I should go off social media forever. But I’ll miss out on so much, and I want to keep in touch with friends. I need to be on it for work and to grow my following if I want to publish another book. I should probably start making reels—they get a lot more views than just posts. Why doesn’t she follow me back? I can’t believe they didn’t invite me to the rodeo. I want to buy that pair of cognac leather boots I saw in that ad. I can’t believe I posted that selfie. People probably think I’m self-absorbed. But everyone posts selfies. No, I should take it down.

I appreciated how social media allowed me to reconnect with old friends and stay in touch with people. I enjoyed posting photos and sharing updates. But over time, as the features and algorithms changed and I continued to overuse it, I began to hate the way social media made me feel. It left me with feelings of inadequacy, making me discontent and ­self-­conscious. It became a means through which I searched for connection and human approval but never found it. The comparisons it brought out made me fail to see the beauty and wonder in my life and kept me from being fully present with the people I love most.

With every uninteresting moment or lull in my day, my thumb would instinctively tap my apps in search of an addictive dopamine hit caused by the notification of a new like, comment, or friend request. I would compulsively toggle between all my social media apps and refresh my screen in search of another hit. I would often fall asleep to the endless scrolling of photographs posted by friends and strangers. If I woke up in the middle of the night unable to fall back asleep, I would hide my phone under the covers and turn onto my side away from my husband to not wake him while I scrolled until the drum of thousands of pixels rocked me back to sleep. The next morning, I would wake up, immediately reach for my phone, and open the apps to see what I had missed while the world was sleeping, and the cycle would start over again.

I knew something needed to change, but I didn’t want to go off social media completely. I tried to create a healthier relationship with it. I would delete the app immediately after I posted a photo and caption so I wasn’t tempted to obsessively check and recheck my posts to see if anyone had liked or commented on them. Then, I would redownload it from the app store the next time I wanted to post another photo. It went like this: Post. Delete. Redownload. Post. Delete. Redownload.

As an introvert who thrives on having a peace-filled life, I think I am especially sensitive to the effects social media has on my mental well­being. The noise and chaos that come with it give my spirit a sense of angst and heightened anxiety. Even with the positive content I look at, I can often feel worse about myself and my life after using it. But when I’m unplugged and fully present in my life and the people and things I love, my spirit is at rest. I feel peaceful, grateful, and calm.

Over the past several years, I’ve set boundaries for myself that allow me to use social media in a way that mostly adds value to my life. I master it; it doesn’t master me. Because I’ve really struggled with my mental health in the past, I do everything I possibly can to safeguard it. This is the number one reason behind my decision to minimally use social media. I also decided that being engrossed with and envious of others’ lives is an insult to the God who gave me mine. I no longer fear missing out on what everyone else is doing, but I fear missing out on my own life. I’m also very intentional in my purpose for using social media. I enjoy using it to encourage others, keep up with friends, talk about my work, and share special moments of my life. Knowing my purpose for social media helps me avoid using it mindlessly.

I want to live digitally disconnected so I can be spiritually connected to God and my life. In addition to protecting my mental health, I believe using social media minimally will help me live a more productive life, accomplish my goals, and have deep relationships. Detaching from my phone helps me enjoy my life so much more—and makes me so much happier.

You might find a lot of joy and fun in using social media, but overuse and comparison will hurt your well-being and rob you of a fulfilling life. You are made for so much more than the empty life the world offers. The world of social media isn’t where we were designed to live. Our fingers were not made to swipe a pixelated screen and watch other people’s lives unfold. They were made for planting flowers in the dirt, making a meal for a hurting friend, combing through a child’s hair, pointing at shooting stars, collecting seashells, creating art, thumbing through the pages of a book, helping those in need, working hard, and holding the hands of those you love. Your best life will never be found on your phone. We are so far removed from the life we’ve been created for, and it’s making us sick.

We might think the mental health crisis today is only a result of social media, but that’s just part of the story. Something deeper and more profound is happening. As we’ve become fixated on our phones, we’ve forgotten God. We have lost our way spiritually. God has been pushed out of our world, and we are suffering because of it.

More of ourselves and less of God is not working for us. As we have turned away from God, we have turned inward and to social media, where too often we have found emptiness and despair. We have failed to find answers to the fundamental questions of life, such as why we are here and the purpose of our lives. This has led to an identity crisis and a failed search for meaning. But as we return to God and find our identity, worth, and purpose in Him, we come alive. We discover our purpose; we find true connection; we cultivate hope; we overcome fear and build lives we love. Getting off social media will likely make you happier, but it won’t fundamentally change your life. Only God can do that.

Adapted from Social Media Reset: A 30-Day Guided Journey to Unplug, Reconnect with God, and Reclaim Your Joy by Allie Marie Smith, releasing in July 2025.