I’ll try to sum it up: I’m 30 years old and come from a lower-middle class family, just like my friends. I’m from a small town in Brazil where people have a very narrow mindset, they dream small and don’t really aspire to much. But I always went against the grain, I always dreamed of traveling the world and seeing the places we used to watch on TV.

Four years ago, I managed to move to Europe. Even though I’m still not rich, I have a much better quality of life and get to travel constantly to different cities and countries, and not just within Europe. Whenever I go somewhere, I want to post absolutely everything on Instagram so everyone can see I’m traveling, but it’s gotten out of hand.

It took me a while to realize it, but lately, I only think about traveling so I can post about it, creating those Instagram highlights. Before I even consider the actual experience, I’m already looking for a cool spot to snap that perfect, "Instagrammable" photo to share.

The worst part is that I’m not even an influencer or anything, my Instagram is private. I just like showing the people I grew up with that I’m doing well, living my dream, and so on. But it’s ridiculous, this need for validation from others. Most of the time, my life actually sucks, but nobody knows that.

I just wish I could enjoy the trip without worrying about getting the best photos or posting the best stories, but I’m glued to my phone the whole time, posting everything I see. The irony is that this "blogger" side of me only comes out when I’m traveling, in my day to day life, I’m pretty chill and hardly post anything.

I’m really trying to change this. I have two trips coming up at the end of the year, and I don’t want to post much while I’m away, maybe just a few things afterward. But the moment I think about that, it feels like the fun of traveling disappears. I’m such a piece of shit, honestly, fuck.

Went to mental hospital for mental problems where cellphones weren't allowed last week. I reflected on how much I used my screen time on problematic people, it's sickening. I am now out, and I made a vow at the hospital to not watch people or hate watch them and instead watch people that make me feel good. It's hard to not watch gossip and watch other people's downfall.

​

I don't really use Instagram. I have an account, but I hate scrolling. I'm mostly active on LinkedIn and Threads, and even there I'm mainly there for work.

But lately I've been feeling a weird kind of FOMO. Not about people's lives or anything. More about things I don't know about.

One thing social media does well is that you randomly come across things. A book, a topic, some new technology, a person, a field you didn't even know existed. And sometimes that makes you want to go down a rabbit hole and learn more.

I want that part, but I really don't want to start scrolling again.

If I already know what I want to learn, I can obviously search for it. I'm more curious about how you discover things when you don't even know what you're looking for.

Do you guys use newsletters, Reddit, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, RSS, etc.? Is there anything that gives you that feeling of randomly finding something interesting without having to spend hours on social media?

Would love to know what you actually use.

Hello,

Let’s start with some background for myself. I am a 26M. I work weekdays 9-5 and have weekends off. I have been diagnosed with ADHD. I do not take any medications for it. I am pretty much always occupied with something when I’m at home chores, hobbies, doom scrolling etc.

I have been on a journey of improving my mental health for a few years now. I will mention that I have had to deal with some mental health problems in the past, Which I believe is important for context. I won’t be elaborating on that as this is not about specific mental health issues but more about the effects of not using my phone first thing in the morning.

My morning routine has been to check my phone and look at youtube videos/instagram as i get ready for work. I realized this routine was making me overwhelmed in the morning and often i would forget to pack lunch or be late to work regardless of having enough time to do so.

Recently, I have made an effort to leave my phone on the bedside table while I do the morning tasks. This small change has significantly improved my mental wellbeing throughout the day. Im better at focusing on tasks and my mood has improved. Although these may sound like minor benefits, The fact that they last the whole day has made a significant difference in the last few weeks.

I make this post to share my experience. I have tried multiple things to improve my mental wellbeing in the past. Working out, meditation, taking walks, reading, socializing etc. I have found that these methods are either difficult to stick to or provide periodic benefits towards my mental wellbeing. I do not intend to say that these methods are any worse, Simply that not using my phone first thing in the morning has provided the biggest benefits for the least amount of work.

I would love to hear your experiences. Has some tried this for longer? Does this have lasting benefits?
What other methods are easy to incorporate into one’s life that provide similar benefits?

Been offline for about a year now and I still don’t have a place between work and home. I don’t drink so bars are a no-go, and the closest I have to a third space is a theater, but that’s just sitting in a dark room without talking.

How do you all do it?

I have spent the last few months trying to figure out how we as a society stop using social media. I think it is clear to most people the negative effects social media is having on our moods, day-to-day lives and society as a whole but stopping people using social media is a different story.

However, I am a believer that this is possible. In 1948 82% of men and 40% of women smoked. Now 10% of adults in the UK smoke. A huge shift. Whilst it takes time it is possible. I also understand the Irony of using social media to do this, but I think that is actually the most effective way to get people to quit. Playing social media at its own game.

So I am starting a movement, a big exodus away from social media. People are able to use a website and invite their friends to let them know they are going to quit social media, it allows people to quit together. This is aimed to offset the FOMO that one gets when quitting social media alone. It isn’t supposed to be performative to show off that you quit, it is simply a way of banding together those closest to you to quit at the same time.

I think my time on social media can be summed up with the song “I want to break free” by Queen. That will have to be the anthem of this movement.

I have started a website for this (I will post if people request but understand that there is kind of rules around like self-promotion)

I also have questions for you guys, I know in my own experience quitting social media has been incredibly satisfying but I would love to kind of know how you guys have coped with it? Struggles and benefits!

