I went cold turkey on Social Media and here's what happened...

So, this January, my friends and I decided to do dry Jan, but instead of booze, we gave up social media.

At first, I was apprehensive; how will I know what people are up to? How will I cope not being tagged in hilarious memes by my friends? How will I know when people's birthdays are?

Firstly, all the people who's birthdays I actually care about, I already know the date. I don't need a Facebook reminder. Its nice to wish someone a happy birthday, and its great to feel popular when you get 30+ messages on your own birthday, but is it really life changing if you don't / they don't? No.

Anyway, Facebook was never the problem. Gone are the days when Facebook ruled and you could actually see what was going on in peoples lives... Now my feed is mostly dominated by random pointless videos and ads.

Instagram however, is a whole different monster.

I've lost count of the hours wasted scrolling mindlessly through Instagram, looking at... well... I can't even remember. Watching the stories of friends and people I don't know, just for that little insight into their lives. That's right. I'm basically an online creeper.

But aren't we all? Here we are, spending hours lurking around the profiles of the rich, famous, the Insta famous, friends, acquaintances - all readily available for us to critique, comment, dissect and share.
We're even exploiting our pets now with their own Instagram pages; they don't have a choice but their cute little faces are plastered all over the internet, begging for likes. And what if they don't get enough attention? Are they not cute enough? Will we love them less? Ridiculous.

So how did I use Instagram?
I used it for fashion inspiration, and for learning new make up looks; I enjoyed seeing what friends were up to and what my favourite celebs were doing / wearing. I followed pages full of memes and spent a lot of time just sending funny ones to friends.

I did however have very unhealthy habits. I followed a lot of very skinny models, and fitness fanatics, and I'd save images as 'thinspiration.' I compared myself to these people, and disliked myself for not looking as good as they did.
I religiously watched people's Insta stories, comparing my life and my body to everything. It's a form of torture; just looking at what other people 'have' and thinking about what I 'don't have'.

I'm not fat - I know I have a slim figure, and I'm very fortunate to have 4 working limbs and a body that is pretty much in full working order. I know all this, yet I just never feel like I'm good enough.

But I  don't think I fully realised where some of these insecurities stemmed from, until I gave up social media. My mental health has improved so much; by not looking at pictures of people I want to look like, I've actually started to work on who I want to be and what I want to achieve this year.

I've started running - and every time I go out, I run a  little further and a little faster. I feel amazing afterwards, like I've really achieved something. I've also lost a few pounds which is a bonus!

I've started to change my relationship with food.Staring at skinny people all day isn't great for the appetite. I'd eat something I shouldn't, then hate myself because I shouldn't have eaten that, and worry I'll get fat and be more miserable. I've taken diet pills (they don't work) and I was a sucker for anything that could help you lose weight fast. SPOILER: nothing works, just eating well and exercising. Who knew?
I've remembered how much I love food, and also that feeding my body is pretty essential in staying alive. I just have to exercise a bit more, because post 30, my metabolism seems to have deserted me.

I've been reading more, and I've really got into podcasts. Not going on social media seriously frees up your time; I already love a good podcast, and the girls and I try to listen to the same ones and read the same books so we can discuss during our weekly dinners.
RECOMMEND: Table Manners with Jessie Ware 

I feel like I'm more engaged in conversations and more present when I'm with friends and family. Without Instagram, I've no reason really to be on my phone unless I'm actually chatting to friends. It  means that when I meet up with people, we talk and properly catch up on things, because I haven't seen every moment of their life documented online.

I'm happier. I'm more upbeat, more focused and feel completely liberated. I feel like I've broken free and I'm just enjoying my life and having fun without being bothered with what everyone else is doing.

The down side... is that I now notice just how much people are on their phones. Questions go unanswered because people aren't concentrating, spontaneous moments are lost because everyone wants to to film it, and people are just not talking because they're too busy looking at their screens. People don't listen anymore. Everyone is distracted.
But just because I am now a wholesome goddess who doesn't need to be fulfilled by technology, doesn't mean I have the right to lecture people.

What happens after January?
I don't really know, I'm almost a bit overwhelmed at what I might have missed, and, honestly, I don't know if I can be arsed catching up.
First though, I will go through the list of people I follow and delete anyone who doesn't genuinely bring me joy (Marie Kondo inspo) Or who I have no idea who they are or why I follow them.
Secondly, I will limit my phone time. No phones at the dinner table, no phones in bed, no phones whilst watching Game of Thrones; lose concentration for 1 minute and someone dies (a character, not someone I know).

I've never believed the old cliche 'New Year, New Me' but 2019 is going to be a pretty epic year (I'm getting hitched!) So I'm pleased to be off to a very positive start.

Now I'm off to work on my 'Hot Wife' bod. Which will no doubt be plastered all over social media if I am successful. Watch this space...

February Reflection
January was a great month, and I'm pleased to say I've had a productive February so far. I've been hitting the gym and running lots, and my relationship with food is continuing to blossom. I have been on Instagram, but it doesn't affect me in the same way it used to. I don't look at other people and wish I had what they have or feel rubbish about my body. I unfollowed about 900 Insta pages (god knows how I ended up following so many) and now my feed is full of my friends and family and inspiring images, which is so refreshing to see.

I'll admit, I have maybe slipped back into old habits and I do find myself looking on social media more than I should, which is something I need to continue to work on. But the way I view it, and how it makes me feel has completely changed for the better, and I'm enjoying this new liberation.