How a GEN Y like me ditches social media and seek enlightenment from within? - a personal experience

You know I tend to get a death stare when I tell people that I don't utilise my social media networks like Facebook or Instagram. Like why would a gen Y wouldn't want to be virtually connected with their counterparts - well that's me.

Facebook and Instagram were the platforms that got me dopamine addicted that I could sit for hours looking at the lives of others - through luxury, travels, relationships, brand endorsements and so on. It was difficult to break out of the cycle of not checking in as I do get silly reminders from the platforms that so and so followed me and I've a couple of likes that I should check out.

Digital minimalism, in this day and age is hard to be practiced because we tend to showcase our lives on screen to seek for validation and attention. Without being contented with what we've - so we seek for others to find enlightenment for ourselves.

This was me, looking at my dysfunctional family systems in the family - toxic relationships spiral downwards on me when my only sustenance was social media. It ruined my lifestyle - it ruined me - it ruined my relationships / friendships because I had this mindset of wanting more/ yearning for the things that I can never have.

Detoxing till today - remains a struggle for me - the fear of missing out on what's everyone is up to - and you're just missing from it all. I admit I still do check up on other's lives especially when they're doing so much better than me. Is ironic how I am actually posting this on a social media platform like Linkedin itself when this should be written on my personal journal but I thought of using it as a way of creating awareness that we don't need social media to create a life for ourselves.

My daily routine consists of

• Meditations
• Workout
• Scheduling of the week
• Journaling
• Meditations

None of this include social media breaks in between. It is 100% deep work - for all that I do. The elimination of social media - has brought me positive enlightenment for myself

• Becoming more aware of myself than the noise that shuts me off
• Appreciating the little moments with my family although ironically my mum spends so much screen time on her phone than me
• Allowing me to take autonomy of my life - taking charge of what I want to do - with social media it distracts me from focusing on what's in front of me
• Reading - I think without social media I have read about 10 books and is quite an achievement for me - seeing how I am a slow reader
• It refrains me from stalking / scrolling other people life - when we lose sight of our life it is when we look at others to seek for validation - that's what social media is designed for

When we become intentional with what we do, our life would be crafted with purpose - but

when we rely on technology

our life is being embodied by others

than ourselves.