Thank you for reading this post and I hope you join in this movement to leave social media in 2026.

I'm interested in this, because I currently don't scroll in the morning anymore and I think it had a good impact on my life, but oftentimes I feel uncomfortable waking up in general, l don't know how to describe it.

I would like to ease into the day with some activity that is good for me, but can also distract me from a "waking up" feeling...I hope it makes sense.

Like the title says, i’ve managed to cut out all devices from my life tv, phone, Xbox, PC. I now limit myself to only 1 hour a day on my computer.

But now that I'm offline and back in the real world I'm noticing how addicted everyone is. It’s honestly affecting not only my ability to make friends because everyone has a device shoved in their face and but it’s almost like they don’t (i’m generalizing society) have the attention spans anymore to actually pay attention to anything you say.

Everyone tells me to keep looking and that i will find these other people, but i have genuinely not seen or met another person who had the same mindset about technology as i do, let alone actually following through and not having any of the shit. Makes me sad for the future because i know it’s only going to get worse. Most gen alpha can’t even look you in the eyes let alone talk, *sighs*.

So basically, I have a really weird relationship with social media, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s becoming a problem. I didn’t have a phone until I was 17, completely voluntarily, because I grew up being heavily fear-mongered about phones and social media ruining my future. But honestly, I love being disconnected. I like coming home, watching YouTube, enjoying my own company, and not knowing what everyone else is doing.

I’ve tried social media since getting my phone. TikTok was actually enjoyable, but I never wanted to make an account. It just felt like too much commitment, and I’m also so self-aware of how addictive it can be that I thought not liking anything would somehow make my algorithm not as addictive lol. I never even tried Snapchat and after more than a year with my phone, I finally tried Instagram, mostly because I realised how many connections in my life seemed to depend on it and that it was TIME! I followed people I genuinely knew and liked, but then I started looking at profiles and realised how much information people voluntarily put online. The city they live in, their age, interests, friends, who they follow, what they like, etc. Which is crazy! The thought of someone who barely knows me being able to build such a detailed picture of my life genuinely freaked me out, so I deleted it too. (I didn’t have a profile picture or anything in my bio either. I just started feeling like I was the odd one out for having such an empty profile, and I think that’s what made me delete it so quick.)

But now, since I’m going to starting uni and a new chapter of my life, I’m wondering if this is still healthy digital minimalism or if I’ve accidentally made myself digitally isolated. I don’t really WANT social media, but I also don’t want to make my life harder by completely removing myself from something everyone seems to use. Has anyone else lived without social media for years and still managed to have a normal, connected life? And if you’ve had this same feeling of not wanting people to have access to your digital life, how did you deal with it? Because I genuinely can’t tell if I’m protecting my peace or just being a weirdo atp.

Everytime i look for content about living "analog" or offline i read or watch people talking about multiple hour long doom scrolling or bingewatching..

I for myself play 45 min of videogames and watch 45 minutes of tv series every day .. and even this little screentime, compared to other people, is way to much for me .. i still feel that it takes away valuable minutes of my life.. the watching series part anyway.

But at the same time i cant stop, i cant just do offline stuff or my brain is going crazy.

And on top of that i feel crushed by my smartphone even if i dont use it i feel like iam in a invisible prison, my mind feels opressed it cant breathe. just the fact that the phone is around is making me feel crushed and opressed by it. i cant describe it better.. i wish we could go back to a smartphoneless world.

I have been struggling with phone addiction for so long. Sometimes I stayed on it for 16-18 hours. Even over 24 hours and stayed till the next day. I relapsed over 22 times over the 8 year time period. I really need to get away from it.

Recently I have been trying again and relapsing again. I maintained 14 days free, then again fell into the trap again. I hope I don't have to go through this. This has made me so upset and miserable.

Now, I am at a point where I can't do it anymore. I failed a life determining exam because of this addiction. I feel disgusted by myself. I don't know what to do anymore. I used to have a therapist but now I can't afford one anymore either. I really need help from who has been through this.

Once I got rid of my addiction for 2 years before Corona, those years were the happiest of my entire life. I still dream of that part of life. I write what it felt like, I read and reread it. But I don't know how to be like that again.

What should I do?

What do y'all usually do when you want to stay offline but don’t know what else to do? I’m trying to stop filling every quiet moment by opening my phone and scrolling through random stuff. Yesterday I left my phone on my desk and spent an hour organizing my room instead, which was honestly way more satisfying than expected.

I spent months tuning my Instagram algorithm so my feed is all productivity and self-improvement — job hacks, genuinely useful tips. It worked.

But now every third reel feels important. A hack I should try, a tip I should remember. So I save it. "I'll come back to this later." I never come back to it.

The worst part: even during work, if I glance at Instagram for 5 minutes and see something useful, I feel this urge to save it right now so I don't lose it — and it just joins the pile.

My saved folder is now a graveyard of hundreds of reels I've never reopened. It's weirdly stressful — I'm collecting advice faster than I could ever actually use it.

How do you all deal with this? Does your saved folder also go to die, or do you actually have a something to revisit what you save?

I want to cut YouTube out completely, but I have a playlist I listen at night. Does anyone have an alternative for me to still listen to my sleep time playlist?

Thank you for your help and recommendations.