With the semester coming to an end and my motivation being at an all-time low, I spend most of my time bed-rotting, scrolling through social media in my free time. Whether I’m stalking my ex-situationship, reposting memes, or watching IG Reels, I shamefully spend a good chunk of my day on social media, and TBH, it’s not just me.
According to Her Campus’s 2025 Mental Health survey, 54% of Gen Zers say they’re dependent on social media. And with a constant stream of dopamine-inducing content on apps like TikTok and Instagram, this honestly isn’t surprising. However, 62% of respondents say they want to spend less time on social media — and I’m one of them.
I’ll admit it: I’m addicted to social media. I spend hours a night mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, sometimes even checking the app during my classes because my brain is so addicted to the dopamine that it gives me. Over the summer, actually, I deleted social media (like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok), only leading me to find other apps to desperately receive any source of dopamine from: YouTube shorts, Pinterest, Lemon8, Reddit, Facebook Reels; the list goes on. Eventually, I deleted any app that I could doomscroll through, and spent my entire summer social media-less. And honestly? It was great.
I spent hours a day reading, and actually read 20 books in a mere two months. I felt so much more present in the moment when I hung out with friends, and could feel my mental health taking a turn for the better. So, WTF happened?
As the semester started, I began periodically redownloading and deleting Instagram to post photos, until one day, I redownloaded it and simply didn’t delete it — hence bringing back my social media addiction at an all-new level. This began the cycle, once again, of an embarrassingly high screen time and spending all of my free time on social media. I knew I couldn’t continue to live like this, so I made the ultimate decision to delete social media (specifically Instagram and TikTok) once again. And here’s how it went.
DAY 1:
TBH, I had a really busy day with student teaching and hosting a semi-formal for my student org, so I wasn’t too bothered by not being able to use social media. I instinctively went to check Instagram when I first woke up before remembering that I’d deleted it, and just went about my busy day.
DAY 2:
Once again, a busy day! I went to a darty with some friends before going home and taking a nap. Upon waking up from my nap in the late evening with nothing to do, I desperately wanted to scroll through Instagram, as embarrassing as it sounds. I fought the urge to redownload the app and instead spent my night scrolling through my camera roll and watching The Office compilations on YouTube.
DAY 3:
Day 3 was rough — the Sunday blues kicked in the second I woke up. I woke up early and immediately hopped on YouTube, despite knowing the point of this was to avoid screens altogether. I grabbed breakfast with a friend, just to get out of the house, and after seeing my ex-situationship with his new girl (that he told me not to worry about, might I add), I knew the rest of my day was going to be spent in bed.
I’ve honestly been debating whether I should lie in this article and say I was productive, or if I should be honest. I even envisioned what I would write for Day 3: “I spent my day reading, doing homework, and cleaning! I felt so refreshed,” but felt like it would be better to be transparent, because honestly, being addicted to social media is a really difficult thing to overcome, especially when struggling with severe depression like I am.
I spent my Sunday on YouTube, telling myself that “tomorrow will be my day.” After several hours of bed-rotting, I eventually decided to get out of bed in the evening and go to the library in an attempt to escape my slump and get some work done. And honestly? It was the break that I needed.
I spent most of my time writing an article for JMU’s Her Campus chapter, and TBH, it felt really great getting out of my room and being productive. Most of the time when I’m at the library, I’ll continue to check Instagram, but today, I actually stayed focused and got a ton of work done. I’ve been in a major writing slump over the past few weeks, so it was really refreshing to feel so motivated to write.
After spending several hours writing, I came home, ate dinner, cleaned my room, and then went back to writing for the rest of the night until eventually falling asleep.
DAY 4:
Day 4 was much better than Day 3. Despite waking up sick, I still felt motivated to be productive as I got up and went to class. Now, typically, on a day like this, I’ll go home after class and lie in bed for the rest of the day, scrolling mindlessly on my phone. However, with the weather being so beautiful and not having anything to scroll on, I sat outside on the quad and basked in the sunlight.
I spent about an hour alternating between people-watching and reading a book before getting overheated and grabbing some food on campus. After eating lunch, I decided to sit outside in the sun for the rest of the day, writing articles and avoiding my phone altogether. It honestly felt so refreshing being away from social media and not constantly worrying about what others were posting.
After a few hours outside, I decided to go home, cook dinner, watch the sunset while reading, and spend the rest of my night reading in bed. I haven’t had a day away from my phone in months, and it felt so nice, almost romanticizing my day without staring at my phone screen.
Day 5:
I woke up bright and early on Day 5, got ready without checking my phone once, and went to class. In all of my classes, we always have a ten-minute break halfway through because they’re all long classes, and I’ll typically scroll through Instagram until our break is over. This time, however, I read my book during our break, and came to a realization of how much of our days we spend on social media.
Throughout this short break, nearly every single person in our class was scrolling mindlessly on their phones. As I walked on campus, I realized how many people were staring at their phone screens while walking. I took this as my opportunity to look at the world in front of me, and to listen to the birds chirping.
Later in the day, I had a writing shift, where I had to go on social media and gather reels and TikToks for an article I was working on. Being on social media for the first time in days made me realize how much I simply didn’t miss it.
Throughout these past few days, I’ve realized how much I compare my life to others through social media. I’m constantly resentful towards others, feeling like their lives are better than mine, when in reality, social media is nowhere near reality. I always feel like I’m missing something or “out of the loop” if I’m not constantly checking social media, when honestly, I’m not missing anything other than “weekend recaps” and silly reposts.
I’ve come to terms with how beautiful my life is once I romanticize it; watching the sunset while reading, listening to the birds chirping as I walk to class, sitting on the quad and admiring the beauty of my campus — these are all things I rarely ever do because I’m always staring at my phone. Taking the week off of social media was honestly so refreshing and insightful; it reminded me how fulfilling life can be when I’m actually present for it.
This experience taught me that life isn’t meant to be a highlight reel; it’s meant to be lived. Moving forward, I’m going to stay off my phone a little more, romanticize my life a little harder, and find joy in the unposted moments — because those are the ones that matter most.