Wake up, scroll. Eat breakfast, scroll. Commute to work, scroll. Lunch time, scroll. Train home, scroll. Make dinner, scroll. Get into bed, scroll. Sleep, repeat. Sound familiar?
We live in a social media era. A world fixated on beauty standards, filtered realities and over-edited snapshots of the “perfect life”, all propped and postcard ready for our selective Insta feeds, and honestly, I’ve grown tired of it.
I’ve found myself endlessly scrolling through Instagram, staring at unrealised expectations thrusted onto me by the people I was following - all of which I didn’t know in the flesh. I felt constantly belittled, downtrodden and upset that I too couldn’t have this “ideal” life that I kept seeing splattered across socials, from the filtered images through to the immaculate interiors and houses I could only dream of. It had gotten to a point where I couldn’t tear myself away, constantly scrolling, opening, closing and reopening apps that didn’t make me happy, and there came a point where I knew I needed to let go but didn’t know how.
I’ve deleted the culprits off my phone, I’ve tried the time restricting apps, turned my phone on airplane mode whenever I can but it felt like a constant cycle of failure. And I’m not alone, there are thousands - millions even - like me who too are stuck in this endless cycle of unhappiness and comparison.
There are so many studies out there examining the deepening effects that social media has on its users. Even films and TV shows touching on the topic, from Bo Burnham’s coming-of-age teen hit, Eighth Grade to shows like Catfish proving that everyone you meet on the internet isn’t always who you think they are…
So I took the leap.
I haven’t stopped using the app as such but I’ve learnt to whittle down my usage by investing time in other things that make me happy, from making time for myself to simply picking up a tome I’ve been longing to read but kept putting off because I “never had time”.
If you’ve noticed your screen time creeping up and want to ditch - or, at least limit - social media, these are a few easy ways you can…
Give yourself a limit
Cut the crap and limit yourself to only using social media for a certain amount of time. In the same process, unfollow those same people who make you feel bad about yourself, it’ll save you so much time and energy in the long run.
Get outside
It sounds obvious but with the longer summer days ahead of us, now’s the time to make the most of the warmer weather. You'll less likely be scrolling on your phone if you're out and about exploring the best of the city.
Try out a new hobby
Whether it’s picking up the thread to crochet or learning to play croquet, ditch the phone and start that hobby.
Plan that road trip
If the weather isn’t playing ball, use your scrolling time to start planning out that holiday you’ve been dreaming of.
Join one of our events
As London’s top female membership, we’re dedicated to connecting fellow adventure seekers with one another through regular events, meet-ups and activities.
