Entry Three

 Staying off social media surprisingly hasn’t been as challenging as I thought it would be. I think fully realizing how much it negatively affects me has made me start to gradually pull back from it which is something I didn’t expect. I’ve been aware of how much I use it for a while but the blackout has put me in a position where I really wanted to take action and try to change my patterns up. I’ve found that using social media less has positively affected my mental state and has made me feel a bit more liberated. In a weird way, social media has a way of making me feel trapped or confined. But using it less, it’s given me a clearer head and even has a way of affecting my mood. One thing that I missed the most about social media is the comedic relief that it brings because it has a way of cheering me up on my worst day at times. One thing that I didn’t miss the least was comparing myself and my life to other people who I may come across on my social media accounts. 

I wouldn’t say that I was more productive by not being on social media much because I would spend my time watching TV. But it made me feel like I could actually do something more than just be on social media scrolling for a long period of time. Like I said before, the blackout has forced me to lessen my time on social media because it made me want to actually take action. I can’t sit here and say that this blackout will make me drop my habits completely but it will help me to make subtle changes in the amount of time that I spend on social media. 

In conclusion, being able to have a blackout and starting this blog has been extremely eye-opening. I don’t think that this process had changed my view on social media because I’ve always been aware that it creates a toxic environment and can be super addicting. But I will say that it’s made me want to actually start making significant changes in how much I use social media and ensuring that I actually start taking care of myself during my downtimes. Though getting on social media can seem like a way to wind down or decompress, I’ve realized that it can actually have an effect that’s the complete opposite. I look forward to making even more progress regarding using social media and seeing the effects that it has on my mental space.