Quitting Social Media for 1 Year: Complete Experience
What actually happens when you quit Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for 365 days. Real withdrawal symptoms, unexpected benefits, and the habits that replaced endless scrolling.
On January 1st, I deleted Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok from my phone. Not "took a break." Not "deactivated." Completely deleted my accounts.
Today marks one year.
I didn't replace social media with productivity porn. I didn't become a meditation guru or write a novel. But I did fundamentally change my relationship with attention, boredom, and what it means to be connected.
This is what actually happened—the good, the terrible, and the surprisingly mundane.
The Before: 4.7 Hours Daily (I Checked)
For two weeks before quitting, I used Screen Time to track my actual usage:
- Instagram: 1.8 hours/day
- Twitter: 1.5 hours/day
- Facebook: 0.9 hours/day
- TikTok: 0.5 hours/day
- Total: 4.7 hours/day, or 71 full 24-hour days per year
I was spending nearly three months of my life every year scrolling through other people's curated highlights while sitting in my underwear eating cereal.
The math was humiliating.
Week 1-2: Phantom Limb Syndrome
Withdrawals Were Real:
Day 3, I unlocked my phone 47 times. Opened the spot where Instagram used to be 23 times. My thumb knew exactly where to tap, even though the app was gone.
Neuroscience research on digital habits and dopamine explains this perfectly: social media creates micro-dopamine hits every time you check. Your brain doesn't care that the app is deleted. It's still craving the reward.
What I Did Instead:
Nothing productive. I stared at my home screen. I opened my email (nothing new). I checked the weather (still the same). I felt anxious, bored, and convinced I was missing something important.
Spoiler: I wasn't missing anything important. I never was.
Sleep Immediately Improved:
Without late-night scrolling, I fell asleep faster. My average sleep time increased from 6.4 hours to 7.2 hours by week two. I didn't even try to sleep more—it just happened naturally when I wasn't looking at screens until midnight.
Week 3-4: FOMO Is a Liar
The Peak Anxiety Period:
Week three was hell. A friend got engaged. I found out two days later via text. Someone had a baby. I learned about it from my mom, who saw it on Facebook.
I convinced myself I was becoming isolated, irrelevant, forgotten.
What I Actually Learned:
Real friends text you directly. Acquaintances post on social media. The relationship quality matters more than the information speed.
The people who mattered in my life contacted me directly within days. The 400+ "friends" I thought I'd miss? I didn't. Because we were never actually friends—we just occasionally liked each other's content.
The Habit Replacement Challenge:
Breaking bad habits requires replacement, not willpower. I couldn't just "not scroll." I needed something to do instead.
I joined a Cohorty digital detox cohort—eight people all quitting social media. We checked in daily: "Did you stay off social media?" That simple accountability made the difference on hard days.
When my thumb reached for the phantom Instagram, I had alternatives:
- Open Kindle (read for 5 minutes)
- Do 10 pushups
- Make coffee
- Actually talk to my partner
Month 2-3: Discovering Boredom Again
The Uncomfortable Truth:
I'd forgotten what boredom feels like. Real, sit-with-nothing-to-do boredom.
Standing in line? I used to scroll.
Waiting for coffee? Scroll.
Commercial break? Scroll.
Elevator ride? Scroll.
Without social media, I experienced 30-second windows of nothing. And it was... fine? Sometimes I looked around. Sometimes I thought about stuff. Sometimes I did absolutely nothing and discovered the world didn't end.
What Science Says:
Research shows that boredom is crucial for creativity and mental processing. But we've optimized it away with constant digital stimulation. Relearning how to be bored was uncomfortable and necessary.
Social Situations Got Weird:
Friend: "Did you see that thing on Instagram?"
Me: "No, I'm not on Instagram."
Friend: "Oh. Okay. Anyway..."
[Awkward silence]
Thirty percent of conversations suddenly had nothing to talk about. I realized how much social lubricant is just commenting on shared digital content.
Month 4-6: The Productivity Myth
What I Expected: To become wildly productive with 4.7 extra hours daily.
What Happened: I wasted time in different ways.
I didn't write a novel. I didn't learn a language. I didn't start a business. I just... did other stuff. Watched more Netflix. Read more articles. Cooked more elaborate breakfasts. Went on longer walks.
The Real Benefit Wasn't Productivity:
It was attention span. By month five, I could read a book for 90 minutes straight without checking my phone. I could have a conversation without feeling the pull to look at my screen.
This wasn't about being more productive. It was about reclaiming sustained attention.
What I Started Doing:
- Reading: 1-2 hours/day (up from maybe 20 minutes)
- Cooking: Actually following recipes, not ordering DoorDash
- Walking: Without podcasts, just thoughts
- Conversations: Without phone-checking
Month 7-9: The Identity Shift
Someone Asked: "Are you not on social media because you think you're better than everyone?"
Honest Answer: No. I'm not on social media because I'm worse at it than everyone. I can't moderate. I can't "just check for 15 minutes." For me, it's all or nothing.
This realization was important. I wasn't making a moral stand. I was acknowledging my actual behavior patterns and adapting accordingly.
The Dating App Exception:
I kept one: Hinge. Because that's utility, not entertainment. I used it with intention: 15 minutes, three times per week, scheduled. Then deleted the app between sessions.
