Life has been overwhelming lately. In addition to that, for comfort, I’d started mindless scrolling by switching between apps. I didn’t even post anything on them, but I started refreshing the Explore tab and watching reels and shorts. My days were super busy, but I tended to check my phone even when I got a minute. Moreover, due to personal reasons, I was in a bad mood.
Days went by and I started feeling icky about my scrolling. One fine night, I stumbled upon an article regarding ‘Dopamine Detox’ and once I finished reading, I thought of doing a small experiment and deleted all the short video apps like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. I had to retain YouTube as I use it for research. I successfully deleted and stopped using them for a week and these are the things I experienced.
Day 1:
I felt pretty good and content about not scrolling through my phone, but the urge to open my phone was still there. Later that day, I ended up watching some YouTube videos instead.
Day 2:
After watching YouTube videos, I was tempted to scroll through short videos, which was equally a toxic habit if I wanted to stop mindless scrolling. Therefore, I thought to delete the YouTube as well.
Day 3:
I started checking off the tasks I had been procrastinating on, and I definitely felt good about my progress. I also forced myself to read the book that had been on my list, and I felt happy. I must confess, there were temptations to reinstall Instagram because of the ‘Fear of Missing Out’.
Day 4:
I was quite content and started forgetting about the apps. It felt like the people on Instagram were from another universe, and I wasn’t a part of it, which made me happy.
Day 5:
It was the same as the day before, except I had to watch some videos while checking on something. I watched them on Google, but it was quite difficult to play the videos directly from the Google search results.
Day 6:
I totally forgot about the existence of Instagram and TikTok, but I intensely missed having videos in the background, especially during my commute. I read books for a bit, but during walks, I wanted to watch something. So, I reinstalled YouTube and promised myself I would only watch videos I could learn from. However, the shorts were super distracting! App developers craft these short videos to keep us hooked.
Day 7:
It was the last day of the experiment, and I was absolutely okay with not reinstalling Instagram. I wasn’t missing out on anyone’s updates or pictures, even though I have friends who share reels 24/7. I even felt anxious about whether I would lose the peace I had found in my life by reinstalling Instagram.
I admit that in the lifestyle we are currently leading, since my career requires constant updates of digital marketing components, it’s extremely hard for me to dodge social media entirely. All we can do is use it mindfully. It’s important for us to connect with our family and friends, especially when living in a different city. The only solution is to track screen time and, if needed, set alarms to get out of those apps to avoid addiction.
Honestly, it’s still hard, but we can try to limit screen time. I hope this blog sheds some light on your life. If you are already fed up with doomscrolling and don’t want to waste your time and energy anymore, this is for you. If you enjoyed this blog, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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