One week ago, it was decided – or rather the idea surfaced – that I should go for a whole week without social media. With me being the spontaneous girl that I am with a  “can do” attitude, I volunteered as tribute.  Over the seven days I reflected on how I felt without social media and this is what happened.

Day 1: The first day isn’t too bad. I find I turn to music a lot more, since I can’t check Instagram or Snapchat out of boredom. I also find myself working on my homework instead of distracting myself on my phone. I’m not miserable… yet.

Day 2: Today, I did grab my phone multiple times expecting to be able to browse Instagram or mindlessly watch peoples Snapchat stories, but it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I still get more work done. In the mornings before school I’ll get bored and usually get on social media, but this time I decided to read the book I was assigned in class. How crazy is that?  But I have to admit, I do miss memes.

Day 3: I’m reflecting more and more about how on Earth I am going to survive the weekend without Instagram scrolling. It’s hard for me to admit, but I badly wanted to take a selfie and show off newly thrifted sweater. Also, for those of you worrying – I do have a dear friend saving my streaks, so no harm there.

Day 4: I caved. I went on dear old snap chat and replied to all of my lonely neglected messages. I feel absolutely privileged and ridiculous considering one of my friends this morning told me he didn’t even have any social media and he seems to be living just fine. Wow. First worlds problems, am I right?

Day 5: Even though I caved yesterday, I realize that today I spent more quality time with my family. We went to  a K-State game together and I barely went on my phone at all. It was refreshing to experience something through my eyes and not just through a screen.

Day 6: Now that I cut down on social media, hanging out with family and doing homework seems to be the only thing that satiates my craving for communication, which is something I have sadly been putting off as a second priority. But if I am being completely honest with myself, I have a queue of pictures ready to be shamelessly posted to my Instagram.

Day 7: The last day brings surprising revelations. Today I’m not even that excited to get back on social media. Now that I think about it, it just doesn’t seem that appealing to me anymore. It’s fascinating what a week without social media can do to you, but I think I’ve learned my lesson by now.

By the time I re-downloaded all of my social media accounts back onto my phone, I went on a rampage trying to catch up with what I had missed and check all of my notifications. Now, I understand why social media is such a huge controller of our lives, especially with students. It takes away our precious attention that could be going to our education, spending time with people one on one, or even ourselves. This past week I accomplished more than I have in my entire high school career. I know it sounds dramatic but it’s true. I felt on top of my game with my schooling and even got to communicate with people on a genuine level, not just through a text.

However, I do think social media is a wonderful way to express yourself and make new friends. But I do encourage every student to take some time off of social media, even if it’s just for a day.