A Week Without Snapchat

For those who follow me on Snapchat, you know that I am an avid post-er. I love Snapchat! It's a great way to get out information, reach out to friends, and show cool things that you're doing.
So why did I delete my Snapchat app for a week?
Let me tell you.
 
I like to go through Snapchat stories at the end of the day. It's usually the only time I'm not busy and can listen to the videos. It's always interesting to see what people are posting and what they did throughout the day! Especially with friends in other states or family members back at home.
As I mentioned before, Snapchat is a great, casual way of posting pictures and videos of things you have done throughout your day. Some even use it as a way to show off, like look who I'm with or look where I'm at.
Now I'm not saying that I have not "shown off" via Snapchat before. I have defiantly been known to post pictures of sushi or videos of friends just to let my followers know that I'm social, out with people, doing things.
But me, being a sensitive person, began to develop some FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) when checking Snapchat stories at the end of my day.
In one particular instance, I arrived home after a formal event and especially long day. I got to hang out with friends, dress up, and hung out with my boyfriend at the end of the day, which was much needed. But when I got home and looked at other's Snapchat stories, I started to feel awful. Many of my friends who were at the same event with me earlier that day were hanging out in different groups. All I could think of was That looks really fun and Why wasn't I invited?

I woke up the next morning, holding the same feelings as I had the night before, which was so dumb! Why was I letting literally seconds of videos affect my day so much? I had had a wonderful evening with friends that night too, so why was I feeling like I missed out on so much?

That's when I deleted my Snapchat app.

I didn't completely delete my account, though. Like I said before, I love Snapchat, and it has helped me so much with getting the word out for my blog, YouTube, etc.
I just needed a quick detox from the app.
I decided to delete the app for a week, just to see what would happen.

So here's what happened:

On the first day, Monday, it was rough. I'm not kidding when I say that I had the urge to take a video or picture on Snapchat about every 15 minutes. It really bugged me that my mind was so focused on the app! Anytime I did something fun or saw something interesting or had a funny thought, my instant reaction was to post it. Why can't I enjoy the privacy?
That's basically how everyday went until the weekend. I last minute decided to take a road trip home to California with a friend for y brother's birthday and Easter. I struggled with the idea of re-downloading the Snapchat app early so that I could post about being home and with family.
I stuck with my goal and didn't download the app, which turned out being really nice. I started to notice that I could do things, like play with my dog, hang out with my brother, lay outside, etc. without posting about it. It was nice to finally appreciate and enjoy the privacy I had. I started to think less and less about the app, and actually had an inner debate about if I should re-download the app at all.

In the end, I re-downloaded Snapchat. As I said before, I don't hate the app! I am a huge fan of social media and all of the cool things it can do. I think it's just very easy for us to feel inferior, no matter how many times we tell ourselves that we shouldn't compare social media to reality.

So, my friends, take a second to realize that everyone is just having fun. Everyone is just trying to do their best and make the most of the life they are living. Please realize that YOU need to focus on your life and what you're doing to make it your best life possible. Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, all that good stuff, is just people trying to showcase their best. While that sometimes leads to negative feelings, social media itself is not bad. Remember to count your blessings before you complain.

And that's about it.
Have a great week!

Yes, I'm aware I'm gorgeous.