I Quit Social Media and Went Off the Grid. Here’s what happened:

I am completely off Whatsapp and I hope to keep it that way unless circumstance forces me to be back.(such as work-related issues) This is not my first time going off the platform but I never really deleted my account then, unlike now. I am halfway off Twitter, meaning I drop by at times and check out what is trending at the moment. Facebook is barely used.

Here is a list of the pros and cons of being off the grid.

The pros first:

1. My social life has improved a lot. I used to spend most of my idle time just flipping through people’s statuses, wanting to see what they post, perhaps even insights into how they think, what matters to them etc. All this can be done in a more personal and warm way; via face to face conversations. Emojis are awesome and help convey feelings but not to the same extent as making eye contact and reading body language. A good conversation can make your day, same way a good text does. It’s a matter of personal preference, and I now realize that I prefer sitting opposite you and talking to you instead of keeping in touch through the screen.

2. More time on my hands. Of course we know the hundreds of group chat messages waiting for us to open them, tens and hundreds of status updates to be viewed and all those conversations that somehow manage to keep rolling despite a lack of interesting subject matter being talked about. The never ending sneak peeks to check notifications are some of the most time consuming and unproductive tasks ever. Unless you’re pushing your productions, creativity or brands online, most of it is done in a bid to see the next hilarious meme. Make good use of your time.

3. Decreased anxiety levels, very close to zero. No more worries about why they won’t reply to my texts yet they’re online, or whether the status update I sent seems too corny, or what my parents will think of me if they see some of my updates. This anxiety over time builds up and starts taking a toll on you, putting your mental health at risk.

4. Improved posture. Less time is spent in a slouching position.

5. Your days are more lively. I start to realize that boredom does not mean the end of the world. It means that I need to find activities that I really enjoy. I embark on an exploration period to find new hobbies, ones that do not include endless scrolling through a screen. Real activities such as playing pool, or swimming, hiking, experimenting on drugs (take necessary precautions though), meeting new people, taking a walk or a jog, learning a new craft etc. The list is endless. Your days are more fulfilling and you look forward to start the next day.

6. You quit running away from your problems. It’s easy to not notice a soul sucking job when all extra time is spent checking the never ending buzz of notifications. But once you end the buzz, you start identifying issues in your life that need fixing. You are reminded of your mortality, that some day you will die and this lights a fire under your butt. You start moving in line with your internal compass, the one that has been trying to show you the way all along but you were too busy lost in the sea.

7. A lot of unnecessary relationships end. Think of all those dead plants you keep watering. All the one-sided effort you put in and was never reciprocated can stir up ugly emotions in you and leave you feeling frustrated and unwanted (see point no. 3) All that toxic energy builds up and leaves a bad aftertaste in your life. Spare your mental health please.

The benefits start showing up a few weeks after exiting off the social media highway.

The cons :

1. A few people will think that you are being a snob, or seeking attention. To put it bluntly, they can keep the BS to themselves.

No more cons.

A few things to consider before going off the grid;

Beware of the fear of missing out. If not well trained, this fear will have you back online a few seconds after leaving. With time however, you realize that this is an instinct that has been developed by the constant need to check for any new activity. Now that you are off the grid, you’ll spend a few moments wondering what is going on over there. Well, the answer is, nothing important is going down, otherwise you would be receiving calls left, right and center from your friends trying to put you in the know. You’ll realize this after a few days.

The first few days will feel out of rhythm. However, nature abhors a vacuum and new habits will fall into place. Ensure that good habits that fall into place. Otherwise you’ll be swapping one poison for another.

Keep in mind that the internet is a network of rabbit holes with no end. A few feet deep in it and you might be lost. Learn to use these powerful tools to your benefit and not to your detriment.

Various generations often grow up facing some challenges. Our grandparents in Africa had to fight for our Independence. Those in the overseas went through the Great Depression. Others through World Wars. Some went through both.
People in the 21st Century are living in an age where there is simply too much information. Adverts bombard us everywhere, our phones buzz constantly with notifications, everyone seems to be lost into their screens. I’ve seen artworks showing phones handcuffed to wrists. When you think about it, the whole world has been shrank to a screen the size of your palm. We seem to be observing everything through a periscope, rarely taking time to look up and enjoy life in it’s abundance.

Not to mention the adverse effects on mental health. Everyone lives great on Instagram and when we compare this to our lives, things seem to be going awfully for us. This will then sow a seed of doubt and discontent in our lives, by now you know how this statement trails off. Remember that thoughts are vibrations, and you want to send out positive vibrations into the world, ones that will improve the world and your life too.

Make a choice. Get off the Internet highway and stay on your track. And save your mental health.