This taught me something: the platform doesn't matter as much as the usage pattern. Social media wasn't inherently bad—my relationship with it was.
Sleep Quality Continued Improving:
By month eight, my average sleep was 7.6 hours. My REM cycles improved (according to my sleep tracker). I attributed this to two factors:
- No late-night scrolling disrupting circadian rhythm
- Less anxiety from comparing my life to others' highlight reels
Month 10-12: The Long-Term Normal
December 15th (Day 349): Checked my Screen Time stats.
- Total Screen Time: 2.1 hours/day (down from 4.7)
- Productivity Apps: 45 minutes (Kindle, podcasts)
- Communication: 35 minutes (messages, calls)
- Entertainment: 40 minutes (YouTube, streaming)
- Everything Else: 20 minutes
I'd reclaimed 2.6 hours daily. That's 949 hours per year. Nearly 40 full days.
What I Actually Did With the Time:
- Read 47 books (up from 8 the previous year)
- Cooked 90% of my meals (was previously 40%)
- Had 23 phone calls with old friends (was previously 4)
- Took up painting (badly, but enjoying it)
- Slept 465 more hours
The Unexpected Benefits:
- Stopped comparing: Without seeing everyone's achievements, I focused on my own progress
- Better relationships: Called friends instead of liking their posts
- Less news anxiety: Still informed, but not drowning in outrage cycles
- More boring thoughts: Which led to more creative thoughts
- Stronger presence: Actually experienced moments instead of curating them
The Surprising Downsides:
- Genuinely missed some important events: Took longer to hear news
- Lost touch with casual acquaintances: Totally okay, but happened
- Felt disconnected from culture: Missed memes, trends, discourse
- Had to work harder to stay in touch: Active effort vs passive scrolling
- Sometimes felt lonely: Especially during pandemic phases
What I Learned About Habit Replacement
You can't delete a habit without replacing it.
The days I struggled weren't random. They were days I didn't have a clear alternative behavior ready. When you break a bad habit, you need to fill the void.
My replacement stack:
- Morning: Coffee → Kindle, not coffee → Instagram
- Waiting: Look around → notice things, not reach for phone
- Evening: Walk → decompress, not scroll → anxiety spiral
- Bored: Actually be bored for 60 seconds before choosing an activity
Accountability Helped:
My Cohorty digital detox cohort checked in every day for the full year. Of the original eight, five of us made it all 365 days. Knowing seven other people were also resisting the pull to redownload apps made hard moments easier.
We didn't chat. Didn't share strategies. Just checked in: "Stayed off social media today." That quiet presence mattered more than any detailed support group could have.
The Honest Assessment: Would I Do It Again?
Yes, but with modifications.
I'm not re-downloading Instagram or Twitter. Those are fundamentally designed to maximize engagement (time wasted), and I can't use them moderately.
But I did reactivate Facebook—with guardrails:
- Desktop only (no mobile app)
- 15 minutes, twice per week, scheduled
- Only for event invitations and group coordination
- Messenger only for actual conversations
What Staying Off Taught Me:
The apps aren't the problem. My relationship with them was. Some people can check Instagram for 10 minutes and move on. I can't. And that's fine. I know my patterns now.
Year Two: What I'm Keeping
The Habits That Stuck:
- Reading before bed (every night)
- Phone-free mornings (until 8am)
- Walking without podcasts (three times per week)
- Cooking real food (most nights)
- Calling friends monthly (scheduled)
The Identity That Formed:
I'm not "someone trying to quit social media." I'm someone who doesn't use it. That shift from trying to being is what makes the behavior sustainable.
Ready to Try Your Own Digital Detox?
You don't have to quit for a year. You don't even have to quit forever.
Start with 30 days. See what happens. Notice how you feel. Pay attention to where your hand goes when you're bored.
Join a Cohorty digital detox challenge where you'll be matched with others committing to the same break. Daily check-ins. No pressure to share your struggles. Just quiet accountability and the knowledge that others are resisting the same pull.
Because here's what I learned after 365 days: the apps will always be there. Your attention is finite. Choose carefully.
Interested in building better evening habits? Read about routines for better sleep or learn how to break digital habits without willpower.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Did you lose friends?
A: Lost touch with acquaintances. Real friends stayed connected through texts, calls, and in-person hangouts. If the only thing maintaining a friendship was liking each other's posts, it wasn't much of a friendship.
Q: How did you handle FOMO?
A: By remembering that FOMO is manufactured. Social media is designed to make you feel like you're missing out. In reality, I missed very little that actually mattered to my life.
Q: What about professional networking?
A: LinkedIn stayed (it's utility, not entertainment). For my work, email and actual meetings matter more than Twitter presence. Your industry might differ.
Q: Did you tell people you quit?
A: Not initially. But after a month, yes. Otherwise people thought I was ignoring their DMs. Most people understood. Some people thought I was being dramatic. Both reactions were fine.
Q: Will you ever go back?
A: To Instagram/Twitter? Probably not. They're designed to be addictive, and I'm susceptible to that design. Facebook sparingly for utility only. The cost-benefit doesn't work for me anymore.
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