more to never envy anyone. It’s become more concrete. Not only in real life but especially on social platforms. It’s just too expensive.

Taking regular breaks should definitely be part of your regime. You’ll definitely see the difference in different areas of your life.