Lent officially ends today, the 9th April.
For those who made sacrifices during this period, we’re sure you’ve found it tough, especially during lockdown! If you stuck to your promise, we praise you.
Our Marketing Manager, Emma gave up Facebook and Instagram for Lent. Here’s how she found it!
“Natalie (Marketing Assistant) and I were discussing the negative impacts of Social Media, and as Lent was coming up, we decided that it would be interesting to see if we could give it up for 40 days. Considering we were both die-hard Instagram addicts AND we work in Marketing, this was going to be a challenge!
We set some base rules:
- We were going to delete the Facebook app from our phone.
- We kept the Instagram app as we use it for work, but we logged out of our accounts.
- I deactivated my accounts for extra motivation!
At first it was easy, we felt refreshed and we didn’t miss the sites at all! This changed for me when the Coronavirus started to pick up it’s pace. I wanted to be involved in the drama – I knew my Facebook feed would be full of panic, posts from acquaintances and strangers sharing scary photos and videos from allover the world, opinions from people, opinions on people’s opinions etc. I felt as though society was happening in a room from which I was locked out.
However…
I broke my promise and re-activated my Facebook account. After approximately 3 minutes of scrolling down my newsfeed, I realised I was not enjoying the experience. I didn’t learn anything I hadn’t already heard on the news. I didn’t see any important updates from my family or friends – I was already calling and messaging them to keep in touch. All I saw were bland posts from people I barely know, a lot of adverts (I know) and TikTok videos. I deactivated my account again, and that is how it has remained.
It turns out that I haven’t missed Instagram whatsoever. Without the app, I no longer compare myself to the online versions of people I went to School with, or Celebrities who will no doubt have had surgery, make up teams, professional editing etc.
Without the presence of Instagram in my life (and social distancing / the Government Lockdown!) I can only compare myself to people I physically see. Now, although I’m working from home and have positioned my desk next to a window – I can assure you the number of people I’ve physically seen has been very little. Interestingly though, none of them look like Instagram influencers. Who knew!?
Lent ends today and I have no plans to return to Facebook or Instagram.
If you’ve ever considered that Social Media may be having a negative impact on your Mental Health, I highly recommend a break!!”
– Emma Coleman, Marketing Manager.
