I Deleted (Almost) All my Social Media

Posted: Jul 14, 2026 01:40:29

There was a time when the first thing I reached for every morning wasn’t my coffee. It was my phone. Before my feet hit the floor, I already knew what everyone else had eaten for breakfast, where they vacationed, what they bought at Target, whose marriage looked perfect, and whose kitchen was somehow always spotless. Meanwhile, my own day hadn’t even started. I don’t think social media is evil. It has connected people, inspired creativity, and helped small businesses grow. I’ve laughed at funny videos, learned new recipes, and found ideas I never would have discovered otherwise. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was consuming far more than I was living and didn’t even know what I liked to do as a hobby. So I made a decision that felt surprisingly scary. I deleted almost everything. Instagram.
Facebook.
 TikTok. I kept YouTube. And honestly? Life got quieter. The Silence Felt Strange For the first few days, my hand kept reaching for apps that weren’t there. Waiting in line?
Open Instagram. Kids playing independently?
Scroll Facebook. Five minutes before dinner?
Watch TikTok. Except…there was nothing to open anymore. I hadn’t realized how often I was filling every tiny pocket of silence. At first, it felt uncomfortable. Then it started to feel peaceful. I Started Looking Up Again Without endless scrolling, I noticed little things I’d been missing. The way my toddler narrates every single thing she does. My oldest wanting to tell me about a Lego thing he’s building. Birds outside the kitchen window. The stack of books I’d been saying I wanted to read. The sourdough recipe I’d been putting off trying. The laundry still wasn’t magically folding itself—but somehow doing it without a phone beside me felt…lighter. Comparison Lost Its Grip It’s hard not to compare your ordinary Tuesday to someone else’s highlight reel. Even when we know it’s curated. Even when we know people don’t post the hard days. Seeing hundreds of homes, wardrobes, vacations, and routines every day quietly shapes what we think our own lives should look like. Without that constant stream, I stopped wondering if I was doing enough. Our little life started feeling like enough again. Why I Kept YouTube I didn’t want to eliminate the internet completely. YouTube feels different for me. Instead of endless short clips designed to keep me scrolling, I can intentionally choose what I want to watch. I love longer videos. A cozy homemaking vlog while I fold laundry. A gardening tutorial. A documentary. A recipe. I watch it when I choose to not because an algorithm keeps handing me one more video after another. It’s entertainment, but it also feels slower. More intentional. What Filled the Space? People often ask what you do instead. The answer is… Whatever real life puts in front of you. I read more books. I bake more. I spend longer outside with the kids. I listen to music while I clean instead of scrolling. I notice my home more. I even allow myself to be bored. Boredom isn’t something to fear. It’s often where creativity begins. I’m Not Judging Anyone This isn’t a post saying everyone should delete social media. Some people genuinely enjoy it. Some people use it for work. Some people have found incredible communities there. This is simply what I needed. I realized I didn’t want my children’s memories of me to include my face lit by a phone screen every spare moment. I wanted them to remember me reading on the couch. Gardening. Baking cookies. Playing outside. Being present. Living a Smaller, Fuller Life These days my world feels smaller. And somehow, fuller. I know less about strangers. I know more about my own family. I spend less time consuming other people’s lives. And more time building one I’m grateful for. I’m still learning. I still have moments where I wonder what I’m missing. But every time I reach for my phone and remember there’s nothing to scroll, I smile a little. Because that’s another moment I’ve gotten back. And those moments add up to a life.

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