For the first time I stuck to my plan of taking a social media detox and I'm so happy that I did! I've spent the last couple of days enjoying the sun, make-up free and socialising without the constant distraction of wanting to refresh my Instagram feed. I went out with just my camera and found some new places in Manchester to photograph, one of them being the Botanical Garden in Didsbury...
I think we can all agree that we are on our phones 'all of the time'. I found that last week when I was suppose to be at home writing my assignments, I spent the majority of the time sat there refreshing my feeds and feeling pressured that I had to find something interesting to photograph and post on my channels. Not only does it make me start to compare myself to others, I also start to feel quite lonely (that's really sad to write but it's true!) In fact, studies in the Telegraph have shown that too much social media 'increases loneliness and envy' - I spend way too much time on Twitter and Instagram so that's fab haha!
I spent a couple of days without wearing any make-up and letting my skin breathe. Social media can influence perceptions of your appearance and I hate that. I started to feel uncomfortable leaving the house or taking photographs without any makeup on because it didn't conform to the ideologies. Don't get me wrong, I love love love make-up but I'm all about promoting body confidence and positive self-esteem so once I realised that I was constantly wearing it because I felt like I needed to, to look 'prettier' then I really annoyed myself. Also, do I really need to put a tonne of make-up on just to sit in my house and take a selfie? Nope.
As for my social media, I decided to delete some apps, turn off my notifications and unfollow/mute some people because funnily enough, I feel so much better not seeing posts from certain people. I didn't completely get rid of my phone, because I still needed it to ring/text people but it reduced my time spent on it.
I feel refreshed and ready to go back on the internet now. This time, I won't be going on it as soon as I wake up in the morning and I won't be sat there refreshing feeds all day. The little break made me realise why I do what I do, I think the last time I went out with my camera with the intention to just take pictures was probably when I was doing my A-Levels so it was nice to do it again - I love taking pictures!
I would definitely recommend a digital detox if you're feeling the same, I only did it for 2 days but I know some people have done it for weeks!
What I am wearing:
BDG Outlaw Airtext Cropped T-Shirt - Urban Outfitters: now £19
Black Let Down Hem Jamie Jeans - Topshop: £42
Ivy Park Backpack - Topshop: £45
Nike Air Presto Black & White - Office: £89.99
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