Lately, it seems like I’m constantly missing out on things. In the morning, I find myself scrolling between Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter before I go to bed. But on the other hand, my mood is hitting rock bottom. When I keep looking at other people’s lives, it feels like my own life is worthless. Someone told me: ‘The greatest kindness you can do for yourself is to put down your phone and completely distance yourself.’ But honestly, it doesn’t seem like something I can do on my own. Do you think taking a break from social media is enough, or should I seek help from a professional?
I felt the same way. I was constantly getting lost on Instagram, my phone never left my hand. I did a two-week social media detox, and I really struggled at first but then I felt lighter. I think you should at least try it for a week and see how you feel.
If you ask me, you need to show a bit of willpower without needing a psychologist or anything. What’s with being so attached to your phone? I don’t understand how life seems so empty when you have a screen in front of you. I think you should put your phone aside for a bit, and if you’re still feeling bad after that, we can talk.
If you keep looking at other lives and comparing them to your own, that feeling becomes normalized and eventually turns into a spiral. In such a case, detoxing alone may not be a permanent solution. It might be more effective to work with a specialist to address the underlying feelings of comparison or inadequacy.
I’ve noticed that I haven’t even tried to stay away for a single day. I’m basically living on my phone. But on the other hand, I think I’m feeling a bit anxious lately, as if someone else is doing something better and I’m missing out. Could this be the real issue?
That feeling of ‘missing something’ is very familiar. So, for example, if you were to close Instagram for a day and then open it again the next day, do you really see something you’ve ‘missed’? Or does it just feel that way in the moment, have you ever thought about it?
My daughter, we didn’t have things like this in our time, people were focused on their work. Now, no one is paying attention to their own lives because of phone chatter. Take a break, do some housework, read a book, go outside. I think you’ll get back on track in a week. A psychologist is not that easy a solution.
But I think the main thing you should focus on is that most of the lives you see on social media aren’t real. They show you profiles of people who are ‘happily married with kids’ or ‘wealthy and free, always traveling’; it’s all curated. Feeling inadequate is something the system wants. Don’t give in to that.
My life had also been turned upside down because of this feeling of “missing out” that you mentioned. I couldn’t stay away from TikTok, and then I realized my motivation was zero. I ended up going to a psychologist, and it turned out I was experiencing a type of anxiety called FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). It doesn’t go away when I put my phone down; the solution was professional.